A great game no matter how you sliced it on the last day of February between Canada and the USA. Now, a very quick look back.
Canada seals the deal and thanks Ryan again……
It was everyone’s dream matchup for today’s Gold Medal Game; and it’s safe to say the game lived up to the hype! After the Americans miraculously tied the game at 2 late in regulation, Sidney Crosby sent the whole country of Canada into a frenzy it has probably never seen before. His five-hole goal on Ryan Miller 7:40 into overtime gave the Canadians the much-desired Gold.
The Canadians jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals from Jonathan Toews and Corey Perry. USA rallied back to tie it up, but they couldn’t crack Roberto Luongo a second time until there was just 24 seconds left, when Zach Parise slid home a rebound. After some good chances for Canada in the extra period, Jarome Iginla found Sidney Crosby, who scored from a bad angle to win the game. To me, it didn’t seem like Miller was expecting a shot, as Crosby released it quickly.
As Miller and the rest of the Americans were stunned and devastated, Canada Hockey Place went into absolute pandemonium. This was viewed as the biggest hockey game on Canadian soil – which is saying something! I can’t imagine what it would have been like inside that arena when Crosby scored.
It was an instant classic, and one of the best all-around hockey games I’ve seen. It was played like a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals; tightly contested in each zone without a lot of room to generate quality chances. This will go down in the books as one of the best games in hockey history.
Coming into these Winter Games, Canada had to win Gold… anything less would have been a disappointment. After their loss to USA last weekend, they made the switch to Luongo in net, was great under pressure. The star players finally jelled into their individual roles, and played with a lot of passion and determination. The country definitely deserved to see their team come away victorious.
USA was not given a good chance to medal in this tournament, let alone advance to the Gold Medal Game. They proved (mostly) everyone wrong by taking all of the hockey fans in this nation on a thrilling ride these last two weeks. Miller, who was named the tournament MVP, was sensational between the pipes, and the players in front of him didn’t leave anything on the ice when it was all said and done. As an American, I’m very proud of this team and the effort they displayed at these Games!
Before today’s game, I asked myself if this was ‘the greatest hockey tournament ever’ as people expected it to be. I came to a conclusion that today’s game would decide that. Judging by the results, this was indeed the greatest hockey tournament we’ve ever seen! It was fueled by a pair of epic games between the U.S. and Canada, and had some other great moments along the way.
There’s a chance we’ll never see something like this again. Along with every other hockey fan, I soaked it all in the last couple weeks, and I’m disappointed to see it end. The Winter Olympics only come around every four years… and that’s why this tournament was so special!
