Team Canada Finds Olympic Glory
Posted by jtbourne on March 1, 2010 · 45 Comments
ShareThis
First, a major thank-you to the Americans and all the other countries for being, from what I’ve read, great guests up in Vancouver, BC. After starting the Olympics on such a horrible, sad note, it sounds to me like things pulled together nicely, save for a few not-so-serious gaffes.
Apparently security did a wonderful job of keeping fans and participants safe, all while not showing so much as a single weapon. The games were the most eco-friendly to date, had the least doping violations ever, and the events were thrilling the whole way through (so much so that I keep hearing Americans talk about CURLING). And the best part is, you know the athletes were getting along just fine as well, cause the Olympic village ran out of their initial shipment of ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND CONDOMS.
Second, a holy-shit to the American team for playing the tournament they played over the past ten days. What a frustrating, talented group of guys Brian Burke assembled, and with Ryan Miller in net, they limited the firepower-filled Canadian roster to three goals twice. So congrats on that well-earned silver medal.
And third, TEAM CANADA and that damn hockey game:
You know when you’re about to play a big game, and you’re getting lined up for the draw, and there’s that little bit of fun/nervous anticipation? Then the pace of play for the first minute is like, mach six, until everyone realizes, “holy crap, we can’t keep this up for 60″ and drops back into normal game mode? Yesterday’s game never dropped into normal game mode.
As I tend write on loop, difference-makers are the key to having success in hockey. It’s a team game, but if you don’t have “that guy” to make that big play and break the score open, it’s hard to win when it counts.
The US has plenty of difference-makers, of course, but very few make a difference like Sidney Crosby does, at anything. The goal wasn’t exceptional, you may say, but it’s how he gets to that shot that is. After almost losing the puck in the ref’s skates, he makes a one-handed stick poke to get the puck low to Iginla in the corner, then breaks to the net, and out-skates the same man who buried the Canadians in the round-robin game, Brian Rafalski. The touch of the puck he makes before the quick release, to move it out away from his feet was special – he had that thing in a shooting position before Miller could even flinch.
I’m handing out a tournament report card to each one of Steve Yzerman’s picks, because I feel like it. Settle in for the long haul folks, and lets pick the Canadian squad apart.
Goalies:
1 ROBERTO LUONGO (Vancouver)
Grade: A -
The goalie that wins you the gold medal has to get some variation of an “A”, at least, right? He faced a career-defining opportunity, and answered the bell. If Canada hadn’t got it done last night, he’s Mickelson before his first major. Actually, more accurately, he’d probably be Sergio Garcia today (best to never win the big one). His defenders have been leaning on “he’s never been on a good enough team to get it done” forever, and knew this was a no-excuses moment for Bobby Lu. Well played sir. Well played.
29 MARC-ANDRE FLEURY (Pittsburgh)
30 MARTIN BRODEUR (New Jersey)
Grade: C
The reality is, things didn’t go well for Marty – the only time he played well was in the shootout versus Switzerland, and that wasn’t exactly the moment we needed our goalie to rise up. That moment was two days later, and he simply wasn’t on when we needed him the most. No big deal.
Defense:
2 DUNCAN KEITH (Chicago)
Grade: A+
One of the few Canadians that earned the elusive “plus”. Holy crap was he great – I thought he took a major step in the public understanding of just how reliable, fast and talented he is. He’s the type of guy you put on Belarus, give the guy 40 minutes of ice time and suddenly Belarus is tough to beat.
6 SHEA WEBER (Nashville)
Grade: A+
Contrary to the impression Canadian fans probably got, he wasn’t paired with Niedermeyer to have some veteran experience with youthful skill. He was there so Niedermeyer could have someone to pick him up when things melted down. The guy slapped a puck through the net, put people through the boards, and confirmed that he’s probably in the top five NHL defenseman today.
7 BRENT SEABROOK (Chicago)
Grade: B
He was fine. Playing with the probable Norris Trophy favourite right now helps, but he looked good in his own right. He did exactly what was asked of him – nothing crazy, play defense-first, and trust that we had forwards capable of getting us goals.
8 DREW DOUGHTY (Los Angeles)
Grade: A-
He wasn’t asked to be a member of the Canadian team to be a game breaker, he was asked because he’s one hell of a fine d-man today with an even brighter tomorrow ahead of him. I thought he played physical and smart, and Babcock did a great job of using him in an effective way without ever heaping too much responsibility on him.
20 CHRIS PRONGER (Philadelphia)
Grade: C
He gets a “plus” because it’s impossible to look really bad when you play with the guys Chris was playing with on Team Canada, but Pronger fans, it’s over. He’s still got the big shot, but when you’re a physical d-man, and you get slow, you start playing like Andy Sutton. Which is to say, you get yourself out of position by trying to be physical instead of it coming naturally. He’s forcin’ it, at this point.
22 DAN BOYLE (San Jose)
Grade: A
Boyle played a key part in the biggest moment of the tournament for Canada – coming out against Russia like a house-on-fire. Even if Canada wins that game but struggles doing it, the confidence to do what their team did may never get built. He played within himself (in a good way), and when we needed someone to step the f**k up, he came at Russia like angry pitbull.
27 SCOTT NIEDERMEYER (Anaheim)
Grade: C +
Over his career, Niedermeyer has proven again and again that he’s got the tools necessary to be a threat offensively, and sound defensively. Earlier in the tournament, I even mentioned I felt comfortable with him out there. By the end of the tournament, I was just thankful we got away without getting too badly burnt by him. Jack Johnson skated around him like he was ankle deep in mud, and what’s worse, is he’s supposed to handle the puck so well, but turned the puck over far more often the “young gun” d-men he was supposed to be leading. When he had time, he still made some good plays, and transitioned the Canadian forwards well, but as I mentioned earlier, I was just happy he had Weber to back him up when he needed it most.
Forwards:
10 BRENADN MORROW (Dallas)
Grade: B+
For me, Morrow was a “I just don’t see him making a big enough difference to justify his spot” pick. It seemed like he was there out of obligation. As the tournament wore on though, and the games got more serious, I was pumped to have him out there. Difference-makers are doubly effective when they play with guys doing it the right way, and I though Morrow complimented the skill guys well.
11 PATRICK MARLEAU
Grade: B -
Marleau made a nice play on the Perry goal in the finals to make it 2-0 by driving the net, but beyond that, I hardly noticed the guy. For a guy with his goal scoring history, to play with the studs he plays with and see powerplay time, I can honestly say I hardly ever noticed him, and was surprised when I did.
12 JAROME IGINLA (Calgary)
Grade: A
Crazy, right? But the fact of the matter is, over this tournament, he earned that A. I know his goals were against the dog teams, but you felt good with Iggy out there knowing a few things: One, he’s a work horse with the need to win, not the “want” to win that a guy like Thornton seems to have. Two, if he gets it in a danger zone, he has one of the best shots in the world. And three, he’s smart with the puck. Limits tournovers, passes when he needs to, but thinks shot first. I thought he was great, just like in 2002. (Oh, and the slick play on the OT winner helps)
15 DANY HEATLEY (San Jose)
Grade: B
Shark fans, you scared yet? I thought Heatley was the most dangerous player on the Sharks line, getting a couple good opportunities every night, and scored a few nice goals for the boys in red and white. That said, he’s a fairly one-dimensional player, and if he’s not scoring, his VORP (value over replacement player, baseball stat) is pretty low.
16 JONATHAN TOEWS (Chicago)
Grade: A+
A few days ago, I made a joke about Toews not scoring a goal that was totally sarcastic, and I got a few questions about it – trust me, it was sarcastic. He was the best forward on Team Canada throughout the tournament, bar none, and if Ryan Miller wasn’t the Second Coming I’d proclaim JT tourney MVP. I don’t think he was on the ice once in the entire tournament for a goal against, he was a dishing machine, a work-horse, reliable, and scored the huge, huge first goal in the final game, from the exact same spot that Pavel Demitra hit iron from about 40 hours earlier. Chicago is fahking scary right now.
18 MIKE RICHARDS (Philadelphia)
Grade: A
Part of the fun of these events is cheering for guys you normally root for getting sent down to the SPHL (real league), and Richards is one of them. He was the most pleasant surprise of the tournament, proving how his all-around game makes him one of the best linemates to have in the league. He plays physical, but also pays unwavering attention to defense. More than anything, he has all the offensive tools, and is by no means a grinder. He was the reason Toews got the look he did on the first goal, and deserves much praise for his play in Vancouver.
19 JOE THORNTON (San Jose)
Grade: C +
Same ‘ol, same ‘ol for Playoff Joe, huh? It’s tough to describe where he goes at times like this, but I know one thing – you can’t fake “fire”, and deep inside Joe burns a firepit…. around which he’s strumming a guitar, drinking a corona, and roasting a pig.
21 ERIC STAAL (Carolina)
Grade: A -
The danger when you chuck together these national all-star teams is the fancy-pantsery goes overboard and effective play dwindles (see: the Russians). Having a guy like Staal on your team takes care of that, by combining a talented finisher with an old-school Canadian mentality – drive the middle, finish your checks, take care of your own end first. The promotion to the Crosby line was a great thing for Canada, cause it meant he’d get more ice time.
24 COREY PERRY (Anaheim)
Grade: B
Probably the toughest guy to grade, because I literally don’t remember seeing him until he’d score. I can’t think of any defensive meltdowns, and he scored a few big goals for Canada, so you have to give the guy a good grade, but in the end, I just can’t think of him controlling the play. Whatever. I’ll take a few snipes and a vanishing act from Corey this year.
37 PATRICE BERGERON (Boston)
Grade: C +
I always hated getting judged when I didn’t get the chance to prove myself (see: playing on the fourth line during an American League call up), but the facts are this, Patrice: you weren’t in the lane 40 seconds into the round-robin game against the US, and Rafalski scored. You’re a winger, the defensive part of your job isn’t that hard, and us Canadians were kind of taking that game seriously. So sit down and wait for a penalty to go kill.
51 RYAN GETZLAF (Anaheim)
Grade: B +
Getzlaf was plenty of effective plenty of times, but he also showed a disturbing penchant for making really shitty, what-the-f**k-was-that? type plays. You expect, when you watch the best players in the world, not to see guys relying so heavily on talent over smarts. You don’t expect to see plays that are so obviously guesses. On the other hand, he was an offensive force who finished his checks and made a difference. B +.
61 RICK NASH (Columbus)
Grade: A
I’m a little disappointed, because I thought he could’ve been an A + guy early on in the tournament. Maybe I just haven’t watched him enough, but he looked next to impossible to contain like 95% of the time. His stat line and the fact that he wasn’t in on the biggest moments are the only thing stopping me from chucking out a +, but I was really wow’ed by the kind of player he is. And actually, he was physical as all-hell too, something I didn’t know he had in ‘im. I bet a trade and some linemates would do amazing things for the guy.
And last, but not least….
87 SIDNEY CROSBY (Pittsburgh)
Grade: A
Sid scored the game-winning overtime goal in the gold medal game, so for that he gets a plus in all our hearts. He was a constant threat, made his linemates better, and controlled the play down low whenever he got his mitts on the puck. I think he only had about seven points on his teams thirty-some goals, but he did what he needed to do, once again. It was the perfect stage for sid to grow his legend, and grow he did. Funny, I wonder if anybody saw the stage was set and knew he’d cash in on it….
jtbourne – First sip of Molson Canadian went down like smooth deliciousness. I predict a positive Crosby highlight from today that we’ll see for years. sent 22 hours ago via mobile web
Sidney Crosby, seen here played by Andy Samberg
So congratulations to Steve Yzerman, Mike Babcock, the players, and the fans in Canada on job well done. Mission accomplished guys.
HOW FUN WAS THAT?!?
I'm a hockey player turned writer. After playing for Alaska Anchorage in the WCHA (NCAA), I carried on with a NHL tryout (New York Islanders in 2007) before spending a couple seasons in the AHL/ECHL. My father, Bob Bourne, won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders in the '80's, as did my fiancee's dad, Clark Gillies. I'm now a columnist for USA Today, Puck Daddy (Y!) and Hockey Primetime.com.
Crosby is a virgin who lives Lemieux’s basement. I will name my first born son after anyone who will step up to the plate and do him in.
Well, I had that puke-in-the-throat thing happen when Crosby scored. I am not a fan. (Though I do appreciate the other-worldly ability.) He just has that Eli Manning factor, and that ain’t a good thing.
As for the game… Holy crapsicle! That was the best hockey game I have ever seen. There have been other games that could take it to the woodshed in almost all areas, but that was the best, playing their best at the best time. Just unbelievable.
Funny, ESPN has asked about 9,000 times today about the NHL being able to maintain the momentum. (Do they have a spy?) At least most of the analysts seem to be realistic in saying “short term, yes. Long term, doubtful.”
Congrats Canada. But next time, let’s have Nash, or some one likable score the winner.
Wow, this must have taken forever, but I think these report cards are all correct. Good job teacher
Hello, my name is Aaron, I am an American and I want to admit that the loss hurt.
Haha, Rewski and Aaron. The good news is this, Aaron: by admitting it hurt, when you win, you get to soak in every little ounce of victory-related happiness. You’re still on the bandwagon. (I have a hunch Rewski is too – by the way, Rewski, one great part of being an American is the amount of chew you can get for the price. My Dad has chewed for 30 years and just about jumped off a bridge when Canada went to smaller, more expensive tins.)
Here’s hoping that Crosby drowns in a nice deep vat of Canadian maple syrup!
You missed Neidemeyer…. talked about him but didn’t grade him.
Also this quote from Ron Wilson after the loss….
“It’s just a shame that both teams couldn’t have received a gold medal today. Sometimes, the best team in the tournament doesn’t win a gold medal. I thought our team played as well as any team I have ever coached.” — Ron Wilson
He also didn’t find the Vancouver reporters laughing at the Leafs very well.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=519340
Love how Sid rose up to the moment. Kid is 22 and he has a QMJHL title, a World Junior gold, Stanley Cup, and Olympic Gold – with a G – dub to boot. Wish you could have been in Canada for this game, Bourne it was sick! In Calgary here everyone just hit the streets waving flags and honking horns and drinking Molson Canadian on the sidewalk. One of those things I think I will always remember. It made you proud to be Canadian that’s for sure. We were talkin about how the celebration of that one game is so unique because this sport means so much to people in this country. The only thing I figured that might be able to match the nation-wide universal celebration would be a World Cup soccer victory in certain countries. There’s nothing else right?
Graded everyone but the team captain!
Country wide, you’re probably right – I’m sure PLENTY of countries would lose their mind for a world cup win, but other than that…… the only similar thing I can come up with is the celebration in New Orleans for the Superbowl – I know that misses the criteria (country), but you have to believe that those people in that city got to feel what was felt in every city in all of Canada yesterday. I bet cops in Calgary were like, fuck it, lets go confiscate a dozen and crush ‘em….
Oops, I fixed it and put Niedermeyer in….
Too bad you deleted my comment with your post this morning. It was a true masterpiece. Kenny Powers is the man.
Jesus JT, Ive been a lurker for a while but I got to say man I wish you were my profesor in college with these grades. They won yes but man to steal a line from a great article on Puckdadddy today they were the little juggernaught thay barely made it……… Guido Lou (wash your hair please) terrible, the americans peppered him in the third because he showed himself to be a softie, he held on. Yes he won but what???? he took the best team in the world to gold (where they were supposed to be.) and barely at that C. Joe Thorton, Danny Heatley, Patrick Marleu or as I like to call them the Cowardly Lion Line cause they have no heart. When things get tough these guys become about as scary as My Isles powerplay. When they had the puck I was absolutely not scared just like a goalie when John Sim is on a breakaway D. Pronger…. Horrible. a pylon. Him and Neidermayer need to retire from international competiton F (actually D+ but F cause hes a prick) the rest no huge problems but Id like to say Getzlaf is a bit of an annoying trailer trash punk (see Malkin incident) hes got some Avery in him.
By the way can team USA not have anything to do with One ball (Phil Kessel) god he sucked. I know Burke had to put him in to validate that awful trade but crap Get the F out of my team…..
my voice is still missing from all the screaming of the tying goal…and my cheeks are still damp from the tears when Cindy Crappy scored.
Go USA Hockey.
Congrats to Canada for winning. I don’t think they were the supernatural Juggernaut they were expected to be. Luongo looked a little shaky. But they did win. Everyone is proud of team USA. All in all a great game for the sport.
Cheers!
Congrats to Canada for the gold, gotta give it up to them. Taking the Silver was rough after forcing OT, when that puck went in you had to be believing USA would pull it out. And man, doesn’t it suck getting that Silver medal? I’m trying to think of a funny analogy for that, but coming up with nothing that does it justice. I mean, a silver is a huge honor, but it sucks so much at the same time.
HUGE props to the crowd for giving a great ovation to each American player, and especially to Miller who got the biggest pop besides Crosby it sounded like. It seemed like the US team got a lot of street/ice cred even without the gold.
I don’t want to wait 4 years, we need the best of 3 rubber match as next years Winter Classic!!
I still want that list!
Good job Canada! You guys won the only medal you cared about.
One thing though, I have not seen any news outlet say anything about Luongo’s subpar play in the gold medal game. Did anyone else notice that he was fighting the puck all night. Especially that last show, it was a lob from the blue line that he missed with his glove. If he were to just hold on to that puck, we wouldn’t have scored the game-tying goal. I think Luongo got lucky…but that’s just me.
Luongo did have some adventures on long shots but he played good enough to help his team win. That is all you can really ask of him or any goalie.
It was a great game and a movie producer couldn’t have scripted that ending better. If Crosby wasn’t so cute, I would have said I hate him. Can I also pass along a compliment to the Canadians for the tongue-in-cheek start of the closing ceremonies? Yes, I’m a tool and I watched the ceremonies until the Russian stuff started, then it got weird and I turned it off. But I thought the beginning where they “fixed” the fourth leg of the torch and relit it was pretty funny. Kind a “middle-finger-to-the world” type thing! Not sure us uptight Americans would have done something like that.
A great game from start to finish, sorry we (USA) lost but they played well for a team not picked by the experts to medal. For us who love the game, a wonderful experience to see this level of talent perform.
Jason – a bad weekend up here, UAF took the governor’s cup after the ‘Wolves held it for 3 years straight.
That sucks about the Seawolves losses buddy. Kills me to hear they’re losing to Fairbanks. You’re right though, the US can hold their head up high for their performance in Vancouver. Definitely did the most with what they had.
On a somewhat related note, it’s CRAZY how many people think my name is Jason. They always did. I say it fast, so Justin becomes Jussin, I guess, but the Bourne movies are fucking killing me.
In reply to a post up there somewhere about what ESPN said about this game…and the impact if may or may not have on hockey in the states. I agree that its probably short term at best. I mean I watch sports center religiously and was kind of surprised when this game was the top story (which rightfully it should be). But half the time…probably more like 85% of the time that hockey gets coverage on sports center is when there is a fight or a dirty hit. Rarely do they talk about games that don’t include Crosby (Devil spawn..) or Ovechkin. I think the guys are wonderful for the game but the only way to get hockey out there is to show highlights! They did a poll where an overwhelming majority of people said the USA vs. Canada gold medal game was better then the super bowl…and this was Americans! capitalize on thattttt! uggghh.
Justin,
Please accept my apology for the name confusion, I have no excuse since I watched you play here for your entire WCHA career. It’s a case of trying to type too fast just before lunch and not thinking.
Haha, no stress buddy, I’m just saying, it happens all the time. I don’t take offense to it in the slightest bit.
That was one of the best hockey games I’ve seen in recent history. It was great to see Canada give the U.S. team so much respect on the ice after the over-confidence displayed in some of Canada’s earlier games. Having a Dream Team-like composition is great but it’s not the same as Shaq dunking over some Italian guy when two or three (or five) other nations have a few legitimate stars themselves and a solid supporting cast. The U.S. is firmly planted in the top tier and many Canadian fans would rather play Sweden and possibly Russia than the U.S. The last few minutes of the second period made it look like the third was gonna be a huge American come-back, terrifying to watch, and after that late goal to tie it there were some loooonnnng faces.
I thought the only American players who were skating with the Canadians were Kesler (outstanding), Kane (ditto), Parise, and maybe Rafalski, D guys like Orpik and Gleason weren’t fast enough on their feet and couldn’t make the first pass out of the corner often enough. Jack Johnson was fast but inconsistent. Miller was the best goalie in the tournament. In a weird way, I think the American strength was also a weakness: lots of small, fast, tenacious guys. They skated fast and had an explosive counter-attack, but had a really hard time getting position with bodies like Weber, Doughty, and Pronger around, and stopping guys like Nash and Getzlaf from going where they wanted with the puck. I was watching the game in the third and thinking “Kesler, Kane, and Parise want it worse than anyone on the ice right now, but they aren’t getting the help they need”, whereas Canada has four legit scoring lines and their fast, tenacious guys tend to be 50 lbs heavier. It’s not fair to underestimate an American squad with talent like Kane, Miller, Parise, and Kesler, but at the same time, the U.S. squad was punching above their weight due to a weaker supporting cast and still almost won. I’m pumped Canada took the gold but also certain that the U.S. is just going to get better, and I feel like the U.S. got more out of their team than Canada did. We didn’t lose but hockey Canada should feel humbled.
I don’t think it’s fair to say that hockey was the only gold medal Canada cared about. My own relatives love all the figure skating, not my cup of tea but that’s big up here. Curling is huge. A lot of the skiing events are huge out east. People seem very aware of the 14 gold medal record. Hockey is surely the biggest focus but also definitely not the singular focus of every Canadian, just like baseball isn’t the singular focus of every American.
I agree on your report card Bourne but the only significant difference for me is that I thought Niedermayer redeemed a sub-par tournament with a great gold medal game, his passing was outstanding and he constantly caught two U.S. forecheckers deep with patience and accuracy in his passing (same with Doughty, I love that guy).
Man, how does a guy with Big Joe’s work ethic get 90+ points in the regular season Bourne? He was so damn soft. Do tell.
Hi Jason.
Love the evaluation Corbett – you’re right in that it seemed like Canada matched the US top guys in talent, only the did it with Lebron’s size, not Rajon Rondo.
As for Niedermeyer, he made that gross give-away in the third (OT?) that scared me, and was unaware when Parise came out from behind the net with 25 seconds left, so I can’t agree with full redemption. His strength is definitely making sneaky transition passes, and when he was pressured I always wanted Weber to slide back a step to the middle for fear of one not panning out.
As for the medals, I had no idea how much Canadians loved curling, I really didn’t. It was great to see us have success at the things we do most/best.
As for Big Joe…. I don’t know that he’s necessarily lazy, it just looks like he’s either A) not strong enough – big doesn’t come with free muscles or B) permanently tentative. As a player, I had to get fully mad to be my best, and it seems to me that Big Joe is fully incapable of full anger. I can’t help but wonder if he wouldn’t be better stuck in some shithole (Edmonton?) where he wasn’t able to cash his massive bi-weekly paycheck in shorts on the California coastline. I mean… call me a failure too, for that lifestyle…
Yeah good points on Niedermayer, he still had his blunders including the bone-headed “maybe we should BOTH get in that shooting lane” moment to leave two U.S. players totally open within feet of Luongo for the late goal. Touche.
Good call on Joe too, maybe he is just not that guy but still likes playing hockey and being a multi-millionaire living in San Jose. What a jerk.
…there was a game yesterday?
Luckily Canada won otherwise the entire country would have offed itself.
Justin- Is it that bad to be mistaken for Jason Bourne?
THAT would be a sweet alias if you ask me. Very Jack Bauer-esq….
Remember, it could be worse…
I was kind of anticipating an emotion filled blog about what this win means for Canada, what this game could do for the sport of hockey, how great it feels to beat a big rival, how the loss feels to fans and players, maybe something about Brian Burke, or how Canada wants to freeze the Kid in carbonite until the cloning process is perfected. Instead I get an analytical report card. Dullsville.
Congrats Canadians……….what a game!
I don’t get the bad-mouthing Crosby. Seriously? First……great goal and you can’t argue. Second……..the guy is a great hockey player. Third…….cut out the “Cindy” thing……..the kid is living up to the awesome expectations.
As a Kings’ fan I’m happy to see that Doughty showed why he was chosen to play. He definitely stood up and silenced any doubters. It’s also gratifying to know that other than Boyle against the Russians, the Sharks’ players did nothing just as they always do in big games. Congrats to Canada, but the same should be said for USA!
Ok, so that one hurt… It was literally the first time I was a “fan” of any team in a long time. Usually i watch games and I am very neutral, and I end up cheering for a team just because of a good story behind one of the players…
Here are my thoughts… the US played out of their minds. Literally, the only players on the US that would have made the Candians are Miller, Parise, and maybe kane (though I dont think they would have taken Kane BEFORE this tourney). So many US players had to play above their usual level. Kane was the best player on the ice in that game. EVERYTIME he was on the ice and had the puck the canadians were on their heels… And god I love his personality…Tons of talent matched with just enough cockiness is exactly what this game needs- now we just need him to start twittering from the lockeroom. He was obvious, but how about guys like Kesler, J. Johnson, E Johnson, Suter, Backes, Ryan, and Malone all played on par with the Canadians…I actually felt like the US D looked stronger. E. Johnson is coming along nicely and will compete for the norris in no time…I was really impressed with this team and think in 2014 the playing field may be close to level and there will be a legit rivalry. By 2014 Kane, Parise, Ryan, Kesler, VanRiemsdyk, and Kessel should be NHL stars… Add in almost the same D core and throw in the likes of Bogosian and Fowler and it will be a very good team. What I liked most about this team was they were not the least bit intimidated by the Canadians…It is beaten into everyones head that Canadians are bigger and stronger, but this US team did not see it that way. I really feel like it has alot to do with the success that the US is having at tournaments like the WJC, U-18′s and U17′s…This group of guys has beaten the canadians before at all those tournies, and to this generation, Canada no longer intimidates them.
On to Canada…there is a part of me that is happy that they won. I played up there for awhile and I know how much Canadians care, and it really would have but the worst thing to happen to the country EVER if they would have lost. You guys wanted it more, 80% of the country tuned in…so congrats on that…. But at the same time, we did win the olympics with our second tier athletes…our best athletes do not like cold, so they only go to the summer games…
And finally, I do not like Crosby…he has no personality and I like Ovechkin so much more.., the only thing I liked about that goal was how natural scoring is to Crosby…If you watch that goal again, he has to think about how big that goal was for a second before he celebrates… his natual reaction was…”no big deal, just another goal..” then he was like, “holy sh^t, I just scored the GWG of a gold medal game in OT vs. the americans”…
OK, I’m pissed. How dare you dis Patrice Bergeron?
I dunno Josh, doesn’t every country send mostly tier 2 (or lower) athletes to the Olympics, mostly because there isn’t much money in it so why not play football/baseball/basketball instead? I also think we should shy away from making nationality based generalizations, particularly ones like “our best athletes do not like cold so they only only go to the summer games”. Don’t the Americans do pretty well at both? Do Americans in Florida, Texas, Minnesota, Colorado, Georgia, Alaska, etc., all feel the same about the weather? Not to mention, how would all of the U.S. athletes who won gold over international competition feel about being called tier 2 athletes? I apologize in advance if some internet sarcasm went over my head there, it wouldn’t be the first time!!
Pat – It’s a personality thing. We don’t like Crosby because we don’t like Crosby. He could cure a disease, I mean not like AIDS or anything but you know, something, and we’d still hate his stupid face.
Congratulations to Team Canada on winning the Gold. As an American, i thought it was one of the most exciting games I’ve ever seen. It ranked right up there with my Islanders winning the 4 Stanley Cups and the Miracle on Ice game of 1980. (I am old enough to have witnessed all 5 events).
Congrats to Team USA on an unbelievable tournament. They made me proud to be an American. They left everything they had on the ice and that is all I can ask. It was a tought loss and I feel for the team, but the better team won on that day.
I do have to tell you the one very good outcome from this game was that ESPN Radio in NY spent a good amount of the day talking about the game and what type of impact it might have going forward for hockey as a whole. This is huge as they rarely if ever talk about hockey at all even though they have Don LaGreca (NHL Live) as one of the cohosts and he is a huge hockey enthusiast and one of the only NY area hosts that is very knowledgeable about the game.
My one thought was that people who don’t normally follow the sport might be disappointed when they watch a regular NHL game as the action stops much more frequently due to all the commercial breaks. If only all games had the intensity of the Olympics and not just the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Hey Bourne, was just watching Sports Center. They had a poll asking if the US hockey run gave you more interest, less interest, or unchanged in the sport of hockey. Results ended with 51 percent unchanged, 47 percent more interest, and 2 percent less interest. I would have to say from an American standpoint, these Olympics were just what we needed to help promote hockey more down here. Although the Gold would have been nice to add
So much pent up American frustration and Crosby/Luongo hate! We know you guys care about hockey… you just choose to display it in very concealed manners.
I like Ovechkin too, but Sid’s got a Cup and a Gold medal at age 22; Crosby’s successes are beginning to put some distance between him and Ovie.
Tip of the cap to USA hockey for how far you’ve come… and how Brian Burke mentioned, how well you did considering what you were projected to do. Who knows what would’ve happened if you’d won; all I know is, IT FEELS AWESOME to be on the winning side. http://bit.ly/djvjAd
Despite my personal distaste for charisma-less Crosby, I fear now the fanboys who hold up Crosby’s stanley cup & olympic achievement as definative proof he’s the best player around, which completely over-looks that hockey is a team game and more of the credit should go to the guys he played with.
I’ll retract that statement when Lemiuex renames the team the Pittsburgh Crosbys and puts his face on the front of the sweater. Bettman would love that…….
As for Luongo, I’ve played on heavily-favoured teams and rightfully got little kudos when we did they expected and won. It’s not his fault, he didn’t need to steal a game, just not cost Canada a game. Much like Crosby, I think Luongo was propped up by a team effort, in contrast to Miller who got team support but also flat-out robbed guys to carry his team.
“fanboys will” – sorry typo.
I’m hoping Josh’s statement about the US only sending their best athletes to the summer games was meant to be sarcastic. I don’t think anyone who can compete at the Olympic level can be called a tier 2 athlete. Maybe he was trying for one of those “Meh – we don’t care about hockey” statements.
I do care about hockey. It was so depressing to see the American’s mopey faces after the game. I was glad to see Ryan Miller smiling and holding up his silver medal at the closing ceremonies.
I’m ok with the Team Canada win. If the US had won, I would have felt bad for Team Canada and the Canadian fans. (So I was pretty much going to feel bad for someone no matter who won.) It was great for them to win on home ice in front of all those fans who care so passionately about hockey.
Awesome summary Bournie! You get an A++ in my grade book, especially for giving my boy Drew Doughty the props he deserves. It Bettman grows a brain and continues to let NHL players participate in the Olympics, you’re looking at a future captain for Team Canada wearing number 8.
Keep up the great work!
Top summary and I was so pleased to see Tazer do well. He seemed to fly under the radar before the Games so nice to see him get the recognition having started as a fourth liner