Olympic reaction

To me, that's even better than USA-Russia in 1980, though that's still the greatest upset. How many of you recorded the game while you were watching it?

Not even close to as good as the 1980 game. Great game though. It made me proud to be a fan of the sport.

I just think the overall skill level was better. There were the best players in the world, and that was a group of kids playing with the best effort and luck in the world.

Plus, we didn't get to see the 1980 game live. We already knew the score when the game was on.

Great game, but I can't say if it's better than 1980, I was only 4 1/2 then. I know I watched it because both of my parents talked about watching the game, but I don't remember it. Sorry to make anyone feel old...lol I hope today's game gets more people to take notice of hockey and realize what a great sport it is! I'm not even disappointed in the outcome to tell you the truth. Just the fact that the USA was in the gold medal game was fantastic!

I was 25 in 1980 and I watched the game. As I said before this Olympics, as long as the Russians don't win that is the goal for me. Anyway, the US team in '80 was something special. Herb Brooks had a plan and those guys executed. You can name a few who stood out but that was a huge team effort.
Same with the team this year. Obviously Ryan played great and should be tourney MVP. That doesn't take away from the result. The US was picked for maybe 4th possibly 3rd before the games. So to come so close has to be bittersweet indeed. Great effort it could have went the other way. Let's go play it again in Russia in 4 years. Wouldn't that be sweet. Oh, by the way, I think '80 was a better game just for the fact of what it meant. It truly was the Miracle on Ice.

A lot of players played a better tournament than Crosby. I hope Sid isn't remembered as the hero.

I could easily become a Sabers fan based on Miller alone. Great to see a hardworking guy standout in a stage that big.

As a hardcore Canadian supporter... until the Leafs manage to win a cup in my lifetime if not the greatest certainly the proudest hockey moment I have ever had the joy of watching.

JungleMonkey, the great ones always find a way to get it done. No one (including Miller) expected him to shoot that puck. This will go down with Paul Henderson's goal in Moscow 1972 as one of the most important in Canadian history. The reason? It won a gold medal on Canadian soil. You are right a lot of players played better then Sid. You wouldn't have seen it, but every Canadian player said "our best player" won it for us. That is the kind of respect his peers have for him. Sidney Crosby has a Stanley Cup and Gold medal in less than 12 months. This tournament is not going to define a 22 year old's career.
Here in Toronto, we see a lot of Ryan. A lot of Buffalo fans in the area. I am not a Leaf fan so when Ryan stones 'em I love it. Getting very chatty here, but one last thing. This was a tough day for the U.S. but one of the most admired Canadians who wasn't on the ice but plied his trade in the U.S. got what he deserved today. Steve Yserman's picture is beside the word "class" in the dictionary. And yeah I am a Red Wing fan.

Even if the US had won it wouldn't be the greatest in my mind. The 1980 game(s) is still #1. The 1960 and 1972 games were pretty special too.

And then there was this game with a kid by the name of Hodgman.

Congrats to Canada. It was a great battle and a great day to be a hockey fan. I'd buy the first round if I could, Mike.

Great game- Very proud of the USA team. They didn't win the game but won in my heart. I saw the 1980 game and yes it was the "Miracle of Ice" only because the USA wasn't expected to even get a medal let alone win the gold. Miller really impressed me.. Crosby is a "sniper" he did his job. You can not take anything away from Canada. It did take OT to get it done. What a great hockey game!

It was rigged for the slower canucks team, they didnt play on the traditional olympic style sheet of ice. they will not win in russia in 2014.

Rocky, some way we will get that done.
BullChit, that is a fair statement. But we won on the big ice in Salt Lake. Remember the big ice can only work if you have the puck. The other thing to remember is the majority of players from all countries play in the NHL on exactly the same sized ice as the games were played on.
Actually the small ice may have favoured the US a little. They played a more physical game that is diminished on the large ice.
Hopefully the Komets have won a few more Championships before Sochi and we will still be blogging and sharing opinions.

No way, the small ice absolutely doesnt favor the U.S. it favors the canucks and the big slow D like pronger, on a true olympic sheet of ice .. they dont win!

Have to admit, Pronger was probably my least favorite pick for Canada. However, he had arguably his best game of the tourney today. That being said wouldn't you think the speedier players should be on him more quickly and take away the ability to move the puck? Didn't happen, because even though he is a little slower he still has enough skill to move the puck. The game isn't just about speed, you have to do something with the puck at speed. We'll see in Russia.

This might be a silly question, but why was this year's Olympic tournament played on a 200 x 85 rink instead of the larger 200 x 100 international surface? Is this going to be the case for future Olympic events?

like i said, it was rigged!

Tough loss for TEAM USA, Miller almost made me want to back the SABER'S. But to O.T. What a great day for US hockey. We should be proud of this team.As A Redwing's fan I don't like Crosby, but a good goal.

It is the best olympic hockey game ever...best ever game was the 3 OT cup clinching thriller between Dallas and Buffalo in 1999.

Iginla set "the goal" up if he would not of stood in there and took the hit it would not of happened. Iginla MVP.

This had the makings of one of the greatest games ever, but in my opinion the format change for the overtime killed it. This was the gold medal game, the most important game of the tournament, and there should have been no format change at least in the first overtime. When you take it to a 4-on-4 you automatically favor the faster team and completely change the way the game is played.

Who didn't think that Canada was going to win once it got to overtime? At that point there was no USA forecheck, which was definitely one of its strong points and set up a good number of its goals.

I'm not bitter. Congrats to Canada, but for a game of that importance it should have stayed 5-on-5, just like a Stanley Cup playoff final.

Bob: The organizing committee in Vancouver submitted their bid based on the existing Arena "GM Place" being used for Hockey. The IOC would have insisted on the larger ice surface if a new facility had to be built. When the games were in Calgary a new rink was to be built. So the Saddledome in Calgary can be expanded to the larger surface. They have temperary seats about for about 10 rows back from the NHL sized surface.
I am sure they will have the traditional Ice Surface in Sochi.
Get over it Bullchit. It was a great game played by two teams very used to the size of the ice surface.

FYI. Not everyone sees the ice size as a problem. This is a quote from Ron Wilson U.S.A. coach following yesterday's game. The quote appeared on TSN.ca "Wilson had two suggestions for the Olympic hockey: a few more days added to the NHL's Olympic break and playing the tournament on North American ice as opposed to the larger international surface."

Don't half the canadians have their green card so they really are americans so we really won the gold medal anyway?

Great game! Team Canada's D played a much more solid game and that was the key, IMO...

I thought the best stat they mentioned was Jonathen Toews played the entire tourney and Canada never got scored on while he was on the ice.... Blackhawks were well represented...!

I thought it was a very exciting game and I loved every second of it. In fact, I didn't want it to end. It certainly did hockey proud and hopefully people will stand up and take notice of the greatest sport ever. As for being the best hockey game ever, I still have to go with the 1980 team. They were a bunch of no names guys who were able to come out of nowhere and take home the gold. It truly was a miracle on ice! Watching the interview and flashbacks with Mike Eruzione brought back so many great memories. I don't think anything can ever top that - except maybe the K's winning their third straight Turner Cup! Go K's!!!

I would have to say that the 1980 U.S vs Soviet Union game was the most memorable game ever. For one thing, it wasn't even the gold-medal game. If we are still talking about the U.S.- Canada game thirty years from now ( as we are the 1980 game ) then it will have survived the "test of time" and will rank very close.

Allan, I can't remember was it a double round robin? You came out of your group into the medal round of four. Then you played the second round robin. My point> there wasn't a "gold medal" game as such was there?

There's no doubt that yesterday's game will go down in history as one of the greatest of all time....as it should. I think it's importance depends on your nation of birth.

The '80 game came when the US was being used as the world's doormat. Iran spit in our face and Russia's hockey was a symbol for the might they could impose on anyone that dared to face their nation. Those times, conditions, and teams will never be duplicated.

For whatever reason, Canada was fighting for not only their pride but their identity. The game was much more important to them than it was to us. US played the role of Russia in this series and though they are our friends and neighbors Canadians are justifiably tired of big brother's arrogant crap. That doesn't mean they don't want us in their family. It just means they try to tolerate us until we learn that might doesn't equal right.

Canada just flat out gets it and for that I'm not only envious, I'm jealous. But as long as they keep sending their boys over here to play I'll be content.....just as I was with the outcome of yesterday's game because the right team won.

Rocky, I have a spare room if you need some place to stay while the storm blows over. LOL.
Our countries are very close in a lot of ways. I had posted the youtube clip with Tom Brokaw's essay done just before the games. It demonstrates our co-operation.
We are getting very close in hockey also. With more U.S. kids getting the chance to play it is only a matter of time until sheer numbers dictate an increase in U.S. depth.
This is a comment Jonathan Toews made with respect to Chicago team mate Patrick Kane.
"I think I will definitely be very, very respectful of what their team did in this tournament and what he did," Toews added. "We were this close to coming out on the losing end too, and it wouldn't have been a good feeling. So you got to give it to him for the way he played and leave it at that."
As for Candians, some people may enjoy the "beat big brother" symbolism. But the people who play the game see the bigger picture that points to a long rivalry that will bring out the best in the game no matter which side of the border you are on.