Tonight's game was such a fast paced exciting and entertaining match. The periods were packed with end to end action and remarkable saves. Ryan Miller was nearly perfect making 42 of 45 saves. Martin Brodeur had a less than stellar performance making 18 saves and allowing 4 goals. Canada was coming off of a close 3-2 shootout victory over Switzerland and knew that they would have to put on a better performance if they were going to beat the United States. The United States were regarded as underdogs in the match having not beaten Canada in the Olympics since 1960.
There was an exciting atmosphere in the building and the fans were going absolutely crazy. Unfortunately, the Canadians lost the game 5-3 and just made their road to a medal alot more difficult. Crosby scored in the dying minutes to make the game 4-3 from a clutch pass from Rick Nash. Ryan Kesler sealed the deal by scoring one of the nicest empty net goals I have ever seen. The win now puts the USA in group A and guarantees a birth into the quarterfinals. Canada places second in the group and will have to play Germany on Tuesday to gain entry to the quaterfinals. Should Canada defeat Germany it will set up a complete monster quarterfinal match between Canada and Russia on Wednesday.
Canada Vs Russia would no doubt be one of the most anticipated games of the entire tournament. It may not be the same exact atmosphere as the 1972 summit series against the Soviet Union, but it is definately buzzing in Vancouver. Shutting down the offensively gifted Russian stars like Alexander Ovechkin will be no easy task. However, the Canadians need to concentrate on one thing at a time and prepare for Tuesday's Match against Germany.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Canada vs Norway
All the preparation was finally complete and the mens hockey tournament finally started on Tuesday February 16. Canada began the tournament facing off against Norway. The first period was a very fast paced action packed twenty minutes. Norway kept Canada scoreless in the first period with an excellent effort from Norwegian goalie Pat Grotnes. Grotnes made several excellent saves in the period and shut down Canada's snipers including a few powerplay chances.
The second period seemed to start off with a bang when Jerome Iginla and Dany Heatley each scored two minutes apart to give Canada the 2-0 lead. Canada, which is made up of all NHL superstars was a heavy favourite coming into this game and the only real question that people were asking was, "How much are they going to win by?" The Norwegian team consists of only one NHL player Ole Kristian Tollefsen. Most of the other Norwegian players have full time jobs outside of hockey.
Although Canada was heavily favoured, Roberto Luongo was a huge reason that the team was successful in winning the game 8-0. He made several spectacular saves throughout the game especially in the second period when Canada took two penalties and Norway was left with a 5 on 3 powerplay. Jerome Iginla went on to score a hattrick as well as a two goal performance by Dany Heatley. An excellent effort by Canada overall and hopefully they can carry their momentum into Thursday when they face off against Switzerland.
The second period seemed to start off with a bang when Jerome Iginla and Dany Heatley each scored two minutes apart to give Canada the 2-0 lead. Canada, which is made up of all NHL superstars was a heavy favourite coming into this game and the only real question that people were asking was, "How much are they going to win by?" The Norwegian team consists of only one NHL player Ole Kristian Tollefsen. Most of the other Norwegian players have full time jobs outside of hockey.
Although Canada was heavily favoured, Roberto Luongo was a huge reason that the team was successful in winning the game 8-0. He made several spectacular saves throughout the game especially in the second period when Canada took two penalties and Norway was left with a 5 on 3 powerplay. Jerome Iginla went on to score a hattrick as well as a two goal performance by Dany Heatley. An excellent effort by Canada overall and hopefully they can carry their momentum into Thursday when they face off against Switzerland.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Fierce Competition for Gold
The olympics are only days away and the anticipation and excitement seems to be evident everywhere you look. This year's hockey tournament is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and anticipated one yet. After months and months of debate, Team Canada's roster was named and the speculation has finally seized. Canada, as always, is considered to be one of the favourites to win coming into the tournament, however the competition this year will be very intense.
Team Russia is entering Vancouver with very high hopes considering the massive scoring depth the team has. With the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk, Evegeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin leading the way, it appears that scoring should not be a huge concern. Team Sweden is heading into the Olympics led by the NHL scoring leader Henrick Sedin and his twin brother Daniel Sedin. The twins are enjoying huge success with their NHL franchises, each posting career seasons and are hoping to carry that momentum with them into the tournament.
The United States are not considered great favourites on paper, however they should not be overlooked or underestimated. They have consistently been contenders in the past and they happen to have the NHL's hottest goalie between the pipes with Ryan Miller. Since each game is so important and usually "do-or-die" games, a hot goalie can be the greatest asset a team can have. The Olympics seem to be coming closer and closer and I am excited and looking forward to the opening puck drop come February 16.
Team Russia is entering Vancouver with very high hopes considering the massive scoring depth the team has. With the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk, Evegeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin leading the way, it appears that scoring should not be a huge concern. Team Sweden is heading into the Olympics led by the NHL scoring leader Henrick Sedin and his twin brother Daniel Sedin. The twins are enjoying huge success with their NHL franchises, each posting career seasons and are hoping to carry that momentum with them into the tournament.
The United States are not considered great favourites on paper, however they should not be overlooked or underestimated. They have consistently been contenders in the past and they happen to have the NHL's hottest goalie between the pipes with Ryan Miller. Since each game is so important and usually "do-or-die" games, a hot goalie can be the greatest asset a team can have. The Olympics seem to be coming closer and closer and I am excited and looking forward to the opening puck drop come February 16.
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