Screw Sidney Crosby. I don’t care if Canada won.
I wanted gold, everyone wanted gold, but I’ve never been more proud of Team USA. Never.
Remember that feeling when we tied it?
That’s what this is all about. They came to the Olympics to give it their best shot, to leave everything on the ice, and give a nation the chance to believe again.
We lost, but we still still believe.
This is a team of heroes, and Ryan Miller is our MVP.
Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timoen, whose Team Finland was crushed by the United States in the semifinals, will play against Slovakia for a bronze medal.
You’ve seen these dramatics before. Everyone saw five days ago what can happen when the United States and Canada face off. This time it just happens to be for everything; the Gold Medal. Two weeks of hard work smashed in between a grueling NHL schedule has come down to this one game for 46 hopeful NHLers.
In fact, the United States and Canada were the only two teams to draw their talent completely from the NHL ranks. Is it any wonder why they’re here?
They have met before. Everyone knows the result by now. Canada was one shot away from doubling the United States in shots. That’s not including the massive amounts of blocked shots by the likes of Drury, Callahan, Brown, Suter, Rafalski, E. Johnson, J. Johnson…the list goes on.
USA played tough along the boards, got bodies in front of the net, and capitalized off of opportunities while their teams did their best to clog up passing lanes, pressure the puck, and keep Canada’s offense to the outside.
Even with a great defensive effort, it took Ryan Miller standing on his head to get the US a 5-3 victory.
Highlights CAN vs. USA Divisional Game 2010 Winter Olympics
After their loss to the States, Canada came out in the first round of the playoffs (while the US had a bye) and pummeled Germany. Then they slaughtered the powerhouse, Russia. Tonight, they squeaked by a Slovakian team despite handily outplaying them.
With the first win, it seems all the US managed to do was earn a bye and awaken a slumbering giant.
Even so, it’s not like Team USA has been doing nothing since their victory. Though they squeezed by a Swiss team that was giving all the competitors fits, they just crushed a tough Finnish team to earn a trip to the Gold Medal Game by scoring six goals in the first period.
Inter-NHL Rivalries
Anaheim Ducks: Bobby Ryan, Ray Whitney (USA) vs. Scott Neidermayer, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry (CAN)
Carolina Hurricanes: Tim Gleason (USA) vs. Eric Staal (CAN)
Chicago Blackhawks: Patrick Kane (USA) vs. Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook (CAN)
Nashville Predators: Ryan Suter (USA) vs. Shea Weber (CAN)
Pittsburgh Penguins: Brooks Orpik (USA) vs. Sidney Crosby (CAN)
San Jose Sharks: Joe Pavelski (USA) vs. Dan Boyle, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton (CAN)
Vancouver Canuks: Ryan Kesler (USA) vs. Roberto Luongo (CAN)
Team USA:
Team Canada:
Team of Destiny?
Canada has organized the best roster they have ever sent to the Olympic games with plenty of All-Stars, Stanley Cup Champions, and 1st Round Selections. Even so, their gold medal in 2002 was the “State of Hockey’s” only winning campaign in over 55 years. Even on home ice in 1988, Canada failed to even medal as the Soviet Union, Finland, and Sweden respectively stood on the podium. Now the games have come back to Canada in 2010. Even the great one, Wayne Gretzky himself, has never medaled at the Olympics. Mario Lemieux did in 2002, but there is enormous weight on the shoulders of a team made up of many players who won five straight World Junior Championship golds since 2005 before the United States upset them to win gold this year.
The United States has it’s own legacy to uphold. They are the only team to ever win a Gold medal in Ice Hockey when hosting the Olympics. They’ve done it twice in their last two hosting years but only managed silver their first time. This, the 30th Anniversary of the Miracle on Ice, has the United States once again competing against the center of the hockey world even though this time it’s for the gold medal. This also happens to be the golden year for USA Hockey in general. Never before has hockey in the United States been more powerful. Despite often being left on the backburner as far as nationally televised games are concerned when compared to other leagues, the NHL has amassed one of the largest regional followings with a mostly “underground” fanbase. Fans sick of ESPN’s monopoly of the “MTV version” of sports-journalism have become hockey fans despite ESPN’s embargo on most things hockey. Hockey revolutions for franchises such as Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Washington have only helped add to the state of hockey in the United States.
This year, only a few months ago, Team USA pulled off the greatest upset in World Junior Championships history to win gold against Canada on Canadian soil.
Don’t believe me? Here’s my proof as NJ-native John Carlson silences all of Canada:
So which team is this “Team of Destiny?”
No one will know until the end of the game this Sunday. By the way all of Canada chanted “We want USA!” at the end of the Slovakia semi-final, they must think they are. On USA soil, the opinions are very different.
We know how the first game went. It took a spectacular effort by goaltender Ryan Miller, the best goalie in the NHL, as well as a heart and soul performance filled with blocked shots, second efforts, and hard forechecking, just to upset the best team in the World. It will take that again if not more to beat an awakened Team Canada.
NBC, who holds all the broadcasting rights for the Olympic Games in the United States, made the mistake of putting their first divisional game on MSNBC instead of its main network. Even so, the first USA vs. Canada match-up for these Olympics nearly set a record for the most watched television program in MSNBC history, only 0.1 points behind the Obama Election Night Coverage. It was one of the most watched hockey games in hockey history across the world and didn’t even have the full backing of the nation who played the biggest role in an absolutely legendary game.
But obviously Ice Dancing was NBC’s “sport of choice” that evening…
This time the game is on NBC. It’s for the Gold Medal, something far more allusive to some of the greatest to ever play than the Stanley Cup. Either way, everyone goes home and right back to the NHL. One group will go home winners, and the others will be forgotten. That’s how it is. One game.
The other game, as impressive and legendary as it was, doesn’t matter anymore.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27TH
10:00PM EST – FINLAND (4) vs. SLOVAKIA (7) (MSNBC)
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 28TH
03:15PM EST – USA (1) vs. CANADA (6) (NBC)
Ryan Kesler, the Michigan Miracle Man and Empty Net Hero of the 1st game against Canada last Sunday, will suit up with the rest of Team USA on his own Vancouver ice to lead his home country against the country that owns his NHL rights. He assured victory over Canada last summer, and he has accomplished it once. Can he do it again?
Once again, a huge gap in between the Random Phillies Gear Sightings here on Phinally, but I figured it’s time for a new one.
I’m not too sure about the demographics of our readers, but I’m pretty sure there are at least a few cyclists out there that will like our latest sighting. This could interest non-cyclists as well.
This cycling cap was made by one of my high school classmates, Gary Rothera. He sells more of them online here and posts updates on what hats he’s completed on his Twitter account.
In addition to the hats that can be found online, Gary also takes custom orders, of which this Phillies hat and this Eagles hat are
How cool are they? Not as cool as the skull he uses to display them, but pretty damn cool themselves.
I first saw Gary’s hats a few weeks ago on Thrillist Philly. Good to see a small business getting some ink.
Even though these Phillies gear sightings haven’t really gotten going in the way that I originally imagined, I’m going to make another push to get this segment become a regular part of the site, driven by the fans.
There are many ways to contribute your own Phillies gear sightings. You can contact us through our Contact page, upload a picture to our Phinally Philly Flickr group, or even @ reply us on Twitter at @Phinally.
Let’s try and get a few more sightings before Opening Day.
Well, my back-up team is officially out of the tournament. Sweden fell in dramatic fashion to Slovakia last night marking the end for the current gold medal holders and possibly the end of Peter Forsberg on your TV sets.
While there are rumors Peter Forsberg might try to make another return, his foot seems to be acting up. He’s still a dominant force, but he’s not operating at full speed anymore. He played well in the Olympics, but as much as it hurts me to say, we might have seen the last of Peter Forsberg playing in North America let alone another Olympic Games.
Regardless, yesterday’s action was incredible. USA pulled out another nail-biter against the Swiss, whose trap scheme seemed to have been giving even the best teams in the tournament the fits.
Canada absolutely killed Russia. It’s not even fair to say that it was that bad because the game was still entertaining to watch. The line of Richards, Toews, and Nash was an unstoppable force of raw energy. They used Richards to shadow Ovechkin’s line quite a bit, which ended up being the biggest factor in the game. While Canada’s San Jose line of Marleau, Heatley, and Thornton showed off another weak defensive performance, they did manage to score some goals. Crosby, much like Ovechkin, was once again invisible.
Regardless, it appears as though the United States, by beating Canada early, has only managed to awaken a slumbering giant. If the teams do meet again in the gold medal game, it’s not going to be easy.
Kimmo Timonen advances with Finland. Slovakia, as I mentioned before, upsets Sweden and Peter Forsberg.
A tribute to the last time I will probably ever watch my favorite player of all time:
Also don’t forget that the Women’s Gold Medal game is this afternoon. I understand some people’s reservations toward women’s ice hockey, but it’s still Team USA. As the men’s tournament takes a break before the medal rounds, Team USA and Team Canada will face off for the gold medal of women’s hockey at 6:00 PM EST on MSNBC. Be sure to at least check it out to support Team USA.
Now, on to the fun.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26TH
03:00PM EST – USA (1) vs. FINLAND (4) (NBC)
09:30PM EST – CANADA (6) vs. SLOVAKIA (7) (CNBC)
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27TH
10:00PM EST – BRONZE MEDAL TBD (MSNBC)
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 28TH
03:15PM EST – GOLD MEDAL TBD (NBC)
Ryan Miller will try to keep his Olympic hot-streak alive in the medal rounds against Kimmo Timonen and Team Finland.
Oskars Bartulis and his Latvian teammates came within a shootout of the Czech Republic and the only upset of the Qualification rounds.
The United States (1), Sweden (2), Russia (3), Finland (4), the Czech Republic (5), Canada (6), Slovakia (7), and Switzerland (8).
There were no upsets in the qualification round even though both Latvia, with Flyers’ rookie defenseman Oskars Bartulis logging big minutes, and Norway came close to upsetting the Czech Republic and Slovakia respectively.
Now the real tournament begins, and there’s so much to take in.
For starters, one of Russia or Canada will not come away with a medal. Thanks to the United States, these two heavily favored superpowers of the hockey world will meet in the quarterfinals to determine who has the right to compete for a medal. Russia vs. Canada. Screw all of the Crosby hype, but this is truly a battle of the elites. There’s no question about bad blood and rivalries with this one. Based on Canadian fans shouts at the end of today’s dominant performance against Germany, Mike Richards, Chris Pronger, and the best of the best from the North American club of the NHL are ready to take on the big, bad Russians, who have their own arsenal of Ovechkin, Malkin, Kovalchuk, Semin, etc.
If you care about hockey, you watch that game.
Of course there’s USA vs. Switzerland. You don’t want to go in overly confident based on what Switzerland can pull off with that trap. USA has to hit them hard and early right where it hurts: along the end wall and on the scoreboard.
The Czechs against Finland isn’t a toss away game either. Neither is Slovakia vs. Sweden. All incredible matches to earn the right to play for a medal.
The real tournament begins tomorrow. Who of the elite eight will be able to drape gold around their neck and wave their flag proudly as the best in the world for the next four years?
Tune in. It’s bound to be “tremendously tremendous.”
Defenseman Brian Rafalski, one of the leading scorers for the Olympics so far, will bring Team USA against Switzerland at 3:00 PM EST on NBC with the hopes of advancing to the medal rounds.
It’s the end of an era – Brian Westbrook was officially released today by the Philadelphia Eagles.
In the back of our minds, we probably knew this coming, what with the emergence of young talent like LeSean McCoy and the regular physical breakdown of #36, including a duo of concussions last season. Despite all of the injuries, Westbrook played his heart out for this team and I am proud that I got to witness almost every minute of his time on the field – he’ll never be “Softybrook” to me.
Just like when Dawkins left last year, it’s tough to see one of your all-time favorites move on, but the NFL is a business and we all know that the Eagles value youth.
Back on the 1st of the year, we had this to say in our Eagles’ decade wrap-up:
“This is a guy that has done it all – run the ball all over the field, catch passes at a remarkable frequency, and run back punt returns. Injuries may have slowed him down, but he’s a tough player in a tough position. From 2004 to 2008, he totaled more than 1,200 yards combined in both rushing and receiving. He had a career year in 2007 when he racked up over 2,000 yards.”
To celebrate Brian’s time with the team, Phinally Philly is going to look at the moments that defined his career in Philly. If you feel like we missed anything, please feel free to comment.
1. Punt return vs. the Giants (October 19, 2003) – While returning a punt for a touchdown is special enough by itself, this return became a turning point for the team. After a dismal 2-3 start, this play sealed the win for the Eagles in the Meadowlands, who went on to win the next 9 games. They won the NFC East, got a first round bye, and made it to the NFC Championship game where the Carolina Panthers halted their fine season. This was #36′s crowning achievement with the team.
2. Westy kneels on the 1-yard line in Dallas (December 16, 2007) - While leading Dallas 10-6 in the waning moments of the game, Westbrook got the ball on the Cowboys’ 25-yard line and had nothing separating him from scoring. But he stopped and kneeled on the 1-yard line. It was a selfless and incredibly smart move, as Dallas had no timeouts left. After the two-minute warning, the Eagles kneeled three times to preserve the victory. Later we found out who planted this idea in Westbrook’s head – none other than Jon Runyan.
View here: NFL.com
3. Wild Card game against the Vikings (January 4, 2009) - When the Eagles needed him most, Westbrook came through in a big way. He tallied 121 total yard with just 38 coming on the ground. The biggest moment of the game came in the fourth quarter when an effective Eagles offensive line game Westbrook the space he needed to grab a screen pass and run for a 71-yard touchdown. It came at the right time and ignited bedlam all across the Delaware Valley.
4. Brian saves the team in DC (November 11, 2007) - When looking back at Westbrook’s time in an Eagles uniform, it’s important to note how often he came up big against divisional foes. Take this match-up against the Redskins, for example. The team was on their way to another loss, but with some key blocking and another brilliant run into the endzone from Westy, the Birds sealed the deal and snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat.
Westbrook, who was due $7 million next season if the Eagles brought him back. That coupled with his decrease in production made this an obvious move for the team. He ends his Eagles career with 37 touchdowns on 5,995 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns on 3,790 yards receiving.
Happy trails, Brian.
My favorite Eagle of all-time will be taking on a new organization this fall. Brian Westbrook was officially released by the Philadelphia Eagles.
All of you who have lived through this decade as young Eagles fans grew up with Brian Westbrook in the back-field. I was lucky enough to watch him in many games when he played for Villanova. There’s a reason this man was my favorite player ever.
Always humble, always giving, and always running, Brian Westbrook exemplified work-ethic and humility in a league that could use a lot more players like him.
Even so, “No Country For Old Men” strikes again. Westbrook will not likely retire a Philadelphia Eagle. I hate to see him go, but I wish him the best. Everyone knew this was coming.
So, one final time, Brian Westbrook, my hat’s off to you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the Eagles and the city of Philadelphia in nearly a decade of service.
Obviously, the biggest news in Spring Training yesterday was the bearded monster that is Jayson Werth. After an offseason spent back home in Illinois, Werth showed up to camp looking like Falkor from The Neverending Story, as Mistertug pointed out.
While the beard is impressive. the bigger news is that everyone is in camp and accounted for. There were a few stragglers showing up “late” yesterday, but they were still in before the official reporting time. When you have players like Roy Halladay and Chase Utley on your team, you’re late if you’re not 2 weeks early.
In somewhat of a surprise move, former Phillies reliever Chan Ho Park took less money than the Phillies offered him to sign with the New York Yankees, signing with the defending World Series champion for the second straight season. The money that the Phillies were offering to Park instead went to Danys Baez, who will likely fill the same role that Park held last season. The major reason I bring this up is because now that he’s in NY, he’ll have to shave that awesome facial hair he was sporting last season. I guess Werth knew that the team was going to lose the Bearded Wonder Eric Bruntlett and possibly Park, so he decided to make up for those losses himself.
Overall, the roster is pretty much set at this point. No real bench competitions to speak of. The only real competition is for the 5th starter’s spot. Jamie Moyer has been appointed the spot by Ruben Amaro early in camp, saying it was Moyer’s to lose, but there is going to be an open competition. Kyle Kendrick looks to be the other horse in the race, with a few other long shot possibilities. As it was last season, I don’t see one person holding down the 5th spot for the entire year. I think Moyer breaks camp in the 5th spot if he is healthy, and if not, Kendrick gets it. A combination of those two will hold down the spot for the majority of the season, barring injury to either one.
Now that everyone is in camp, the real work begins. The Phillies look to become the first team to win 3 straight National League pennants since the 1942-44 St. Louis Cardinals. Adding the best pitcher in baseball was a great start, but it’s a long season.
I’ve got the Phillies over the Yankees in the 2010 World Series, 4 games to 2. Now make it happen boys.
Featured image credit: Yong Kim, Philly.com staff photographer
Things have been relatively quiet around the Eagles camp in the past few weeks with nothing more than idle speculation to be done. One story came out today that made me chuckle, one that I wouldn’t normally touch with a ten foot pole, but things have been slow.
It’s been reported by Life and Style magazine that Vick has been offered $1 million to pose for Playgirl. In turn, this money would then be donated to PETA. The request was sent on Wednesday, but the rep Daniel Nardicio has not heard back yet.
While Vick did a good job this season to repair his image, I am not sure if this is exactly the sort of thing he want to spend his off-season doing, donation or not. And I know that the possible Vick in Playgirl issue won’t be found around the Phinally Philly offices, unless you look in Foley’s desk.
According to the 76ers and GM Ed Stefanski Allen Iverson will be on an “indefinite” leave of absence from the team to tend to his ailing daughter.
There is no current timetable for his return, and some are reporting he may never come back. That the team and Iverson may simply “part ways.”
Iverson has been a good soldier since returning to the team. He has not been a distraction, nor has he hurt the team on the court. If anything he’s been a good role model for the younger players.
The extent of Iverson’s daughter’s sickness has not been released. Sixer management only saying it’s a “very serious issue.”
-Mike Santa Barbara
*** Follow me on Twitter @Mike__SB ***
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