The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

You sure do have to be careful what you wish for. I for one was a bit let down that the drama of the Canada-Russia contest was taken away so early in the game, with the Canadians dominating from the get go and spanking the Russians 7-3. And so when Canada was leading 3-0 in the semis against Slovakia with less than 10 minutes to go, it seemed it was just another game where Canada was showing the world why they are the favourites and wasn't giving the competition much of a chance. The crowd was even getting all cocky by chanting "We want USA!", thinking it was already over.

Cue a bad goal let in by Robert Luongo and the outcome wasn't so certain. All of a sudden there was little offense created by Canada. All of a sudden Canada collapsed into a defensive style with the goal of riding out the clock to protect the lead. A Canadian gaffe where two Team Canada players (I believe were Patrice Bergeron and Shea Weber) collided into each other led to a second goal, and a collective gasp came about the crowd. What's happening right now!? A flurry of offense to the dying minute, where Pavol Demitra had a down & out Luongo at his feet and a top shelf placement for the puck was all he needed to do to put this game into overtime, and also the dreams of many Canadians into serious doubt.

But Luongo managed to get his glove out and tip the puck over the net, and it was over. That drama that we were longing for, and perhaps unfortunately got depending on your blood pressure, had Canada come out on top 3-2 and earn the right to play for the gold medal tomorrow against the United States.

I'm not sure I'll be able to take it.

The reward for fans who see their team through ups and downs, through triumphs and defeats, is indeed satisfying once you get to the ultimate prize. But it is never guaranteed it will be achieved and it's rarely easy to obtain. I'm no longer interested in intense drama. I don't want a close contest. I want Canada to annihilate the Unites States and show them who's boss from the opening face off. I want them to show USA that their first game against each other was a mistake. Last night showed what you think is in your hands can so easily slip away, no matter how hard the effort or how many are behind you. Let's do it tomorrow Canada, let's win the gold medal and cap off an extremely memorable Olympics, and for my sake and others, let's not make it too interesting, okay?