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USA Wins!

  • First, I hate the comparisons to the 1980 team.  This wasn't close to being that big of an upset.  The 1980 team was a bunch of college and amateur players going up against a legit Soviet "professional" team.  The Soviet team had gone 5-3-1 against NHL teams that year and in '79 beat a team of NHL All-Stars in two out of three games (including a 6-0 thrashing).  If you bet the U.S. to win tonight, you would have gotten about 2.5 to 1 odds in Vegas.  I can't fathom what the odds would have been in the 1980 semifinal game against the Soviets. 
  • I loved that late in the game the U.S kept the pressure on-Kane and Kesler in particular.  Nothing drives me more nuts than a team going into a defensive shell late in a game with a lead in any sport. 
  • Two power plays in the third period, I wonder if Canada wished they had Mike Green was on the ice?
  • I would have pulled Brodeur sooner around the 2 minute mark, Canada had solid possession set up in the U.S. zone.  Father time has caught up to Brodeur, I'd be shocked if he started their next game.  Ryan Miller (I'm a Buffalonian so I'm biased) has easily passed Brodeur and is one of the top-3 goalies in the world and I'm having a hard time of thinking of two that are better.
  • Can the announcers please stop pointing out the fact that there are NHL teammates playing for different countries?  I couldn't find the numbers anywhere, but it seemed like the U.S. won a lot of faceoffs, something the announcers didn't mention.
  • What was up with Chris Pronger?  Some sloppy play on defense for Canada in general.
  • If they played the U.S. again tomorrow, a 5-0 win by Canada wouldn't surprise me at all, this might be the kick in the ass Canada needs to win the whole thing.
Feel free to add anything I missed.