USA Hockey sets new precedent

By Zach Mentz

For one Sunday here in the United States, America was a hockey nation. Hockey, which has always been the ugly brother to football, baseball, and basketball in America, compelled a nation and brought us together as a country, if even for only one day.
While the USA did not win the gold medal in the 2010 winter Olympics at Vancouver, they did win the silver medal. Team USA also had the entire country of Canada on their heels when USA’s Zach Parise forced overtime with a goal with less than thirty seconds to play against Canada in the gold medal game.
America has never been known as a “hockey country”, and in all honesty never will be. America has only won two gold medals in hockey, the first time in 1960 and the most recent gold medal came in 1980, the year of the “Miracle on Ice.” Since the first gold medal winning in 1960, America only has a total of five medals won in ice hockey in the winter Olympics.
The USA finished in eight place four years ago at the winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. Expectations have never been high for the USA in ice hockey at the Olympics due to past results and our inability to compete in international play. My point is, finishing with a silver medal and a five and one record, including a 5-3 romping over Canada in the preliminaries, is much more than anyone expected before the games began.
At the beginning of the tournament, team USA was not considered by many, if anyone, to be considered a favorite to medal in the Olympics. With that being said, it is bedazzling to think that team USA could take Canada, a country that is known across the globe as a hockey country, into overtime in the gold medal game and narrowly lose by only a score of 3-2.
Of course the USA players are going to be disappointed in themselves with the loss. They wanted the goal medal, not the silver medal. The loss to team Canada in the gold medal game was their only loss of the Olympics and couldn’t have come at a worse time. It is a loss that will stick with these players for the rest of their lives. A gold medal would have been unbelievable achievement, but finishing second to team Canada in a nail biter is nothing to be ashamed of. It seems as if the silver medal has become last place and the bronze medal now feels like second place. A silver medal in any competition is an impressive accomplishment, but when you come as close to gold as the USA hockey team did, silver doesn’t quite cut it. But for a country that keeps hockey on the backburner when it comes to sports, does the success team USA had this winter at the 2010 winter Olympics set the table for future US teams?
Perhaps the United States will now be considered a legitimate contender when it comes to international competition. Maybe the USA can begin to creep in to the conversation when talking about legitimate contenders in international play. Compared to other traditional powerhouse such as Canada, Russia, and Sweden, the USA has always been considered inferior. Maybe though this 2010 Olympic USA hockey team has changed all of that. Only time will tell whether or not future USA squads can feed off of this years impressive run.