This was a day all Canadians had been waiting for ever since the Olympics were announced to Vancouver: Men’s Hockey final with Team Canada battling for the pride - “This Is Our Game.” After two weeks of magnificent display in both sports and culture, record-breaking gold medals for this country as a host, and days after nights of non-stop parties on Robson and Granville, it was only fitting to end it with a bang. However, the stake was high, and the enemy was fierce. Canada vs. U.S.A. Nobody could ask for a better matchup with the Gold on the line. Team Canada had to go through a tougher road, including a 7-3 rout against the Russian powerhouse, to get here because they were defeated by Team USA in the preliminary round. So, this is a revenge the Canadians wanted badly since last Friday - not mentioning the heart-wrenching overtime loss in the World Junior finals earlier this year: the boys’ version of this game - this is a much bigger stage with a Nation’s pride on the line, this is Luongo, not Brodeau, this is Our House. But the Americans had another plan for sure, this is their revenge as well, they had waited for 8 years for this, since Canada beat them to win the gold in Salt Lake City. As Chris Cuthbert said: “Team USA has never won gold outside its boarders. Team Canada has never won on home ice. Something’s gotta give this afternoon.”
I went out with the couple of Americans I was hosting. But obviously, nothing was early enough on this Sunday morning. Our original plan to watch it at the theatre in Edgewater Casino fell through, as people were waiting in line 6 o’clock in the morning. After walking around the vicinity, we settled down in front of the two big screens outside of Molson Canadian Hockey House, only a couple of blocks away from Canada Hockey Place where the game took place. I was glad my friends found a few American fellows to cheer together; for otherwise, it would be too overwhelming for them in the sea of red and white. After last few rounds of trash talk and anxious waiting, the moment finally arrived. “Good afternoon, Canada. Is there anywhere you’d rather be for the next 3 hours.”
The game started as a particular final: physical, tightly defensive, and well structured. As I felt, Team USA was doing a little better in a very even opening. They were playing a very good puck-possession game, as they had been doing throughout the tournament. They were doing better in small battles, especially in the face-off circle. That Kane-Kesler-Brown line caused scary trouble in the Canadian zone every time they stepped onto the ice. But it was Team Canada who opened the scoring. A defensive mistake by one of American’s best player Brain Rafalski, a shot and rebound, then Jonathan Toews sent the home crowd into elation. He also sent the Americans trailing for the first time in this tournament. First period, Canada 1-0 USA. The second period started almost the same way as the first did. Both teams were careful and both teams had chances. Seven minutes in, just after an aggressive penalty kill, Corey Perry found Ryan Getzlaf’s centering pass loose in front and buried it passed Ryan Miller. 2-0! Canada! “Is it really coming?” Every Canadian was looking ahead, but nobody would take it for granted. With the way Team USA played in the tournament, it was almost impossible for a shutout from Louie, as most Canadians might have dreamed of. As it proved, the Americans responded. And it was that most dangerous line on ice who created it. Ryan Kesler cruised down main street, played a give-and-go with Patrick Kane, tapped the ice wanting the puck as he skated toward his Canucks teammate on the other end of the goal, and tipped in a shot by Kane. Team USA was on the board and started to pressure. Gladly, the scoreboard did not change again in the second period. The third period started with a couple of “Dings” on the American goal, when both Shea Weber and Chris Pronger hit the posts. Team USA dodged a couple of bullets and they were still well alive in the game. Then came the waiting game for the Canadians. Everyone squeezed their hands and just wanted the game to be over. Team Canada started to put their defensive structure on: one man forecheck, others stayed back, not taking too many chances. With the experience and talent like the veteran captain Scott Niedermayer, who was playing an extraordinary game as a leader albeit being slow here and there, the team kept the Americans to the outside. Team USA started getting frustrated as the clock ticking down. But an ominous thought reminded me of that series-turning game Canucks vs. Blackhawks in last year’s playoffs. We played a great defensive game to preserve a 1-0 lead until inside the last 3 minutes when a minor error by Willie Mitchell cost us the game, along with the momentum of the series. This game was evilly similar to that memory. Inside 5 minutes to go, I was looking at the clock almost every 10 seconds - the time simply couldn’t go any slower in that situation. I believed most Canadians felt the same way: hands were squeezed, breaths were hard to take, any superstitious behaviours were out, the light for celebration was on the horizon, but every second became tougher to kill at the same time. 3 minutes to go... 2 minutes... 77 seconds remaining... the time was almost there. Team USA was in desperation, timeout was called, Miller was pulled for the extra attacker. It seemed, although slowly, the clock was counting down to a nationwide eruption. But just as the Canadians started chanting “We Want Gold”, it was the Americans, with their last breath, who jumped up in jubilation. A weak shot from the blue line, which Luongo probably should have frozen, dropped; then in the same sequence, Zach Parise came from behind the net and pounded on a deflected rebound to the back of the net, with 25 seconds remaining in the 3rd period. Just like many Canadians, I dropped my head, face into my hands. The entire country went into a coma. NOOOO. What happened? I was sure I wasn’t the only one that time who started to doubt. Anything could happen in overtime. What if...? We had waited for so long, and it was so close! I’d rather see a 5-0 loss than a last minute comeback. This is terrible! This is unacceptable! The bad thoughts went on and on. It was like a reality I could not face. A few Americans in the crowd started cheering wildly, not for winning anything yet, but for barely staying alive, for then. I didn’t know how many heart attacks this overtime would cost. For the fans, it was debating, hoping, and struggling. For the players, they had to regroup right away. It was a 20-minute full period 4-on-4 hockey before shootout was needed. Team Canada came back out onto the ice looking “fresher”, as Alexander Ovechkin said later in an interview after the game. The were controlling the puck better and creating more chances. But as we all knew, anything could happen, a stinger would end everything. 7:25 into the overtime, Scott Niedermayer, as consistent and reliable as he was in the entire game, gave up the puck in the Canadian zone to Joe Pavelski, who had only one man to beat to shock almost everything around to dead. An instant flash went across my head: it’s all over. Good thing was that we heard another loud chant of Luuuu. Yes, Louie bailed out the captain. How bitter a pill would it be to swallow for Scott if that happened, at the end of such a Hall-of-Famer career! Fortunately, that play wouldn’t matter when history was written, only 15 seconds later. I’m sure you all knew what happened. If not, I’m sure this country let you hear what happened.
From Robson Square to Whistler Village; from Canada Hockey House to Gretzky’s Restaurant; from Cole Harbour, NS, to Tofino, BC; the entire Canada burst out with the loudest roars that rumbled across the second largest country on this planet. I jumped off the stairs I was standing on, fists into the sky, and hollered my lungs out. YAAAAAAAAY!!!! YEAHHHHH!!!! YAAAHHH!!!! High-fives were not enough this time. We dived into each other’s chests with the biggest and warmest hugs, tears in our eyes. YES! WE DID IT! WE WON THE GOLD! This Is Our Game! For a good 3 or 5 minutes, I didn’t even know who scored the golden goal. When I saw the replay and found out the golden boy was Sid-the-Kid, I turned around trying to find that American who stood behind me, clearly didn’t know anything about hockey, couldn’t even track the puck (i.e. didn’t realize American’s last minute tying goal until 10 seconds after they scored...) and kept bitching nonsense throughout the game. You know what he said? “Crosby didn’t do anything in this tournament.” Too bad he fled the scene in the soonest he could, smartly. After settling down for a bit after the initial eruption, I started to realize how blessing I was to be in that moment, witnessing all. This is a country who take such high pride in this game that nothing except a Gold would satisfy the expectation. This is a nation who know this game so well that it’s blended in their culture and history. Hockey + Canada = GOLD - this is an equation they will never let anybody break. This was almost a relief than an accomplishment. You could see from the older generation’s eyes, it seemed they were simply happy to be able to see this moment. One might have lived a whole life, but not seeing this. When we popped up the victory drink while singing O Canada for one last time shoulder by shoulder, I felt so proud to have that golden red jersey on my back and that giant Maple Leaf at the front. As we cried the last note out and looked into each other’s eyes with happy smiley faces, we all knew the party just started...
My American friends obviously couldn’t enjoy their planned win-win situation to celebrate with the crazy Canucks, which I totally understood. So I sent them off on the escaping journey and dived into the sea of Red and White. People were on the trees, streetlight poles, and roofs. Robson and Granville were impossible to walk through. The rowdy crowd brought out cheers waves after waves. Being there was almost the best moment in my life. Although extremely tired, I didn’t want to leave the celebration. So we watched the Closing Ceremony at Robson Square, got some food, and marched on. Not until it was almost midnight when I was completely exhausted, I had to call it a day. But... What a day! What a game! What a memory that will last forever in the rest of my life! It was a Golden Day in Canada!
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