OK, we're off to a BAD start. It's almost personal now... MSNBC shows video of Crosby hoisting the Cup from last year. No, I'm still not over it... never will be.The beer is poured, the cigar is cut but not yet lit: we are ready.
Update 1, 1740 hrs: Milbury (ptui!) and Roenick call it for Team Canada... Canada too deep, USA too young. Prolly correct, but remember 1980!
Update 2 1745 hrs: USA draws first blood!! 41 seconds in! YES!!
Update 3 1800 hrs: USA kills a power play, gets a short handed opportunity... then Canada scores. Tie game. Miller looking good, tho.
Update 4: USA comes back less than a minute later... SCORES! USA 2, Canada 1.
Update 5: Miller is HOT!
Update 6: End of the first... Canada outshooting USA 3 to 1, but the Big Board shows USA 2, Canuckistan 1. USA!
Update 7, 1830 hrs: Minor whine: I wish the game was on CNBC coz I HATE all those damned Matthews/Maddow/Ed Guy commercials. I just can't mute fast enough.
Minor Homer Comment: Rafalski has both USA goals. GO WINGS!
Update, 1840: Heatley scores. Tie game.
Update, 1854 hrs: Dunno if my ol' heart can take this! Doughty saves a sure goal for USA with beautiful defensive play; Brodeur is sharp, as well. Miller still standing tall. Yowzers!
Update, 1857: Brodeur uses his head. Heh.
Update 1859: Massive collision on the ice between three Canadians in their zone; Perry slow to get up, goes off to the locker room.
Update 1901: USA scores! Chris Drury!
Update 1904: Two end to end rushes... Brodeur makes two MASSIVE saves, Miller one! ZOW!
Update, 1905 hrs: USA on the power play, end of the second. Second period over, USA will have 50 seconds on the power play at the beginning of the third.
Update, 1925 hrs: Crosby off for high-sticking, USA on the power play again.
Update, 1930 hrs: Perry off for slashing, USA on power play again. Opportunity knocks!
Update, 1933 hrs: Rafalski gets the hat trick!! USA 4, Canada 2!! YES! YES!!
Check that... Langenbrunner gets the goal, Rafalski an assist.
Update, 1942 hrs: Great PK by USA. This one is looking better and better all the time.
Update, 1945 hrs: Dang. Johnson to the box, Canada on the PP again.
1947: MILLER!! MILLER!
1948: Canada gets a lucky one. One goal game with a lil over three minutes left.
1953: Good God. I couldn't count the shots... MASSIVE pressure by Canada. Brodeur to the bench, less than a minute left. USA gets the empty netter!! YES!! The giant is DEAD!
That might be premature... 15 seconds left!
YES!! USA FOR THE FRICKING WIN!!!
Update Last: This is only the preliminaries, many games yet to go. But the psychological gratification is IMMENSE. We shall now break out the single malt. And yes, we did edit our exuberant comment above. Lost our head momentarily, we did.
Brodeur likes to play the puck a lot... I say that's gonna bite 'em.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're right. He's damn good, I am forced to admit through clenched teeth.
ReplyDeleteI agree, also thru clinched teeth. But he CAN be had... witness Carolina last year.
ReplyDeleteYou're talkin' to a 'Canes fan, Buck.
ReplyDeletecaptcha: blech (I kid you not.)
Well, is this fun, or what?
ReplyDeleteBIG Fun!! I'm lovin' it!
ReplyDeleteMiller is really holding down the fort...
ReplyDeleteAb-so-freakin'-LUTELY! He's just awesome!
ReplyDeleteRight how he's what's saving our asses; team's got to take it to the red end of the ice.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Canada has had too many quality chances, USA not enough. But it's the Big Board that counts!!
ReplyDeleteWe finally got rid of all our company, who were here to help on our house, and set down to watch the hockey game - but we don't get that channel! We are following your updates. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI predict 20 more minutes of balls-to-the-wall hockey.
ReplyDeleteThis is gonna be one to remember.
Fasten your seat belts.
My pleasure, Lou. They may be erratic, but I WILL update!
ReplyDeleteNo kidding, William. This is one for the ages and the outcome is MOST definitely in doubt.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna be sick.
ReplyDeleteThis is too nerve wrenching for me to watch.
WV: badis
Go USA!! Better poor another one, Buck.
ReplyDeleteWe're playing like we want to win this one...
ReplyDeleteFuck. Why we have Brodeur in net is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm thinking it's getting more and more likely...Team Canada's got to be getting a bit rattled, or should I say they already are- penalty after penalty kind of gives it away...
ReplyDeleteKC: It ain't that Brodeur is bad... it's that USA is GOOD!
ReplyDeleteWilliam: Yep... this one might go our way!!
Give Brodeur credit. He's a fantastic goalie.
ReplyDeleteI've seen him play so well that it seemed as if the goal was covered in Saran Wrap and pucks just Would Not Cross The Line.
Good PK so far...they're clearing, which they didn't do in some earlier PKs
ReplyDeleteHOW SWEET IT IS!
ReplyDeleteSweet? Dang, if it was any sweeter I'd have diabetes! EXCELLENT!
ReplyDeleteCanada is good too Buck.. I mean we outshot the US by a margin of 2:1. That alone is impressive.
ReplyDeleteIt ain't over til the fat lady sings, and I haven't sung yet.
That was a freakin nailbiter...
ReplyDeleteI scared the crap out of the ladies BR when I cheered on that last goal. :)
KC: It ain't shot count that matters... it's what's on that big thing over center ice that matters. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI never said Canada was bad... see my earlier posts where I said I was conflicted, given the Dee-troit connection with Canada. But USA was the better team tonight.
And I DO realize this is just the preliminaries. But Canada has to play one more game than we do to get to the medal round. And your boys haven't quite come together yet.
BR: I probably shocked my neighbors, LOL! I came straight up in the air with a VERY loud YES! YES!!
ReplyDeleteIn honor of you, I listened to the match on the radio. Fun stuff.
ReplyDeleteBuck... sorry I didn't mean to imply you didn't like Team Canada. Ugh. LOL... I am sooo drained after today's events and exhaustion from having very few hours of sleep - its starting to show! So... I'm sorry if my comment came across like that.
ReplyDeleteWe have come from behind before to take Gold. I believe in our team... that they will do it again. I have to keep the faith man! And also get some real sleep.
S'OK KC. Get some sleep, gal. I understand exhaustion... I have a few of those tee shirts, too.
ReplyDeleteGordon: Was your broadcast from the US or Canada? I'm bettin' either one was frantic at the end...
ReplyDelete@KC: I hope we get a rematch. That was one helluva game, and the Canadians were no slouches, either.
ReplyDeleteIt was on the Westwood network, carried locally and streamed by a talk station.
ReplyDeleteIt was a bit frantic; it reminded me of the USA vs Russia broadcast from 1980. That one I watched live on my little 13" color TV.
Me to William. Ya just never know!!!
ReplyDeleteWe did have a friend calling us to let us know the score. I'm sorry I missed the game.
ReplyDeleteTeam USA women's hockey 12 noon USA-HD. This is good.
ReplyDeleteGordon: I can imagine! I listen to streamed Wings games occasionally on a sports station out of Detroit and love the "old time" feel of it.
ReplyDeleteLou: It WAS one for the ages.
William: You can betcha boots I'll be there!
Did i forget to mention that there'd be CURLING first?
ReplyDeleteThe slowest Olympic sport possible precedes the fastest. Oh, the irony!
Okay, if you're a sportscaster and you die and go to Hell, you become Fred Roggin doing commentary on Olympic curling.
ReplyDeleteI swear, curling is so slow that it's making my blood clot.
ReplyDeleteI can take just so much curling before I HAVE to do something else. Unless it's the women's teams... and that's a whole nuther story that doesn't have much to do with the competition. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI assumed that you'd started bending your elbow and had passed out by now... :-)
ReplyDeleteThey've stopped the action, if one may call it that, I think to celebrate someone's birthday.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I don't think Webb would like cricket, either. At least not the version that lasts several days, and stops for tea breaks.
ReplyDeleteI probably wouldn't, at that.
ReplyDeleteI have, had it explained to me (as a foreigner), though.
(to the uninitiated:
"Cricket as explained to a foreigner" is to the UK as "Who's on First" is in the US.)
I assumed that you'd started bending your elbow and had passed out by now... :-)
ReplyDeleteWe've only just begun to fight. ;-) Well, we haven't even begun yet, to be truthful.
Cricket. Yeah, I went to a couple of matches in the way-back, but like it's often said: "I'm just here for the beer." Which was always quite good.
WOMEN'S HOCKEY UP!
ReplyDeleteYessir! And we are THERE.
ReplyDeleteGive 'em their own post.
ReplyDeleteThey certainly deserve it.
Done!
ReplyDelete