USA vs. Canada: Hockey's Unique Spotlight Moment

Today's “sportsnation” is usually dominated by the ultra-hyped NFL, the slam-dunk appeal of the NBA, and the classic American beauty that is Major League Baseball. Seldom do other sports get a shot as the main event.

On Sunday, the United States / Canada Olympic matchup finally granted hockey one of those rare opportunities.

Overwhelmed by the daily abundance of Chicago Cubs and Bulls apparel, Blackhawks' jerseys are tough to track down on my college campus, situated an hour from the Windy City across the border in Indiana.

Hockey is about as obscure as curling in Northwest Indiana; even though many University students would agree—the winter weather is surely conducive to a game played on ice.

As a NHL fan and dedicated enthusiast, I cherish the moments when the “fourth” major sport is recognized in areas that usually give it the “cold shoulder”.

The game carried Super Bowl-esque implications in Canada. For the 30 U.S. Markets that house NHL clubs, a must-see battle. Even the traditional non-observer was able to express national pride.

This is the one instance, the one athletic contest, when our neighbors to the North know they have a distinct advantage. I mean, we hadn't beat the Canadian juggernaut since 1960.

For those of you who still don't care, you're in the minority—big time. The game was watched by an estimated 8.22 million people, which was nearly the same amount of MSNBC viewership during it's Election Night Coverage on November 8, 2008. Imagine if the game was on NBC, a channel that's fed to just about every television set in America.

It was the most watched hockey game since the famed “Miracle on Ice”, which has remained one of those “Where-were-you-when?” events in our nation's narrative.

Historic? Maybe. Noteworthy? Certainly.

It was the biggest day for hockey since the US/Canada gold medal game in 2002 in Salt Lake City.

The game itself exceeded the hype. Team USA's 5-3 defeat of the NHL All-Star team—I mean Team Canada—wasn't as epic as that "Do you believe in miracles?" thriller, but its an upset Americans won't soon forget.

Seriously, on paper, the Canadian roster would be difficult to assemble on a video game's fantasy draft. Sidney Crosby, Patrick Marleau, Jerome Iginla, Dany Heatley, Johnathon Toews, Martin Brodeur—the list doesn't just go on, it seemingly never ends.

Ryan Miller put on a show Sunday afternoon. Hard to find another way to describe his 42-save performance against that lineup. It's good to know that someone related to Buffalo sports will be remembered for triumph, not failure. 

Admit it, even if you're not a hockey follower, you felt a spark of national pride after the game. USA's win was the trending topic on Twitter. Every online newspaper instantly posted a recap basking in the glory of the shocking upset. Even Facebook homepage's were littered with cyber chants of “USA! USA!”

Just think how the entire country of Canada feels after the U.S. beat them at their own game, on their home ice. It would be like the CFL All-Stars dominating an All-Pro NFL team in a U.S. City—times 100.

Hockey is essentially a religion up there.

Even if the U.S. doesn't capture Gold this Sunday, their triumph put hockey on display in it's finest hour.