Winter Olympics Scene of Great Hockey Match-Ups

This year in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Winter Olympic games proved to make for some good television. The games brought out the best in competitors, provided comeback stories that were fascinating for the world to watch and produced the best hockey game that my 18-year-old eyes have ever seen.

After the opening ceremonies in which three out of the “should’ve been” four arms came out of the ground to be ultimately lit by Canadians Wayne Gretzky (hockey), Steve Nash (basketball), Nancy Greene Raine (skiing) and Catriona LeMay Doan (speed skating), the games became exciting to watch. American comeback story Bode Miller had the ultimate go-around with one of all three medals. Shaun White also rolled his way to a gold medal for the U.S. in the halfpipe. American Speed skaters had an impressive run at the games as well. In short track, Apolo Ohno won two bronze medals and a silver, giving him the American record in all-time Winter Olympic medals won. In the leg-burning fun of long track speed skating, Shani Davis came home with both gold and silver medals.

One sport, though, had everyone in North America captivated: hockey. The hockey rivalry between the U.S. and Canada has elevated the sport to new heights in recent years. On the women’s side, they’re the only two teams that come close to one another’s speed and ability. On the men’s side, hockey has become somewhat of a strength for the Americans in recent Olympics due to more interest in the sport, as well as the fall of the traditionally powerful Russians.

Both men’s and women’s finals were U.S. vs. Canada, and neither disappointed.

In the women’s game, Canada dominated from the opening face-off, eventually getting a 2-0 win over the Americans, who up to that point outscored the opposition 40-2. In the men’s game, one of the best hockey games ever played took center stage on the final day of the Olympics. The U.S. scored with 24 seconds left in the game to send it to overtime, but Sydney Crosby and the powerful Canadians were too much in the end.

Crosby scored the winning goal in overtime for Canadian gold.

The medal count went to the Americans as a Winter Olympic record 37 medals were claimed by one country, edging out the Germans in the runner-up spot with 30.