Miracle in the Making?

Happy Sunday to you.  Here's hoping all is well in your neck of the woods. Today is a day that promised to be interesting on the ice. A rare tripleheader with many ties to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. The big game of course was the matchup at 7 pm with USA and Canada.

A walk back down memory lane reminds us that, if you were old enough, 30 years ago tomorrow a bunch of college kids from the U.S. were lead by a tough leader (Herb Brooks) to play the Evil Empire of Russia. Not two weeks earlier in a game at Madison Square Garden, the Russians destroyed the kids by an 10-3 count or something equally embarrassing. 

Times were tough in the states and there was a hostage crisis going on in Iran. It would have been Day 83 on 2/22/80. What ended up happening that day is a miracle that has been retold over and over. If it wasn't for some shoddy goalie play by the Russian starter (Tretiak?) maybe the outcome would have been different. The rest as we say (for the likes of Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig, and company) is history...

I swore I had a sense of 'deja vu' right before the puck dropped on Canada-USA. Did I hear Jeremy Roenick say 'Canada should win because the U.S. has too much youth'? The same was said about that collegiate team 30 years prior.

Two hours and 42 saves later, we got our answer as Ryan Miller and Brian Rafalski both put on a show. In essence stunning the Canadian team by a 5-3 count. Brian Rafalski was one deflection short of a hat trick and in the win I was getting flashbacks of that miracle day. I referred to the win as 'The Epiphany'. Another team in red going down to a crushing defeat.

Do I think the U.S. can place and take some hardware? Heck yeah! Do I want to see a rematch with Canada? On their home ice? Hell No! I did not sit for one moment of that hockey game.

I was equally impressed by the stellar play of Alex Ovechkin and Russia in their earlier game. Such a wizard with the stick. His will alone makes things happen in a game. 

Locally, big kudos to Loui Erikssons as he nabbed the first two goals of his game for Sweden in the late game. 

It's no secret I love the game. It will never match the level of popularity that baseball and football have in the states. For one two week period every four years, the sport shines brightly like a newly crowned King. The next seven days will be fun to watch. Do enjoy!

Over and out in Big D

Mr. Will