How About the U.S… Eh?!?!?!
Last night was not a miracle. Let’s make that clear. What happened in 1980 was a miracle. Last night’s game was a surprise, however. The United States was the underdog against Canada, not because the Canadians were the only team of seasoned pros on the ice, but because Canada’s pros were better than America’s on paper. This not a knock on Team USA, simply fact. So, it was appropriate to feel that Canada would win the game, most likely in thorough fashion.
So, when looking for a quote to describe Team USA’s fairly convincing 5-3 win, ignore the legendary Al Michaels and turn instead to Cotton McKnight when he described Average Joe’s stunning upset over Globo Gym…
“Do you believe in unlikelihoods!”
That is all this game was – an unlikely win by a team that played a pretty good game. I am not trying to downplay the win. It was a huge win by the U.S. in a hostile environment. The win catapulted the Americans to the top spot in the tournament after pool play, sending Team USA to the quarterfinals with a bye. Canada, meanwhile is relegated to the qualifying round against Germany. Instead of a bye to the quarters, one of the pre-tournament favorites will need to play an extra game. Then, if they beat Germany on Wednesday, Team Canada plays Russia in the quarters. A game many (including myself) slated to be the gold medal match will be for a spot to even sniff a medal. That is even unlikelier than Brian Rafalski scoring four-straight goals for the U.S.
Why did the United States win the game last evening? Simply put, goaltending was the difference.
Ryan Miller, wearing shamrocks on his mask in homage to 1980 hero Jim Craig, came up with an Olympian-like performance. He made 42 saves on 45 shots, including what appeared to be 12 in the final two minutes of play. He made big saves and little saves, did a good job directing rebounds away from the front of the net and kept pucks moving to his defensemen when needed. On the flip side, Martin Brodeur was very un-Marty. He came up with just 18 saves on 22 American shots and his misplays led to the first three goals by the Red, White and Blue. Brodeur is often referred to as the best puck-handling goalie of all time, but last night he muffed a clear which led to Brian Rafalski’s opening goal. He made a few similar bad decisions later which also led to U.S. scores. Now, all of Canada is debating whether head coach Mike Babcock should sit Brodeur for the medal round in favor of Roberto Luongo. Brodeur riding the pine with the tournament on the line is even more surprising than the U.S. pulling the upset.
Besides Miller’s stone wall impersonation and Rafalski’s Bobby Orr impression over the past two games, some credit has to go to Chris Drury. The Connecticut native was the most debated selection to the team back in January. He has been injured for the Rangers this year and people had a tough time finding a role for him. It was assumed he would be the veteran presence up front to help the younger players and maybe take a few faceoffs here and there. The fact that in the Olympics you can dress an extra forward, not just sit him in the press box, makes Drury’s inclusion much more understandable. Head coach Ron Wilson used Drury perfectly throughout pool play. He would kill penalties, play in important defensive situations and give the sage advice acquired over his career. However, Drury has done more than serve as a sounding board for the youngsters. He has scored two goals in the tournament – including a big one late in the second period last night to give the U.S. a 3-2 lead.
For anyone to worry about Drury before the tournament now seems foolish. How could anyone doubt a player who has literally won his entire life? From Little League to college and in the NHL, all he has done is win. Compare that to Canada which is counting heavily on San Jose Shark players whose biggest claim to fame in the NHL is choking in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Team USA General Manager Brian Burke said all along that he was building a team, not an all-star team. He recognized that a player like Drury would be called upon in a big situation at some point and made sure there was a roster spot for him.
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Where does Team USA go from here? First, they get a break to practice a bit and prepare for the quarterfinals on Wednesday. As the top seed, the U.S. will play the winner of the 8/9 game – either No. 8 Belarus or No. 9 Switzerland. The Americans defeated the Swiss earlier, but we all saw how Jonas Hiller almost led the “neutral nation” to a win over Canada. Belarus always seems to hang in games and has a solid goalie with proven Olympic mettle as well. The game is in no way easy, but is a much better draw than the Czechs, Slovaks or Canadians as the other three teams with byes are potentially awaiting.
On paper, it appears as if the Americans have the easiest way to the semifinals – and possibly the gold medal game. However, Canada was the on paper darling heading into the tournament and look how well that worked out for them. Rest assured, Burke and Wilson are not letting their team feel too good about themselves. They do not want the effort and results so far go to waste with a loss on Wednesday.
Besides the U.S. game, the other potential quarterfinal games should be barnburners. No. 4 Finland should play No. 5 Czech Republic. The Fins are a potent team and the Czechs could be filled with new life if they advance after a disheartening loss to Russia on Sunday. The two seed, Sweden, could face Slovakia. Sweden has played near flawless hockey so far, allowing just two goals in pool play. However, they haven’t clicked on offense yet, scoring nine times. The Slovakian team pulled a big win in the shootout over Russia and came to life offensively against Latvia. The final potential quarterfinal match-up could be Canada/Russia, aka Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin.
Again, this was the most-mentioned gold medal game and it is going to be a win or go home affair just to play for a medal. If this game materializes, three things are certain. First, Alex Ovechkin will be the most hated man in Canada since Vince McMahon screwed Bret Hart. Secondly, Ovie loves that. He would like nothing more than to play a part in denying Canada a medal in its national sport on home ice. You can practically see the foam frothing in his toothless mouth. Finally, Mike Milburr and Jeremy Roenick may actually kill each other in NBC’s booth. They have been discussing Sid/Ovie all tournament, and when one of those players outplays the other, the jabs will be flying in the studio.
The U.S./Canada game was just the beginning. Expect at least nine more games like that this week. Before the games, I picked Russia to beat Canada for the gold. Obviously, that cannot happen. My restructured choices based on last week’s games and the medal-round bracket? Sweden defeats the U.S. in the gold medal game and Russia takes home the bronze. I have a feeling Sweden will clamp down the defense even more in the medal games, denying the U.S. an improbable gold medal after the Americans breeze to the final. Russia knocks off Canada in OT and then pounds Finland for the bronze.
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