Wow! I finally get it. It has finally dawned on me why hockey is so popular with so many people and why it evinces such passion from its most loyal supporters and disdain from those who would degrade it. Today I saw one of the most exciting games ever played on any level. The US Men's Hockey team, not favored to fare well coming into the Olympic Games, played an amazing, inspiring game against the heavily favored Canadian side. Finding themselves down 2-0 the US team came back to tie the game with 24.4 seconds left in regulation time to force overtime. When Zach Parise, the forward from the New Jersey Devils, slapped a shot past Roberto Luongo, the Canadian goalie to tie it in the waning seconds of the game, I jumped up from my seat and yelled. What an exhilarating moment! I thought for sure this was our moment, that we would score a goal to win it. I believed this even more after the US sent a flurry of shots at the Canadian goalie. The USA was not going to go down easily and I thought victory was within our grasp. But, alas, Sidney Crosby, the Canadian wunderkind, would not allow it. A couple of minutes into overtime, the young forward swerved to the right of the US goal and after receiving an unbelievable pass from a teammate, sent a rocket past the amazing US goalie, Ryan Miller, who did not even have time to react. I don't think any goalie could have stopped that shot; there was nothing Miller could do. Although the Canadian team began to celebrate wildly I became very proud of our team. They played their hearts out. They were gracious, even though the sting of the defeat could be seen on their faces. They respectfully watched the Canadian team receive the ovations of their home crowd. I suppose destiny ultimately would not allow the US to win. Nevertheless, I am now a fan of hockey thanks to Team USA. They are great ambassadors of the sport.
No comments:
Post a Comment