A golden finish

Last Sunday afternoon was a time to kick back and watch the much-hyped, much-anticipated gold medal men's Olympic hockey game between Team USA and Canada.

As Star Tribune Minnesota Wild beat writer Michael Russo pointed out, it's not often that games of this magnitude live up to all the hype, but this one did. It was a great game to cap off the entire tournament in Vancouver which was host to some spectacular hockey.

Once Canada scored the first goal, the odds and statistics were stacked against USA. Canada was undefeated when scoring first, and it marked the first time that USA had trailed during the tournament. Plus, how likely was it that USA would be able to beat Canada twice in one week?

It was a good game, even though USA had to come from behind. The final minute of play in regulation ticked down under the 30-second mark, and I began to lose hope for the boys in blue. But lo and behold, they would not give up that easily. Minnesota boy Zach Parise, who had been a star throughout the Games, punched in a puck to tie the score at two apiece with 24.4 seconds remaining.

For me, it was the most exciting moment of the game. To send the game into overtime against an all-star caliber team like Canada, was pretty amazing. I think with the dramatic way in which it went into overtime like that, it lessened the blow when Canada's golden boy Sidney Crosby won the game with a shot through the five-hole on Ryan Miller.

Note: Miller got a well-deserved night off from his Buffalo Sabres goaltending duties in the first game after the Olympic break, but he received a standing ovation from the Pittsburgh crowd - it was an even bigger welcome than they gave Sid the Kid. I was glad to hear that Miller was getting the recognition he deserved after such a magnificent performance during the Olympic games. He was named the MVP.

Hold your head high
That gold medal game was one for the books. It even received record ratings in the United States. I'm glad to see so many people tuned in to watch hockey, a game that can be listed as No. 4 in the list of "big four" professional sports (football, baseball, basketball).

Team USA accomplished a lot with its silver medal, even though at the time they would have given anything to wear gold. The young team came into the Games with some low expectations from critics. Some didn't even think USA would medal.

It is quite remarkable how far they came, especially beating Canada a week before the Olympic finale. If you compare lineups, there almost is no comparison. Canada is filled with heavy hitters like Jarome Iginla, Rick Nash and, of course, Sidney Crosby.

What's next?
This gold-medal game might have to hold us for awhile as far as the Olympic games are concerned. The 2014 Games are in Sochi, Russia. The NHL and the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia do not have a good relationship. This means that NHL players and the Olympics may be just a memory in four years.

I really hope this doesn't happen. Nothing is for sure yet, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that all the great hockey from the Vancouver Olympics will carry over to 2014.