No Miracle: USA Again Proves Why the Underdog Always Gets Its Day

In the silence that fell on Canada Hockey Place after the closing handshakes, you could almost hear the following things:

First, you could hear a gaggle of Canadian children, midget goalkeepers of the future, request a number change on their jerseys from Martin Brodeur's 30 to Ryan Miller's 39.

Second, you could hear the echo of New York Rangers forward Sean "I'm Brodeur's Biggest Fan" Avery's laughter, as he watched fellow Ranger Chris Drury catch Brodeur out of position and put a loose puck into an open net for the U.S. team.

Finally, you could almost see two apparitions in the stands, still there after the game. The spirit of legendary U.S. men's coach Herb Brooks put his arm around fellow legendary apparition "Badger" Bob Johnson, pointed toward the ice, and said, "I don't know about you, Bob, but I think THAT was a great day for hockey!"

The U.S. men's hockey team, behind Brian Rafalski's two goals and superhuman goaltending from Miller, had just gone into the locker room after stunning a heavily favored Canadian team by a score of 5-3.

Not to overlook poetry, this victory came one day short of the 30th anniversary of the Brooks-coached victory against the powerhouse Soviet team in the 1980 Lake Placid games.

The last time the U.S. beat Canada in the Olympics in this event was in 1960, where the U.S. stole a medal from both the heavily favored Canadians and the aforementioned Soviets.

There was no medal on the line in this match—only bragging rights and a very useful bye into the medal round.

Riding a swell of confidence into the medal round is a great thing, but these American upstarts need to turn their heads toward the bigger prize. Coach Ron Wilson shared that sentiment after the match last night.

"I still think we have a long way to go. There are some great teams out there," Wilson stated.

But on this night, the American team, who, on paper, didn't match up well at all with the talented and star-studded Canadian roster, stole the spotlight.

Miller stopped 42 of 45 shots and withstood a final three minutes of desperate pressure from the likes of superstars Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla to hold on to a one-goal lead, until Canadian coach Mike Babcock signaled goalie Brodeur to the bench for an extra attacker.

Brodeur was outclassed by the determination of the American forwards and let in five goals on 23 shots. The north-south action, which seemingly favored the high-powered offense of Canada's forward lines, proved too much of a test for the veteran goaltender.

Now there is talk of playing hometown favorite Roberto Luongo instead of Brodeur, echoing the Curtis Joseph-Brodeur switch in the 2002 Olympics that led to a Canadian gold medal.

The U.S. team also chased another legendary goalie from the net in 1980, Vladimir Tretiak.

The echoes of Herb Brooks have lasted a long time since that day 30 years ago, and it is hard not to liken this U.S. team to those swarthy youngsters.

This team played with more snarl, better goaltending, and cashed in on Canadian breakdowns.

This team showed something else that would have made Brooks proud—better all-around conditioning. During that final furious three minutes, one U.S. line was trapped on the ice in their own zone, while Canada threw everything, including a kitchen sink, at Ryan Miller.

The U.S. players showed poise and determination, reacting intelligently during the entire game, but specifically in those closing minutes.

With an extra day to practice, the U.S. can collect themselves and work on their overall chemistry. That is an opportunity that Canada clearly needed, as their all-star team will have to face Germany and enter the medal round on no rest.

When the curtain closes on these Olympics, will smart play and conditioning win over a team bloated with talent? Time will still tell.  

If this young American squad proves all the naysayers wrong, Brian Burke's master plan will be the stuff legends are made of—and the echoes of 1980 will continue long after the torch in Vancouver is extinguished.