In case you didn’t wake up to watch it or skipped out on the conclusion to head to church, here’s what happened yesterday for the first time in 46 years.
First, shout out to the women, who took home the Gold from the Canadians earlier this week:
And in a game where the Candians outplayed the US for two periods, they Men came through in epic, dramatic fashion:
As if the media didn’t learn to not interview red blooded Americans (similar to Stetson Bennett after the 2021 National Championship), don’t try to talk to hockey players after a massive win once they’ve had a chance to be liquidated:
Great win for the American side and I hope those guys have plenty of Tylenol and pancakes before boarding the flight back home. And some Pepto.
The Canada side didn’t take it well, being very bitter about getting Silver (good on them, who wants to be second best?) and were even quoted later saying to watch the game and decide who the better team was, despite the outcome. Sound familiar at all?
Anyway, today’s Musing: if football is going to die as a sport, what’s the next sport that’ll take over the US? Is it hockey? Soccer? Flag football?
Discuss.
That was a great way to start the morning. Olympic hockey is a fun watch. Almost as good as watching the OT win was watching the Canadian players have to receive their stuffed animals after getting their silver medals for second place.
I was trying to explain to my wife that Canada losing the gold medal in hockey would be like the U.S. losing the gold medal (or worse) in basketball. Probably worse these days since the world has greatly improved in basketball since the Dream Team era. Might be more akin to losing in American football if it were an Olympic sport.
The football analogy is correct and I’m all here for making Canada suck it.
The teams were pretty even, so it’s a stretch to call it the same as basketball or football. No country can compete with us, best on best, in those sports. It was still awesome to beat them, and especially in the way we did.
I don’t mean from an upset standpoint really. More from hockey is the national sport of Canada angle. Basketball isn’t really our national sport and is why I would liken it to losing in football.
I know little about hockey and it’s the only part of this Olympics I’ve watched. It sure was a fun watch. The end of regulation was so tense and the OT victory goal so sudden. It was great entertainment. Congratulations team USA!
You must have missed watching Alysa Liu ice skating.
What a babe!
Truly amazing and fun to watch. She also dropped at least two f bombs and the word shit post routine. I approve.
Ranger Russ also approved I would imagine
3 on 3 hockey for a gold medal is like the college football overtime rule. It sucks. Yeah, I said it. It’s overtime made for TV … change my mind.
Congrats to Team USA. They had done everything except beat Canada for a gold medal.
To the team after hearing what the Canadians were saying afterwards, “just laugh and point at the scoreboard.”
Of the professional team sports, I think hockey is the best now. The NHL has a great product. It moves fast. It’s physical. The officials rarely are accused of putting their thumbs on the scales of the outcome.
Three or four sports that don’t translate to the tv viewing fan, Bullfighting, auto racing, hockey and boxing, these are all see it live and in person events…
One sport that’s much better on TV is cycling. My wife and I watch the Tour de France for the European scenery as much as the race. I can’t imagine waiting on the side of the road all day to watch the peleton cruise by.
My wife and I spectated a race (Not the Tour De) while we were in France. A couple of her co-workers told us about it, so we got there early and found a table outside of a cafe. Had some wine and snacks, the peloton came through with a whoosh, everyone cheered, we had more wine and snacks and went back to the room. It was actually pretty cool.
We got to see Lance Armstrong ride down the Champs Elysee in Paris on his first (illegal) victory. It was fun being with all the other Americans chanting “Ooo Esss Ahhh”.
Nah, they played 60 minutes already. 3 on 3 is fine by me. Canada won when it was 4 on 4.
BTW, if Canada wanted to win it, they had 1:40 of 5 on 3. Was that hockey?
4 on 4 is dumb, too. Play it like the NHL playoffs.
Is Phil Fulmer coaching Canada now? That’s the kind of crap Tennessee players would say after losses.
Great win for our country! Only Olympic event I watched. Them boys are good!!
Flipped back on later & there was a male commentator wearing a dress.
PS-first clip above is men’s junior hockey from January 5th. 🙂
Whoops. Fixed it.
Transplanted yankee moved to the Atlanta suburbs the age of 5. My Dad used to take me to several Flames games a year where I fell in love with the sport. When the team packed their bags to Calgary I stopped paying attention. Fell back in love with the sport during the days of the Knights and then the Thrashers. Hated hockey once again when they left. Outside of one Rock Lobster game, yesterday’s game was the first hockey I’ve watched since. Maybe will become a fan of the sport again if Alpharetta or Forsyth gets their team.
I was a big Flames fan as a little kid. Dan Bouchard, Tom Lysiak, Willi Plett, and Bill Clement were my favorites. Then they got Jim Craig in the draft after his Olympic heroics.
“Dis is Coach Boom Boom Geoffrion of the Catlanta Flame” He and Coach O would have gotten along famously.
Also, remember being at the beach in Hilton Head as a kid in the 1980’s and seeing Boom Boom Geoffrion walking down the beach. He was tan as hell and wearing a Speedo…lol. I pointed him out to my dad who got his attention and he came over talked to us. He put me on his shoulder for a photograph and I think we also had an old home movie of the encounter. Not VHS, but the old reel kind that didn’t have sound and you showed on a projector.
Boom Boom was terrific. My Dad’s ad agency had Atlanta Flames tickets in a special little grandstand that sat in the corner of the rink. We would up close sights of the brutality of late ’70’s/early’80’s NHL hockey. It was great.
Every once in awhile when I would get to go to a game, the tickets included passes into the “Omni” club where it was not uncommon for Boom Boom to be seated at the bar holding court. So one cold winter night I apparently dressed similar Boom Boom … plaid sportsjacket, white turtleneck, dark pants, white belt and gold chain over the turtleneck. It got pointed to Boom Boom and he brought over a photographer with a polaroid camera to snap a shot of the two of us. I am sitting at the table with a mountain of prime rib on my plate smiling next to him. I wish I could find that Polaroid. It was a nice gesture.
Thanks for this. I watched both games. BTW, that first clip is from the World Junior Hockey title, not the Women’s Olympics Gold medal game.
Both games were very enjoyable, but that men’s game may have been some of the best hockey I’ve ever watched. Canada was relentless. Hellenbuyck was outstanding, and the American offense made their chances count.
I don’t follow hockey at all, and it surprised me that the last US men’s gold medal in hockey was the “Miracle on Ice” 46 years ago.
That was exciting and true grit by our goalie and Mitchell (?) who had his teeth literally knocked out a few minutes before to comeback and make the winning shot. Announcer’s best line in the 3rd period…”Mitchell back on the ice, not sure all his teeth are”.
Hockey just can’t translate to TV. Not sure why they don’t have a drone over the top which would help. It’s Canada’s national sport not ours. We won’t loose football, it will just continue to be watered down. 7 on 7, international teams, expanded playoffs, etc. Another unintended consequence is how bland CFB is going to become a’la the NFL. With parity in talent and opportunity comes copying success and less risk taking. Notice how often in the championship game we could note “that looks like our offense / defense”. The charm of college football used to be the innovation needed by less talented teams to compete with the big boys while the big boys had to keep evolving to play each other. That’s all gone now. Coaches who want to keep their big contracts (loyalty is to the money, not the school) will play to mediocrity to make the playoffs not conference titles and championships. I said it the other day…they won’t kill us fans quickly but just slowly boil us to death like the frog in the pan.
Sorry…Brock Nelson is the hero.
Dammit..Jack Hughes hit the winning goal. We need an edit feature.
His brother Quinn Hughes made the winning goal against Sweden in OT to help us get to the gold medal game.
I watched the USA vs China Curling Match…I had no idea what it was all about at first..but found it a fascinating sport! It’s a combo of table pool, shuffle-board, hockey and darts. I was surprised how intriguing and entertaining it was. And I could watch Alsya skate dancing for the rest of my life..or at least until the Dawgs tee it up again.
I still think the curlers should have to play with a beer in their hand, just like every other curler on the planet.
Canada: We would’ve won if Crosby, Metchie and WIlliams weren’t out, eh.
A few years ago, when football was getting the heat of the initial CTE backlash, I believed that there was a real chance that the sport could begin slide that threatened its dominance as the most popular sport in the US.
The PTB (then) were not the best stewards for the game in terms of player safety. Colleges were not overtly compensating players. High school participation in 11 man football was decreasing year over year from 2009 – 2021. Football is the only sport where the player pool is entirely dependent on the school system to develop talent. While other sports have high school talent systems in place and it is unusual for a basketball player to make college or the NBA without playing it, it can be done. Same with other sports, you can make the elite levels of soccer, golf, tennis, wrestling, baseball by just playing club if you are good enough.
However, with players getting compensated earlier than the NFL starting in 2021, participation in 11 man football has increased since 2022. Player safety concerns are being addressed which instills confidence for parents. Toss in the rapid growth of flag-football especially for girls and these developments have really strengthened the long-term health for football.