If you didn't watch last night's USA/Canada hockey tie you possibly missed one of the better moments of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Not only was Team USA supposedly outmanned by the skilled Canucks, but they also had the disadvantage of facing a Canadian crowd that was as amped for this game as any hockey game that I've seen. Despite the talent and the crowd however, the US found a way to prevail leaving many to wonder how.
Watching the game I was impressed by two different factors, both involving the goalies and how they were attacked by the respective offenses.
Martin Brodeur: Brodeur is one of the greatest net-minders in recent NHL history. This result doesn't change that fact one iota. What the US did to him last night however, might lead to a change in how other teams (excluding Germany, who has no offense to speak of) attack him in the future. The US game plan was obvious from the start, attack Brodeur when he wanders out of the goal-mouth and make his life generally uncomfortable. Brodeur is a goalie who likes to be proactive and wander out to grab the puck. By putting pressure on him the US team forced Brodeur to make a decision quicker than he wanted to. In many cases those decisions were sub-par.
Ryan Miller: Here's all you need to know about how good Ryan Miller was last night: In the final two minutes of the game, he faced 13 shots on goal. None of them got past him. The old hockey adage is that a goalie playing well is "standing on his head". Miller was upside down all evening. Of the three goals scored by the Canadians, only one (the last one) could even partially be attributed to Miller. The first two goals were defensive breakdowns where Canadian players were allowed to crash the goal on the weak side unmarked, the remaining goal was one of those flukey, slow goals that you see from time to time. In a word, Miller was awesome. The US will need for him to continue to be so if they want to medal.
Other items of note:
Congrats to Bode Miller for finally getting his gold medal.
Ovechkin's hit on Jagr changed momentum and propelled Russia to victory. In the classic myopic Olympic tradition, you can't find video of it anywhere on the Internet. (There is no worse sporting organization than the IOC in terms of incompetence.)
Speaking of Olympic Committee incompetence. The people in charge are fools.
This just in: the German's can slide.
Why Ice Dancing sucks.