The U.S. hockey win last night was not a "miracle" or even an "upset". The Canadian team was considered the favourite, but not a shoo-in and not even a heavy favourite. The U.S. and Russia were also considered strong contenders for the gold medal, and it wouldn't be shocking if the Fins or Czechs won it, either.
Overall, I was happy with how Team Canada played for 75% of the game and if Brodeur hadn't been handling the puck like an idiot for the first five minutes of the game, and if Canada had taken one or two fewer stupid penalties at the beginning of the third period then the outcome might have been different: the Canadian squad outshot the Americans by about a 2-to-1 margin.
I don't want this post to come across the wrong way, for although this was no "miracle" or shocking upset, the US team absolutely beat the Canadian one fair and square.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Joan Walsh
Kerry Lauerman
Salon.com
Comments
Both rosters are full of NHL players, so the talent differential is not as great as it was for the Miracle on Ice team. However, there's no question that the Canadian team has more talent, so this was an upset. You had a team full of superstars go down to a team with a lot of talented players who showed more grit.