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Without a doubt, a rematch of the United States-Russia hockey game for the Gold Medal would be a highlight. But in an event-filled Winter Olympics hockey tournament, the indelible image of the 3-2 U.S. victory at Sochi, Russia, will stand alone regardless.
In case you were living in a cave, or had been sidetracked by a vacation trip to Neptune, the first match was a classic from the start. The teams played a scoreless first period, and in the second period, the incomparable Pavel Datsyuk proved why he might be the best player in hockey when he put on a burst of speed across the neutral zone, catching a long pass as he knifed between two U.S. defenders and scored on Jonathan Quick. The U.S. came back for a power-play goal by Cam Fowler. James vanRiemsdyk sent a little pass to Fowler at the crease, and the puck bounced off Fowler’s skate and went in. Fowler may also have touched it with his stick as it scored.
The goal came on a power play, with Alexander Radulov in the penalty box for cross-checking. He hammered Dustin Brown at center ice, after Brown had issued a cheap-shot to Datsyuk at center ice moments earlier. Despite the whining of broadcast color man Eddie Olczyk about it being a “selfish” and “stupid” penalty, it was exactly the payback sort of penalty the NHL requires if you hit a team’s star.
Joe Pavalski, who played outstanding hockey for the U.S., scored with a one-timer on a brilliant rinkwide pass from Patrick Kane on another power play to open the third period, for a 2-1 lead. Later in the third period, Dustin Brown was penalized for kneeing, and again it was Datsyuk rising to the occasion to drill a shot from the right circle, making it 2-2.
With 4:40 remaining in the third period, the Russians buzzed the U.S. net, and when the puck went back out to Fedor Tyutin, he fired a shot from the left point. Radulov, who had assisted on Datsyuk’s first goal and screened Quick on Datsyuk’s second, was in position to try to deflect Tyutin’s shot, which found its way into the upper right corner. Video review showed that Radulov actually missed his deflection try, so it appeared Russia had a 3-2 lead. But the officials disallowed the goal, and another view showed the goal post had been dislodged from its base by about an inch.
That replay showed Quick throwing his left leg out and kicking the pipe off its mooring. International rules claim no goal can be scored if the net is dislodged in any way. Odd, because then any goaltender could purposely kick any net off its station to prevent any goal.
So, the game remained tied, 2-2, and the Russians withstood another penalty that overlapped into the 5-minute overtime. When it stayed time, it called for a shootout. Then the fun began.
A coin-flip determined the U.S. would shoot first in the three-man designated order. T.J. Oshie went in and scored between the legs of Sergei Bobrovski; Evgeny Malkin went first for Russia, but Quick saved his shot. Van Riesdyk went next, but Bobrovski stopped him; Datsyuk’s turn, and he went to his backhand, but Quick got it. Pavelski got a chance, and made a great move, but Bobrovski made the save; Ilya Kovalchuk took the third turn for Russia, and drilled his shot into the right edge to even the shootout at 1-apiece.
In International rules, a shooter from the first threesome can shoot again in the sudden-death rounds to follow. The Russians shot first in the next round, and Quick stopped Kovalchuk; Oshie went again for the U.S., beat Bobrovski, but flicked his shot over the crossbar. Datsyuk shot off Quick’s blocker and in, putting Russia ahead, and Oshie was remarkably sent back out by coach Dan Bylsma, knowing he had to score or else. Oshie skated in, faked a shot and beat Bobrovski 5-hole again. Kovalchuk went back at it, deked, then faked a hard shot but flipped a change up that beat Quick’s glove into the right edge; Oshie was tabbed again, and skated in, this time firing his shot off the crossbar, but it came down and hit the back of Bobrovski’s leg and rolled into the goal.
That brought the shootout to Round 7, and Datsyuk flew in, but was stopped by Quick; Oshie went yet again, a right-handed shot cutting left to his backhand, but having his shot deflected away by Bobrovski’s stickblade. Round 8, and Kovalchuk skated in but his bullet glanced off the right pipe and out; Oshie once again got the call, and once again he couldn’t suppress a wonderful little grin as he looked for the ref to signal him to go. It was a grin that was pure Warroad, Minnesota, where it showed that Oshie was totally loving the moment, the challenge. He skated in, and made a fantastic subtle move, deking left with his shoulder to influence Bobrovski to start to react for a shift to his backhand, but even as he was deking, Oshie snapped a forehand wrist shot low, and through. Five-hole again.
It was Oshie’s sixth turn at the breakaway shootout, and he beat perhaps the best goaltender in the world four times, and three of them through the legs.Afterward, Pierre McGuire interviewed Oshie, who was perfectly humble. Somewhere it is written that NBC much hire Canadian broadcasters to tell Americans about “their” game, and because Chicago Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews starred at North Dakota just before Oshie went to North Dakota, McGuire said something like: “Your former teammate, Jonathan Toews, scored the goal that won the World Junior championship...Did you take anyinspiration from that?” Oshie never broke stride and answered perfectly: “Well, he’s Canadian.”
Naturally, no American goal scorer could take inspiration from a Canadian game-winner, and nobody would even consider that possible - except a Canadian, who assumes that everything any Canadian does in hockey might inspire anyone from the U.S. Can you imagine the revolt that would occur if Hockey Night in Canada insisted on hiring a U.S. announcer to do the color work on Team Canada?
At any rate, Oshie’s heroics will make him a superstar all across the U.S. - and maybe Canada too! Those of us in Minnesota who have been paying attention know that Oshie came back to Warroad after his family had moved to the West Coast, and he played high school hockey at Warroad before going directly to North Dakota, and then to the St. Louis Blues, where he is their top offensive catalyst, and an exciting, thorough, two-way standout. We can only imagine how much better Oshie would be, and would have performed under all the pressure of the hockey world, had he left Warroad High School to play junior hockey or attend the U.S. Development Program.
As the U.S, advanced, whipping Slovenia 5-1 to gain the No. 2 seed behind Sweden -- but ahead of Canada, the Russians, and Finland -- and could rest before the quarterfinals, Russia had to bounce back and defeat a strong Slovakian team, then get past Norway 4-0. We should, however, pause to look back.
Had the officials decided that Tyutin’s goal should, indeed, count because Quick had kicked the pipe off its post without being touched, then Russia would have won the game 3-2 over the U.S., and it would have been Russia sitting and resting for the quarterfinals while the U.S. had to scramble to get back up and play its way into the quarterfinals.
Regardless of who comes away with the Gold Medal, we can enjoy it and relate it back to our private pleasure at watching college and high school hockey right here in Duluth. It’s just that this year, we get the bonus of the Olympics added to our usual hockey frenzy.