tired midwest parents

“We deserved to win that game”

I’ve heard that before. I’ve felt that before. I may even agree with that statement on occasion, even if the ones saying it aren’t on the team I’m’ rooting for.

But you didn’t win. You lost.

Sunday morning showcased a dominant display of the skill and speed that we knew the Canadian National Hockey Team possessed. They outplayed the USA for the majority of the second and third periods.

However, hockey games aren’t won on shots(CAN:42-USA28). You don’t claim victory with face off win percentage(CAN 51.9%). Hit differential doesn’t earn you a Gold Medal. Time of possession, though impressive, doesn’t win the championship.

Goals. Who has the most goals wins.

So yes, on paper, the effort and the sheer will of the Canadian team looked like it should have won. But there were a number of American players who prevented that.

Connor Hellebuyck is on the top of that list. His 41 save performance that included a kind of acrobatic goaltending he’s not prone to is what set team USA up for the victory. Moments of execution by defensive minded players who were picked for a reason disrupted all of that effort and will put forth by the Canadian team.

Inexplicable moments of error and exhaustion by the Canadians themselves prevented them from getting the Gold. Celebrini and MacKinnon with point blank misses at crucial times late in the game were jaw dropping. Toews goal line chance meeting a piece of Hellebuycks paddle was shocking.

But it all happened. It always happens. That’s sports. Incredibly well trained and coached athletes built on teams with one goal in mind. Physics, luck, and ice conditions creating bounces. Physical limits and mental lapses interrupting the long list of “should haves”.

It’s the intangibles and the unknowns that make sports exciting. Hockey elevates that feeling to an immeasurable degree. The constant flow of play and battling for every inch of space on the ice is excruciating to watch as an invested fan. The breathless moments between when a puck leaves a stick and heads towards the net are the stuff of legends and fairy tales that will be told for generations.

We may have witnessed one of the most impressive team performances by any hockey team in history as Team Canada dominated in every possible category for most of the Gold Medal Game. If I were teaching hockey, which I’m not at all qualified to do, I would certainly cite this game as a lesson in skilled play and teamwork. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t win, and as they all head back to their respective NHL team, they will each have their own way of reconciling that feeling and moving on.

They’re professionals, so it will most likely not affect their future play, but perhaps it sits with them, somewhere down deep. Perhaps they’ll let the loss drive them to work harder towards their Stanley Cup goals. Perhaps it festers within them and derails progress in some way. Perhaps they brush it under the rug and bring in out again in 4 years if they’re lucky enough to get another chance to play for their country at the next Olympic Games.

Regardless, my goodness what a game. What a sport. What a performance by Mr. Hellebuyck.

-Tired Midwest Parent