Bittersweet Silver

It seemed like destiny was on the side of Team USA in these Olympic games. No one believed this team would even compete for the Gold medal, particularly with a preliminary matchup against the prohibitive favorites, Canada. But none of what the pundits and prognosticators thought mattered, as Team USA quickly showed they were the team to beat in the Olympic games.

While Canada might have had home ice last night, Team USA knew that they could slay Goliath and come home with the Gold. Although the Canadians took an early two goal lead, the Americans were never out of the game. As the third period wound down, it just seemed like somehow someway the USA would tie it and send the game into overtime. While it took longer than most would have liked for Team USA to get their second tally (those last two minutes were insane), it seemed like they had the momentum on their side and we were witnessing Miracle on Ice 2.0.

Alas though it was not to be, and to be honest I can’t say, I was shocked when it happened. As they started getting deeper and deeper into the overtime period, that was only going to favor Team Canada. Even with the amazing Ryan Miller in goal, you can only expect to contain team Canada for so long. Team USA had held Canada scoreless for the previous 33 minutes of the game, they weren’t going to keep them at bay for much longer.

Like it or not, Team Canada was quite possibly one of the best hockey teams ever assembled, if not the very best. Their offensive talent was incredible, and the fact that the USA was able to hold them in check for over two full games is extremely impressive. Miller showed not that he is one of the best goalies in the world, but that he is the top goalie. No other goalie could have faced the offense he did for 67 minutes and give up only 3 goals.

Moral victories might not mean much on paper, but they should mean something to this team and country. With the odds stacked against them and no one behind them, the Americans played a brilliant tournament. They went into Canada and demanded respect, because of their play on the ice. Four years after finishing 8th in Italy, Team USA showed that they can play any team, anywhere.