Hockey's Newest Biggest Fan...Kinda

So yesterday I turned on the Canada-Russia game not knowing what to expect since I have not watched a single hockey game in the past decade. But I figured this was touted as the biggest game on the biggest stage of the world as the two best teams clashed in the quarterfinals of the Olympics so I had to watch. I gotta say I really wasn't disappointed (well except in the sluggish way that Russia decided to show up). All the aspects of a great sports game were present: There was lots of scoring, the crowd was in a frenzy and chanting things like they were at a soccer game the entire time, there were hard hits and lots of animosity, the two best players in the NHL were present (in Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin) as were classic players like Sergei Federov that I remember playing with in NHL 96 on my Sega Genesis, and finally there was a great story as the host nation, Canada, proved to every other team in the competition that they were back on track and once again the team to beat. What more could one ask for in a game...

The crazy part is it wasn't even that good of a game in the sense that Canada basically had the game locked up by the end of the first period up 4-1. The Russian team came out looking much slower than the Canadians and played the majority of the game on their heels, reeling under the onslaught of the Canadian attack. The Russians allowed their goalie to be abused for 6 goals before they finally took the first one out the game then just when they seemed as if they might have the motivation to fight their way back into it, the Canadians put another one into the net on the new goalie making it 7-2 by the end of the second. The consolation goal the Russians were able to squeak out in the third made it 7-3 but the victory was already well in hand by then. Even more of a surprise, the two "best" players in the game barely factored into the result at all. Even if you have never watched hockey before you could see the winning strategy. They didn't allow the Russians to breathe or collect themselves. They jumped on every loose puck and challenged every Russian player trying to make his way up the ice. The Canadians came out firing on all cylinders and never backed off, they were ready to play and to prove a point to the world: This Is Our House.

This game has inspired me to even give the NHL a chance once in a while. Unfortunately I heard the NHL isn't really the same as Olympic Hockey though....

Apparently it's better: There's fighting and sometimes it's even encouraged. They have guys called enforcers specifically on the team to inspire the masses by taking on the other team's enforcer in battle. I dare you to tell me that the NBA or the NFL wouldn't be a little more exciting if they let their players throw down once in a while. Well in hockey it happens all the time. You want to know the penalty for it? 5 minutes. YEP 5 minutes. Not a suspension, not an ejection from the game but just five minutes in the penalty box. Pure genius. I might have found a new sport to fill the down times between football and basketball seasons. Then again perhaps the novelty will run its course and I'll be back to the apathy I normally hold towards it (unless the Flyers are doing well). All I know is that for at least one day, hockey was one of my favorite sports.