Rock, Flag, Eagle: Team USA Went Out And Bullied Canada In The Best Hockey Game In 30 Years
Minas Panagiotakis. Getty Images.That game was absolutely everything you could have ever hoped it would be, and then some more. Obviously you knew tensions were going to be high heading into this game. From the jump, you have the best rivalry in hockey with USA and Canada. This is the first best-on-best international tournament in over a decade, so you have a bunch of guys on both teams who are as fired up as ever to play for their country. Guys like Brady Tkachuk considered tonight to be the biggest game that he's ever played in his life, so you knew right away that this was way more than just some exhibition all-star game. You throw in all the outside political factors into this game, the fact that Canadian fans boo'd the everliving shit out of the American National Anthem, and right off the bat we got the best 9 seconds in hockey history.
The Americans may have gotten the barn rocking with those 3 fights to start off the game. But Connor McDavid ripped the roof off the Bell Centre by opening the scoring in this one with this ridiculous backhander.
It was the most highly anticipated hockey game in forever. It only made sense that the best player on the planet would get himself on the scoresheet. Just over 5 minutes into this game and it shot all the way up among one of the best games to be played in this century.
But this moment right here is where things really started to turn around for Team USA.
McDavid might be the best hockey player in the world, but once Charlie McAvoy obliterated him along the boards I think the Americans realized they had nothing to worry about. They were flying around out there putting any and every Canadian player on their ass.
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There is so much star power on this US team to go toe-to-toe with the Canadians. Guys like Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, the Tkachuks, Jack Hughes. But if you're going to hand a guy like Sidney Crosby his first loss in a Canadian sweater in 27 games, then you're going to need everyone to chip in. Especially guys like Sid's former linemate Jake Guentzel.
Great play by Eichel. Leaky goal allowed by Binnington. But this is what the pride of Omaha does. He's been a big time goal scorer since the moment he entered the league. Maybe not the guy you'd originally think would be a massive difference maker in this game, but he got the first and the last goal of the game for the Americans to drive the dagger right through the hearts of every single Canadian in the Bell Centre.
And scoring in the middle was none other than the D-Boss himself.
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Absolute snipe show from the Michigan Man.
There have been so many great battles between USA and Canada throughout the years. The 1996 World Cup. Plenty of battles at the World Juniors. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics gold medal game. I know this game didn't necessarily have any hardware on the line, but when you talk about overall reach that this game brought to the sport of hockey? I've never seen more people locked in on a hockey game in the middle of February on social media. This was a game that showcased everything that makes this sport so great, and I'd love to see the numbers on this one whenever the ratings come in because they have to be massive. So this game goes right up there along the list of the greats in this rivalry, and all we can hope for now is that Canada doesn't find a way to screw this up and not make it to the final.
Team USA already punched their ticket to the final game with 2 regulation wins to start off the tournament. Thanks for being such a great host, Montreal. Leaving that city with 6 points has to feel incredible. Canada can still make the final with a regulation win against against Finland. They'd have the tie-breaker against Sweden even if USA decides to just take their game off against the Swedes on Monday. But anything less than a regulation win for the Canadians on Monday puts them in a tough spot.
The world deserves round 2 of USA vs Canada in the final from Boston. Make it happen, Gary. I don't care how hard you have to rig it.
PLAY THE MUSIC!!!