Rightly so, Ryan Miller has been named Olympic Men's Hockey Tournament MVP.
Miller was sensational in posting a 5-1 record. Were it not for Miller, USA does not medal at these games.
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Team USA had been living a charmed life in the Vancouver games. They had not trailed on the scoreboard in any of its previous five games. One wondered how the Americans would react had they fallen behind on the scoreboard. Would they blow it off and keep fighting, or, would they tighten up and panic?
When Jonathon Toews scored on Ryan Miller late in the second stanza, we got our answer. His Team USA mates were a bit stunned and surprised immediately following the game‘s first goal. Toews’ goal earned the Canada forwards a wider gap, and more ice to operate and make plays in. Talk about a polar opposite response. The Johnsons, Orpik, Gleason, Rafalski and Suter were forced to have to dig pucks out of their corners. They appeared to take a more conservative approach in their on end early in the second period. That is until the Getzlaf-Perry-Morrow line perfectly executed the centre lane drive. Perry beat Miller for the 2-0 lead and the collective blood pressure on the USA bench began its northern ascent. Would the U.S. team wilt from the pressure? Or, would they respond. In true American fashion, they tightened up their work boots and got their hands dirty. Their hard work and puck pressure were rewarded.
If trailing by one puck stunned the Americans, then the second goal served as a huge wake up call to get pucks deep and spend more time in the Canada end of the barn. Ron Wilson urged his squad to throw more rubber at Roberto Luongo, and to crowd his dance floor. Time to get ticked off! That they did. The strategy paid off at 12;44 of the second period when South Buffalo’s Patrick Kane’s point shot found the shaft of Ryan Kesler’s stick blade as the Vancouver Canuck grinder drove the slot in front of his NHL teammate Luongo. Perfectly coached and superbly executed scoring play. The D activated the rush with the accurate breakout pass, and found Kane while moving through the neutral zone. Kane backed off the D with his speed and got the needed gap to get his shot off.
“Louie looks like he’s fighting the puck a little bit’, an exhausted Ryan Kesler told the CTV reporter after the second period. Kesler’s were bang-on. Luongo experienced a couple of close calls in-close after the Kesler goal. Langenrunner and Parise did everything but score on successive shifts as they threw pucks at Luongo’s feet and the Canada goalie was forced to have to drop down on all-fours in order to find the loose puck in a sea of skates, sticks, and human body parts. USA brought their all-out blitz and it forced the Canadian D and forwards to have to retreat to protect Luongo’s bacon.
The tournament’s top forward, Jonathon Toews, and then a momet later, Pronger hit posts two minutes into the third period.
With a little over three minutes to play in regulation, the USA D lost coverage and turned the puck over just outside their blue line. Sidney Crosby found the fortuitous bounce and off the went to the races. Crosby, mired in an eight period goal drought, darted in one on one with Mr. USA, Ryan Miller. The play was akin to the shootout play that 87 had on Miller in the first ever Winter Classic played at The Ralph in Buffalo-- two hockey titans eyeball to eyeball, mano y mano, This time, Crosby blinked first, Miller made the poke check to protect the one goal Canada lead. WOW! Save of the tournament for Miller. Crosby had the game winner on his stick and could not get good wood on it. Credit Ryan Kesler for back checking with his hair on fire.
With less than 50 ticks left on the regulation clock, Luongo made the error of all errors and misplayed a U.S. shot. The puck recoiled off his catching glove and the puck stayed in the Canada end of the rink. Kane, Langenbrunner, and Parise sthe score at two smelled blood and attacked the loose puck with wrecless abandon. The USA trio won the loose puck and in a mad scramble, and Parise buried the biscuit in behind Luongo to equalize
Overtime. Four on four. First mistake loses.
Both teams activated their D and attacked early in the OT. Miller made a point blank save on Patrick Marleau from seventeen feet out. Luongo made a
Great chest save on a Joe Pavelski shot with 12:34 remaining in OT.
Crosby scores the winner off the cycle with Iginla, after Miller cleared a rebound in his corner, Crosby snarfed up the puck, gave it to Iginla and then made a bee-line to Miller’s blue. Crosby’s first point in three games. Golden Goal. This was reality TV at its finest. Both teams deserved to win this one.
Ironically, Ryan Miller and his Sabres resume the NHL season on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.
Who could have predicted the USA advancing to OT of the Gold Medal game?
3-2 Canada.
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