Canada 5, USA 2, and clearly the best team won.(1) Everyone looked great out there but personally I thought Fleury was incredible and he must have played on every second shift because it seemed like he never left the ice. Mario showed his smarts on Canada’s first goal when he let it through to Kariya on the wing. Nice to see a dominant win against the Americans. Congrats all around to Canada’s Men and Women for bringing home the gold. In the last minute of the game when the crowd started singing O’Canada we all joined in. I thought it was great to see Owen Nolan taping the cermony after the game. It really enforced what this means to the players.
We started the day with a little shinny at Windsor. When we arrived there was already a group of guys playing and when we offered to put the sticks in the middle to mix up the teams they insisted that we all played together. It was nice to play some pond hockey on the same team with Bry, Sully, Christian, Sigs, and Ratty. What a perfect pre-game. Bry was gracious enough to have us over for the game. Melissa and Easton were there for a little but Easton didn’t like the cheering too much. We were going nuts everytime Canada touched the puck. I would have loved to have Shan there but she had to work.(2) I called her in between periods and she told me that they were actually announcing the score in the mall! After the Ratty and I took A drive out to Portage and Main where Winnipeg gathered for some good old fashioned street hockey and flag waving in the middle of the street. Guys were running by the car high fiving us, horns were honking, people hanging out of thier cars…it was a sight.
(1) – Unfortunately this year the best team didn’t win. The score should have been 5-1 with all the missed chances for Canada. The McDavid breakaway, Celebrini (breakaway), Toews on the doorstep open net, MacKinnon open net. Now, I am not one who believes in LORE, but not having Sid in the lineup may have hurt us as well. He would have taken Marchand off the PP at least. Not to mention he is undefeated 26-0 when playing for Canada over the last 15 years. There is that. I can also go on about not having Shaefer there on D, the absence of Bedard over a couple questionable guys on the roster, and the missed calls on the ice, but I won’t do that. The best team did not win but the US did and now all we can do is sit back and bask in their Amerogance.
(2) – Apparently they do not have the game on in the Barbie store at the Bay downtown.