SOCHI, Russia – Steve Yzerman came to the Bolshoy Ice Dome on Saturday afternoon because no hockey man worth his salt would miss an occasion like this one. “I think it’s just going to be a really good hockey game,” Team Canada’s executive director said a few hours before Russia and the U.S. went out and turned that into an Olympic-sized understatement.
Even Vladimir Putin, a hockey man of a different persuasion, had to agree – at least once he got over the disappointment of a 3-2 shootout loss in the “O” show. That is “O” as in Oshie, and “O” as in oh my! Do we ever have a hockey tournament on our hands here.
Putin, the Russian president, presided over the proceedings from a suite just to the left of the centre-ice line – sitting on the Russian side, of course – and stood for what looked like a winning goal from Fedor Tyutin with about five minutes to play.
The puck went in the net, a nation roared and Jonathan Quick went straight to the referees. As it turns out, the left post was ever-so-slightly off its mooring – the U.S. goaltender had been the culprit – and referee Marcus Vinnerborg delivered the heart-wrenching news to all of Russia by waving his arms following a video review.
Never mind that it would have counted in the NHL. This isn’t the NHL. This is sublime hockey being played by a whole bunch of NHL stars and a few European ones as well.
As it happens, Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz, Jamie Benn and few other Team Canada members were watching this classic unfold at Bolshoy Ice Dome as well. Surely, they now know what is painfully obvious for those paying any attention at this event: The Russians and Americans are the biggest threats to Canada’s golden expectations in Sochi.
Sweden and Finland are both dealing with a massive hole down the middle after a series of injuries to their centremen. Finnish teenager Aleksander Barkov was the latest casualty after being ruled out of the tournament on Saturday afternoon because of a lower-body injury.
That news was somewhat overshadowed by the carnival-like atmosphere that greeted the U.S.-Russia game – easily the biggest and most compelling of the preliminary round. Yzerman said he had come to see what the standard was at this tournament and you’d have to think his eyes have been opened widely.
This was truly something special. There was tension and uncertainty the entire game. There was a world-class pass from Patrick Kane to Joe Pavelski to put the U.S. ahead 2-1 in the third period and the tying goal from Pavel Datsyuk, his second of the game, who is suddenly looking strong after arriving here with a knee injury.
Why? Because it’s the Olympics.
“I’m OK,” said Datsyuk. “We, not me.”
After a five-minute overtime that saw Sergei Bobrovsky deny American star Patrick Kane on a clear breakaway from his own zone, it turned into more of a “me”-type of situation. The shootout. That is where T.J. Oshie put the U.S. on his back by taking six shootout attempts, scoring on four of them, the last of which sealed the victory.
“This is what the Olympics is all about,” said American forward David Backes. “It’s guys laying it all out there, having great performances, owning your moment.”
With the playoff round still to come, the victory itself didn’t actually mean a whole lot. Remember that the Americans beat Team Canada in a similarly-charged atmosphere in Vancouver before eventually losing to them when it mattered most.
However, the one thing we know for sure is that the silver medal at the 2010 Games was no fluke or one-off. The American players are loaded with confidence and belief now and they expect to win gold here. Deservedly so.
The Russians, of course, have the same expectations and seem to be turning the pressure of playing at home into an emotion that is uniting the team. So often we have seen them come apart at the seams in best-on-best play, but they were an organized, patient and dangerous-looking group on Saturday. They were downright scary.
Where exactly Team Canada fits into the picture isn’t yet clear. The opening wins over Norway and Austria have set the stage for Sunday’s game against Finland, where perhaps they will be pushed a little bit more. It would certainly be beneficial for coach Mike Babcock to see how his team reacts under some heat.
Ultimately, that is what made Saturday’s game so special. The attention, the spectacle, the excitement. The stage.
All of that helped magically turn Oshie into a household name in the hockey world over the course of six shootout attempts. The whole thing lasted about 10 dramatic minutes. Backes plays alongside the 27-year-old in St. Louis and says he sometimes lacks focus. He compared his likeable teammate to a Jack Russell terrier.
“He needs his attention directed or else he gets into a little mischief and he needs it guided,” said Backes. “Today it was all functioned and funneled in the right way. He does some amazing things when it is.”
In the Olympic men’s hockey tournament, he’s far from alone. When you gather this many outstanding athletes in one juiced-up environment, almost anything is possible. And man is it fun.
So where is everything headed as we near the final week of competition? I have no idea. But I can’t wait to see how it plays out.
“Four times I’ve been a part of this, and the only thing I expect is don’t expect it to go the way you expect it,” said Yzerman. “It never does.”
Thank goodness for that.