Canada wins Ice Hockey Gold at Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Congrats to Team Canada for winning the Gold in Ice Hockey at the Vancouver Winter Olympics! The golden goal was a classic Sidney Crosby play, barelling his way through two defenders, fighting for the puck, passing it to Jerome Iginla and going hard to the goal to receive the pass back and score the winning goal. Of all the goals he scored (and will score) in his career, this one will probably rank somewhere near the very top. He was expected to shine in this hockey tournament, to lead the charge, but when that didn’t happen game after game, he seemed to have been quietly and politely relegated to a footnote as his teammates shone. But when it mattered the most, he did it anyway: he stepped out of the shadow and found the way to deliver the winning goal.
Hats off to Ron Wilson and the entire Team USA who have nothing to be ashamed of for the game could have gone either way. And the fact that they made it into the finals and Team Canada (with all their super star players) only won by the skin of their teeth in overtime attest to the quality of both the US players and their coach.
With this win, Canada now has 14 Gold medals — a record of the most gold medals won by a host nation.
Jerome Iginla and Sidney Crosby
Now, all the Hockey players are flying back to their respective NHL teams and, of course, most of the Canadian players play for American teams. Steve Yzerman and Mike Babcock, Canadian GM and Coach respectively, go back to their positions at the helm of the Detroit Red Wings. Brian Burke and Ron Wilson, US GM and Coach respectively, go back to their positions at the helm of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
At least, the Toronto Maple Leafs now have no excuse for their next to last position in the NHL: they have in Ron Wilson a coach that can take them to the playoffs if they buy in to the game plan.