Victory Sweet for Canada

It was the culmination of the greatly anticipated match up for gold between the U.S. and Canada. Canada brought glory to Vancouver in the final game of the men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament.

It was an intense game with Canada winning 3-2 in overtime.

Jonathan Toews scored for Canada in the first period. It was the only goal until Corey Perry scored to make it 2-0 for Canada. The U.S. answered shortly thereafter to bring the score to 2-1. Finally, the score was even sending the game into overtime.

In some ways the gold medal game was a rematch of last week’s preliminary game in which the U.S. defeated Canada. That game was an upset for Canada, a country that considers ice hockey its national sport. The excitement over the ice hockey tournament had been building for some time. Fans put the pressure on. With the preliminary round loss, the Canadians must have felt the grip on gold loosen just a bit.

Victory prevailed. Sidney Crosby, a Canadian hockey hero who is also a center for the Pittsburgh Penguins, made the golden goal well over 7 minutes into overtime to the enthusiastic cheers of his countrymen. This followed the last second score by the U.S.’s Zach Parise, who sent the puck into the goal with less than 25 seconds left in regulation time. The U.S. had pulled its goalie in order to have an extra attacker on the ice.

That strategy only afforded temporary success for the U.S. in a game that was well-matched with intense action from face-offs to goals. U.S. goalie Ryan Miller had 36 saves. Canadian goalie Roberto Luongo had 34 saves.

This gold medal is the wreath of laurels of Canadian dreams. Since the NHL has permitted players to participate in the Olympic Games, its players can be seen on teams of their various home countries. Of the four Olympics in which NHL players participated, Canada has won two. Overall, Canada has won 8 gold medals in men’s ice hockey. According to some reports, Mike Babcock, this year’s Canadian team coach, became the first coach to secure both a Stanley Cup and Olympic gold.

Team Canada Win, A Nation Exhales