Monday, February 22, 2010

No Canada No!

What can I say; the highly anticipated hockey game between the USA and Canada on Sunday was a thriller! Team USA beat Canada 5-3 in a very exciting and entertaining game. Even though it wasn’t for a medal, the game had a gold medal feel to it. It was by far the hardest ticket to get for an event so far this year. Tickets were going for over $1,000 outside the arena. I could feel the electricity in the arena through the TV and now I can feel the pressure that is squarely on the shoulders of Team Canada. Anything less than a gold in these Olympics will be considered a failure for this team. Hockey is the national sport of Canada and with the games being held on Canadian soil, I think they feel entitled to win the gold. Well, after last night, that task just got harder!
Team USA played amazingly and didn’t let their opponent, location or situation intimidate them. They stuck to their game plan and came out on top. The player of the game was goalie Ryan Miller. He absolutely stood on his head (hockey phrase) and stopped all but three of the 45 shots he faced. It was a great display of technique, athleticism, pride and a little luck. Then on the other ice of the red line, the US offense put the pressure on the Canadians early in the game when Brain Rafaliski scored just 41 seconds into the game. That first goal stunned the crowd and the noise level dropped by several decibels. The crowd was right back in it once Eric Stall scored for the home team only to have the Rafaliski score again just 25 seconds later.

It was a great game and I was very impressed by the way the Americans played. Looking at the two teams on paper, the Canadians have an all-star team while the Americans have a good mix of seasoned veterans and young upstarts. But the game is played on the ice not on paper and on that night, Team USA was better. There is a chance there could be a rematch and I assure you it would be another tough ticket and hard fought game. But for that to happen, both teams would have to win out until the Gold Medal game. If that happens, talk about a tough ticket!

Go USA!

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