Some are calling it a game for the ages. Some are saying that Sidney Crosby has now made the jump from superstar to legend. For me, the 2010 Olympic Gold Medal game between Canada and the U.S. once again showed the world that hockey is Canada’s game, period. Eric Staal said it best:
Hockey is Canada’s game and people will remember that goal for a very long time.
I give tons of credit to the U.S. team. They’re a gritty bunch who leaned on a hot goalie and never gave up. When trailing for the first time in the Olympic tournament, the U.S. (unlike the “Eurotrash” Russians*) never folded and kept plugging away until they tied the game in the last 30 seconds of the game.
That said, a hot goalie can only take you so far, especially when facing the depth that Team Canada kept throwing out there. It showed in regulation when Toews and Perry scored. The disparity in depth really showed in the overtime (4-on-4 in international rules) where Canada carried the play.
The big difference between the round-robin game (5-3 U.S win) and the gold medal game was goaltending. Roberto Luongo was not spectacular, but solid, not giving up a weak goal. The U.S. stepped up their game by getting more shots on goal (remember, Canada outshot the Americans by almost a 2-to-1 ratio in the round robin). Canada curiously stopped attacking in the last half of the 3rd. Where they got away with it against Slovakia, they weren’t so lucky against the States. Parise took advantage of a fortuitous bounce and buried the puck behind Luongo.
An ordinary team would have folded after a deflating goal like that. But this is Team Canada. We don’t fold. We never give up. Our hockey history is full of story of grit and fortitude (1972 Summit Series, 1987 Canada Cup, 2002 Olympics, many World Juniors).
Team Canada can throw four lines on the ice at any time that could lead any NHL team. When it was 4-on-4 in OT, the depth became more pronounced. Crosby, kept from the scoresheet for 3 games, showed his scoring skill on one play, a play that will live forever in Canada’s hockey lore.
So congrats to the U.S. on an amazing tournament, and congrats to our Canadian players and fans who showed the world that hockey is Canada and Canada is hockey, period.
*I loved that comment by Mike Milbury because it was true. Ovechkin’s weakness was exposed yet again by Canada: he can dish it out but can’t take it. In the 2005 World Juniors, Canada laid the body on Ovie, and he folded like cheap tent. Again, in the 2010 Olympic Quarterfinals, Canada hit Ovechkin every chance they had, and he disappeared faster than a donut in a police station. That’s what Milbury meant by “Eurotrash” hockey: not being able to take a hit.
March 1st, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Exciting game to watch. Congrats to Canada on a well-earned victory.