Olympic Hockey Gold Medal Game
Wow! What a game!
I'm not really into the Olympics very much. The way it is presented on TV seems to focus more on the soap opera stories of the contestants rather than the sports. In addition, I'm not super into any of the sports... except hockey!
I realize some people still pine for the days when the Olympics were a showcase of amateur athletes from across the globe competing, but that ship sailed at least 60 years ago when countries like the Soviet Union were basically fielding professional teams. They just didn't happen to play in an American sports league. They couldn't compete in any league because they could not leave the Soviet Union. So all they did is train and play games together. That is why the 1980 Miracle on ice US Hockey Team was so legendary. Those were really amateur kids who overcame a ridiculously slanted playing field (or rink) in order to beat a group of grizzled veteran professional players form the U.S.S.R.
At least now, everyone is playing with the same rules. Just about everyone is a professional... including the curlers who seemed to be on tv every second of every day for the past two weeks. All US Olympic athletes get at least $200,000 plus medal bonuses. So now it is simply the best vs the best. And holy shit did we see the best today!
Because I have to get up super early every day, I very rarely set an alarm on the weekend. But today I set my alarm for 7:00 AM so I would not miss a second of the Gold Medal Hockey game between the two biggest hockey powerhouses in the world: Canada and The U.S.A. And man am I happy I did!
Because both teams cared about as much as one possibly can, this turned out to be the absolute fastest and best hockey game I have ever seen. Both teams were legit all-star teams. All 40 players are in the NHL and the top 15 players on each team were all-stars. And I don't mean former all=stars on their last legs. These guys are in their prime. This meant there was both flawless offense and defense. Everyone was pretty much perfect... with one exception. The Canadians did miss a couple of easy scoring opportunities... but part of that is because the U.S. was playing flawless pressuring defense and the U.S. goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, was super human! He made so many incredible saves and ended up stopping 41 out of 42 shots. That's insane!
In a game that required perfection, Matt Boldy started the scoring with an incredible breakaway after splitting two of the best defenders in the world. He actually flipped the puck up into the air, settled it down mid air with his stick to make sure the defenders couldn't get it and scored on the United States' very first shot.
After that goal, the Canadians pretty much dominated for the next two and a half periods. The only problem is, they could not get anything past Connor Hellebuyck. The one exception was a brilliant shot from the slot by defensemen Cale Makar. Canada had two breakaway opportunities that Connor Hellebuyck stoned. There were also some frenzied attempts directly in front of the U.S. goal but the goalie and defenders formed a wall in the goal (literally) to stop those chances. After three periods those were the only two goals scored.
Although I do wish they would have played one more regular overtime period so I could have seen some extra amazing hockey, the 3 on 3 overtime format was very exciting... for the 100 seconds it lasted. Both teams had chances, but in the end, it was Jack Hughes (who had lost some teeth earlier in the game) who scored the Gold Medal winning goal.
It is important to note that the Canadians were screwed by a horrible non-call in the third period when the U.S. clearly had seven men on the ice and a guy coming off the ice played the puck, but even the Canadian team would admit that is not the reason they lost. The reason they lost is because Connor Hellebuyck stood on his head and stopped the greatest goal scorers in the world.
I'm really glad I got to catch the end of the game. The curling has been amusing because it is funny to see how everyone gets so into it every four years or so. My brother in laws brother in law is one of the head guys for the US wrestling team. They got to visit the training facility out in Boulder, CO a couple years ago.
@hanshotfirst,I don't really know much about Ice hockey 🏑 But Happy weekend to you!
The curlers catch a lot of flak for being on TV 24/7, but after that hockey final, they might need to clear the schedule for a replay! 😂 The Hellebuyck performance was legendary.
I imagine, my friend, that for you, watching a hockey game between powerhouses like Canada and the United States must be incredible, and a sensational match, as you mentioned in your post, also highlighting the big difference between the Olympics before and after professionals were allowed to play.
This match between Canada and the United States was literally a battle of the two best teams in the world. But Connor Hellebuyck made the big difference here. Saving 41 out of 42 shots is no ordinary feat.
I am passionate about Olympic sports, but right now they aren't broadcast on free-to-air television in my country. But that's something we're used to. A hockey final between those countries is undoubtedly very exciting for the viewers who enjoyed it.
Oh man that sucks. I’m really sorry you don’t have access.
Commercialisation has taken over all the sports. Finding a challenging game of sports on weekend is worth watching.
Without a doubt, getting up early on a Sunday to watch a classic ice hockey game is great for you, especially if you love it. And what's interesting to me is that only the United States has those two gold medals in the Winter Olympics. The level of competition is incredibly even among all the teams, and their stars are in the NHL. But hey, the important thing is that you enjoyed it, and they even won gold!
Every person has their own preferences. Now I watch other sports too, but I like cricket the most. The T20 Cricket World Cup is going on, so the matches are going to be much more interesting. Our team could not perform well against India, but we are still watching the matches so that we can support our team.