Sure
1972 and 1987 saw some of the greatest players ever. 2010 was
thrilling, complete with hammering the Russians. But each saw their
speed bumps along the way to a dramatic finish. But this was
domination. Three goals in six games. None in the last eight-plus
periods. It was so simple, but ever so complex. Convince the best
players to accept short shifts and defend. Back-check hard and trust
the offence will score enough to win. Five of the top 10 scorers in
the NHL combined for 8 points (3-5). Shea Weber (3-3) and Drew
Doughty (4-2) tied for the team lead in scoring with 6, Jeff Carter
was the top forward with 5 (3-2). In Vancouver, Canada had five
players with 7 or more points. However, every member bought into the
Mike Babcock system. They played their best when it mattered most.
This was, simply put, the best Team Canada we've ever seen. By the
time the final arrived there was no doubt Canada was going to win.
I
do have a couple thoughts on Nicklas Backstrom missing out on the
gold medal game...
For
starters it wouldn't have made any difference in the outcome.
Secondarily, this was a needless, stupid suspension. And, no, I'm
not blaming the IOC for this. They have their rules. It's up to the
athlete and, more importantly, the doctors to know what everyone is
allowed to take. I'm not an athlete, but even I know Pseudoephedrine
is banned. After initially being banned, it was monitored between
2004 and 2009, before being banned again starting in 2010. I do feel
bad for Backstrom. He trusted that the doctors knew what was
allowed, clearly they didn't. There's plenty of blame for this and
most of it belongs with the Swedish Olympic Committee for not knowing
what was happening in their own camp.
At
least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.
No comments:
Post a Comment