American Victory No Miracle – But It’s A Great Start

30 years ago today, the United States hockey team pulled off the most stunning upset in the history of sports.

Last night, on the eve of this anniversary, the latest version of the America Olympic hockey team pulled off a win that many outside the Team USA locker room didn’t think they could.

These were the Canadians. They’re the host country that has the most to lose playing the team they’ve perennially dominated, hadn’t lost to in the Olympics in half a century and were expected by an entire nation to cast aside en route to a gold medal.

Ron Wilson and his team threw a wrench into that entire plan and left Canada and their nation of supporters sitting in stunned silence at Canada Hockey Place.

In the immediate aftermath of the Americans’ 5-3 win over Canada, one which included a stirring 42-save performance from Ryan Miller, two goals from Brian Rafalski, the team’s elder-statesman, and the most acrobatic empty-net goal in the history of the game from Ryan Kesler, many over-excited hockey fans in this country proclaimed it another miracle.

Let’s hold off on that. Forever.

Sure, no puckhead pundit predicted an American win. Sure, the Canadian team in 2010 is probably the strongest the country has fielded in an international competition since 2002, when they defeated the USA for the gold in Salt Lake City. Sure, it was in front of 18,000 Maple Leaf flag-bearing fans.

Olympic hockey has changed dramatically even since 1998, the first year NHLers were released from their clubs for two weeks to play for their countries at the Winter Games.

It’s truly a competition between the best of the best in the world and the fact of the matter is that the United States has in fact become a competitive hockey nation. Are we on the same level as, say, Canada and Russia? Not yet, but we’re past the point where American hockey players were fodder for blowout victories.

In 1980, they were, until Herb Brooks whipped together a rag-tag bunch of college kids, stormed through pool play and then, of course, on February 22, somehow beat the mighty Soviets, a team that WAS playing with “professional” hockey players.

That game was miraculous. Yesterday’s win was not.

However, let us not take away what the win was – a statement to the world that USA Hockey is for real.

It’s not as if the United States has no history of battling our hockey-crazy neighbors to the north. The US Juniors have knocked off Canada in two of the last six World Junior Championships. Our guys played them tough in the aforementioned 2002 gold medal game, the first one the Americans had seen since the Miracle on Ice.

And in 1996, on their home soil, Tony Amonte capped off a four-goal frenzy in the final 3:18 of the 3rd period in Game 3 of the World Cup of Hockey final, snatching a stunning international victory in a tournament that was widely predicted to be a Canadian whitewash.

Ironically, a young Martin Brodeur, who is being chastised throughout Canada today for his poor performance yesterday, backed up Curtis Joseph in that decisive final game.

So there’s precedent. Frankly, compared to those earlier victories over Canada, a 5-3 preliminary round victory that did nothing more tangibly than grant the Americans a bye into the Olympic quarterfinals, yesterday’s win was small potatoes.

There’s something to be said for the mental impact it has, though. None of those other games were in a tournament for these high of stakes. Maybe yesterday’s win wasn’t for a medal or a title.

Just watching the game, though, and feeling that tension inside as the Americans fought to desperately hang onto a 4-3 lead late in the 3rd period, was gut wrenching. It felt like it was for more than just a bye into the quarters.

It was about making a statement that this team wasn’t just going to lie down, accept their relegated role as bronze medal contenders and wait for Canada and Russia to battle next Sunday like everyone expected.

Sure, Jamie Langenbrunner’s tip in with 12:51 left wasn’t Mike Eruzione putting a wrist shot through Vladimir Myshkin’s legs. It wasn’t as miraculous to send a younger Al Michaels into a frenzy.

Much like those Americans 30 years ago who had to beat Finland to be assured of the gold after the Soviet upset, there’s still plenty of hockey to be played in Vancouver.

This one sure feels special, though.