Olympics

Discussion in 'The Lounge' started by yellowm&M, Feb 13, 2010.

  1. TheHedgehog

    TheHedgehog Contributor Contributor

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    No worries. :)
     
  2. yellowm&M

    yellowm&M Contributor Contributor

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    I should probably go back and edit that...but I'm too lazy
     
  3. Agreen

    Agreen Faceless Man Contributor

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    The post-hockey gold celebrations did not disappoint. It was like 2002, but crazier. Thank you Canadian Women's hockey team for introducing the term Excessive Celebration to our national vocabulary! Something like 80% of Canada watched at least some of the game.
     
  4. Gigi_GNR

    Gigi_GNR Guys, come on. WAFFLE-O. Contributor

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    I don't even WATCH hockey, but seeing Miller block almost every shot was incredible. I am incredibly terrified to play games that involve any roughness, and hockey is obviously the roughest sport out there. If I was goalie, I would be cowering in the back of the net, hands over my head, praying nobody would hit me, I wouldn't get hit by the puck, etc. If you've ever seen a little kid cower when a ball/puck comes their way, that's how I am. But no, Miller just nonchalantly sits/stands in all that hullabaloo and blocks every shot to perfection. He's obviously the very best, and deserves the MVP. No offense to Crosby or Ovechkin, who I didn't see play as much as Miller. But wow.

    I may just try hockey now. I've always wondered why hockey games aren't more high scoring. After seeing how difficult it was to score, I know that getting even 2 goals is impressive when your teams are so stacked. I know not all games are going to be as great as Canada/USA, but hockey is amazing. Those guys get slammed and fall and all that crap. R-E-S-P-E-C-T to those guys. Very, VERY tough. :)

    I would have to say my highlights would be Canada's first home gold, watching the USA dominate and end long draughts without medals (bobsled, Nordic combined, etc.), and generally the whole friendliness and beauty of the Games.

    I also loved Canada. I learned so much about our northern neighbors, and I can truly now appreciate Canada. One of the things I liked best was the Canadian sense of humor, with the mime pulling up the 4th arm of the cauldron, and William Shatner talking about making love in a canoe, and the endless "sorry"s. Plus the Four Nations was great. :)

    The whole Games were my one big highlight. No one moment. Every moment you can name, that's my favorite.


    And also...... Canada/USA seems to be a repeating pattern. Canada gets gold one year, the next Olympics USA does, etc...... which means in 2014 there's gonna be a rematch, and the USA will come up golden. :)


    This game was definitely one of the greatest, but I don't think it'll have the impact that the '72 or Miracle games had. Those were all about defeating "undefeatable", terrifying Communist Russia. They were feared for their ways of life, so defeating them was great. But obviously the times have changed, and neither Canada or the USA is Communist, so it doesn't have the same vibe.
     
  5. Agreen

    Agreen Faceless Man Contributor

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    Depending on the teams, games can have higher scores than this gold medal game- Ovechkin's team, the Washington Capitols, put up a lot of goals but their goaltending is quite poor so they also surrender quite a few. The Leafs are also excellent at giving up many goals, though sadly they aren't nearly so talented at scoring.

    It's quite possible that there's going to be a first round series between San Jose and Detroit. That will be the series to watch, because San Jose is stacked, and hateable as they are, Detroit's pretty good as well.

    As for this game's place in history, who knows? For the US, if it increases interest in the sport even by just a little it's a huge success. But I think it's going to be remembered as one of the great highlights of Canadian sports. In one of my posts after the goal, I said something to the effect of this play 'defining the generation.' I think that's going to be the case- this is the first time Canada won Olympic men's hockey gold in Canada. It will be a long time until it happens again (especially as should Canada ever host another Olympics it will likely be in Toronto which would serve better as a host for a Summer games). But perhaps even more importantly, this was Crosby's first Olympics. If he's going to be a Lemieux, Gretzky or Orr, he'll be talked about for decades- he will be the face of this generation of players. Sunday's goal is the defining moment of his career. Many young Canadians, even my age, don't remember much of the Cold War, so the significance of beating the Soviets is somewhat lost. I think for my generation, this goal is going to mean just as much as Henderson's for the one that came before. This whole Olympics has been a different experience from a Canadian perspective. No moment of it has resonated- or could have resonated- so much as winning gold in "Our Game." Before Sunday, no event has ever drawn 80% of the Canadian population to watch it. It may never happen again.
     

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