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Hacksaw’s Great Sports Weekend Podcast
You Tube Channel-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
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“HOCKEY AT ITS BEST”
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It wasn’t Game 7-of some great Stanley Cup series.
it was not the Miracle..Team USA-vs-Soviet Union in Lake Placid
It was not Gretzky-Howe-Beliveau-La Fleur
It was not the legendary Islanders, the Canadians, Broad Street Bullies
It was not the Canada Cup-circa 1976

But it was fabulous hockey, with great play, greater meaning, USA-vs-Canada.
It was electric.  It was end to end skating.  It was play the body.  it was clear the crease.  It was spectacular saves with people infront or the goalie left naked by himself.  It was a super star doing what a super star does in the spotlight.  Win it for his team.

Connor McDavid scored on a wrist shot in the slot in front, snapping off a top shelf shot that set off a celebration across the Dominion.  Canada 3-USA 2 in overtime in the Gold Medal game.

it was Oh Canada-vs-Star Spangled Banner.

It was the emotion of remembering Johnny Hockey-who should have been on the ice.

it was the passion of the country that founded the game and the one that has established the game this side of the border.

It was USA-USA chants.  It was those wearing the Red Maple Leaf booing the National Anthem, or in essence booing Donald Trump’s lame idea of them being the 51st State.

it was the Hellebuyck-Binnington goaltenders duel.
It was 200-feet of contested hockey by Mike Sullivan’s team.
It was John Cooper’s line changing shifts
It was my superstars vs your superstars.

It was not taking a bad penalty, not getting caught up ice on a line change.
It was all things antagonizing when the Tkachuk family was on the ice.
It was do not take chances, but don’t be timid either.

It was fierce forchecking, and take no prisoners infront of the net.
It was wondering where Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby or Auston Matthews went.

It was a chance to grow hockey, not just in the USA, but globally.

It was ideal, this level of quality play that put to shame things like the NFL Pro Bowl Flag Football…or the NBA’s sad sack slam dunk, All Star tourney.  Hockey buried the PGA-NBA-NFL-NASCAR in the TV ratings.

It was a TV ratings bonanza in the states, and for sure in Canada, where everything stopped at 5pm on Thursday because they had to watch their sport, from Halifax to Vancouver and every spot in between.

And now with its end, and its success, an idea from my corner of the world.

A memo to Gary Bettman.  No more All Star games please.

Make this a World Cup every year wrapped around the years the Olympics are played.  Make it a 4-Nations Tourney.   USA…Canada…Team Nordic (Sweden-Finland-Norway)…and Team Europe (a combo of great players from Russia-Belarus-Germany and other Euro countries

A fitting complement to what the Olympics are, but bringing every player from every country with a chance to play for their flag, their region, their reputation.

As Wayne Gretzky would say ‘Game On’.  Rightfully so.  This was so exceptional.

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