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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast
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‘USA HOCKEY..RED-WHITE-OLYMPIC GOLD’
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It was everything I expected..and then we got a bonus.
A Team USA win in hockey.
Yes there was a winner, the Americans in hockey, but there was no loser, because global hockey delivered a message about the greatness of the sport.
It was passionate, it was fast, it was spectacular and it was a classic.
And Sunday morning’s USA win came on the Anniversary of the 1980-Miracle on Ice win in Lake Placid.
Team USA came out flying. The old Montreal Canadiens term ‘Firewagon Hockey’ hit me. Team speed, end to end non stop rushes, phenomenal scoring chances in the first 20-minutes.
Then Canada took over, in a reversal you had to expect would come. They played the body, they hit, they checked them into the ice at center ice, and they pounded shot-after-shot on goal.
The US-led Matt Boldy tip shot goal in the first period held up till the 3rd period when Cole Makar fired a blazing wrist shot to tie it. The 40-minutes in that second and third period was all Red & Black.
Connor Hellebuyck, the legendary Winnipeg Jets goalie stoned them, as wave after wave of shots poured in. 2-saves on breakaways; a robbery of Connor McDavid; a stop on Mac Celebrini point blank shot; a diving stick save on a shot on an open net that got behind him.
He helped kill off a 5-on-3 two man advantage when it looked as if the rink was tilted and roof was to cave in.
And 101-seconds into overtime, it was over, in the weird concept of 3-on-3 in overtime, where open ice is the villain and odd man rushes make the difference.
And so be it, one pass, one rush, a Jack Hughes open on the left winger, Game over.
Heroes everywhere but the 42-save effort of Hellebuyck was the difference.
And then the post game celebration; the flags draped on shoulders, the anthem, and then the USA players flashing the memorial jersey on the late Johnny Gaudreau, ‘Johnny Hockey’ in a show of affection towards the family of the late Calgary Flames star. And as an add on, Gaudreau’s 2-infant children brought onto the ice for the players Gold Medal team photo.
It was epitome of the ‘Brotherhood’ of this sport, regardless of who you are, where you came from, playing for the flag and the crest.
I felt so disheartened for the greatness of Connor McDavid, a brilliant player, a likely Hall of Famer, who hasn’t won anything in this career, not a Memorial Cup, a Stanley Cup, nor an Olympic Gold. He stands and represents everything good on behalf of the country that invented the sport.
Sunday was a period-exclamation point of a great two weeks of hockey.
And there were so many others to smile about.
There was the courageous goaltending of Ducks and ex-Gulls goalie Lukas Dostal for Team Czechia. There was Shea Theodore, an ex Gulls, scoring a key goal. There was Pavel Regenda, a former Gulll, scoring two goals on behalf of Sweden too.
If we thought the Four Nations tourney was a changing of the guard in hockey, now all things Cortina on ice, took it to the next level.
History will write about goalie Jack McCartan and the 1960-US medal winning team. We all know, have seen, or read about the 1980-Miracle on Ice. Now 2026-goes down as something really special.
Hockey won globally. As Wayne Gretzky would say ‘Game On’.
New colors, USA = Red-White-Olympic Gold.
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Great commentary.