Canada Hockey Place is electric as the home team and its American opponent will go to overtime in a fast-paced men’s Olympic gold medal hockey final.
Team USA’s Zach Parise forced overtime when he shovelled a loose puck into the Canadian net with only 25 seconds to go.
The Americans had been pressing but to that put, Canada had weathered the storm and seemed headed for gold.
Overtime seems only fitting in what has been an energetic, high-flying game.
Both sides knew that scoring first was going to be key with these two, evenly matched teams.
The undefeated U.S. team had not trailed at any point in the tournament. But Canadian forward Jonathan Toews changed that just over halfway through the first period when he flipped a Mike Richards rebound over the left shoulder of Ryan Miller.
Of the 29 Olympic hockey matches this year, the team that scored first has won 26.
Toews’s first goal of the Olympics ended a Miller shutout streak of more than 120 minutes.
Miller, who backstops the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, has been a standout in the tournament, allowing just five goals in five games, three in the round-robin win over Canada.
Corey Perry made it 2-0 midway through the second period when he fired a pass from Ryan Getzlaf past Miller.
But minutes later, Team USA cut the lead back to one goal. On a rush, Ryan Kesler tipped what appeared to be an unthreatening shot from Patrick Kane, allowing the puck to trickle past Canadian goaltender Roberto Luongo.
The game has been billed as the most anticipated event in Canadian sports history. At least two thirds of Canadians watched at least part of the 5-3 U.S. victory against Canada a week ago, but the stakes of this game are far higher.
A commentator with Canada’s CTV network reported lines two-blocks long outside Vancouver bars in the morning, four hours before the game began.
Prime tickets for the game were said to be going for $5000 to $10,000 each.
Even in far off Kandahar, Afghanistan, Canadian soldiers filled a Canada House. One soldier held a placard reading, “Canada-USA: Brothers in arms, not on the ice.”
The two teams have met in the Olympic gold-medal final six previous times, with Canada taking five of the contests. The U.S. won in Squaw Valley 50 years ago.
The U.S. team also won the gold medal on home soil 30 years ago, when a team of college players upset some of the world’s best players, defeating Russia in Lake Placid. The game was known as the “Miracle on Ice.”
But Canada spoiled the U.S. party on home soil in the most recent gold medal meeting in Salt Lake City in 2002.
The Americans hoped to return the favour in Vancouver this year.
Team USA’s Zach Parise forced overtime when he shovelled a loose puck into the Canadian net with only 25 seconds to go.
The Americans had been pressing but to that put, Canada had weathered the storm and seemed headed for gold.
Overtime seems only fitting in what has been an energetic, high-flying game.
Both sides knew that scoring first was going to be key with these two, evenly matched teams.
The undefeated U.S. team had not trailed at any point in the tournament. But Canadian forward Jonathan Toews changed that just over halfway through the first period when he flipped a Mike Richards rebound over the left shoulder of Ryan Miller.
Of the 29 Olympic hockey matches this year, the team that scored first has won 26.
Toews’s first goal of the Olympics ended a Miller shutout streak of more than 120 minutes.
Miller, who backstops the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, has been a standout in the tournament, allowing just five goals in five games, three in the round-robin win over Canada.
Corey Perry made it 2-0 midway through the second period when he fired a pass from Ryan Getzlaf past Miller.
But minutes later, Team USA cut the lead back to one goal. On a rush, Ryan Kesler tipped what appeared to be an unthreatening shot from Patrick Kane, allowing the puck to trickle past Canadian goaltender Roberto Luongo.
The game has been billed as the most anticipated event in Canadian sports history. At least two thirds of Canadians watched at least part of the 5-3 U.S. victory against Canada a week ago, but the stakes of this game are far higher.
A commentator with Canada’s CTV network reported lines two-blocks long outside Vancouver bars in the morning, four hours before the game began.
Prime tickets for the game were said to be going for $5000 to $10,000 each.
Even in far off Kandahar, Afghanistan, Canadian soldiers filled a Canada House. One soldier held a placard reading, “Canada-USA: Brothers in arms, not on the ice.”
The two teams have met in the Olympic gold-medal final six previous times, with Canada taking five of the contests. The U.S. won in Squaw Valley 50 years ago.
The U.S. team also won the gold medal on home soil 30 years ago, when a team of college players upset some of the world’s best players, defeating Russia in Lake Placid. The game was known as the “Miracle on Ice.”
But Canada spoiled the U.S. party on home soil in the most recent gold medal meeting in Salt Lake City in 2002.
The Americans hoped to return the favour in Vancouver this year.
