There are a scant few markets in America that treat hockey differently than the national perception. As you know, I'm from the Philly area (durrr), and Philly is definitely one of the markets that appreciates hockey in the US. So you know that I was paying attention to the Olympic hockey tournament from jump. That being said, while the NHL doesn't garner much national attention, Olympic hockey can generate huge, huge amounts of interest from the rockbound coast of Maine to the sun-washed shores of California. In 1980, the Miracle on Ice was not only a stunning upset that galvanized national pride and spurred the hockey golden age of the '80s, but it was perhaps the greatest victory for the United States in the Cold War. While this year's tournament didn't have even a fraction of the geo-political impact that those 1980 games had, well, it certainly had a galvanizing effect on this country to the point where people watched a sport that 80% of them probably would ignore otherwise.
And we have Ryan Miller to thank for that.
Who is Ryan Miller, you ask? He was our goaltender. A member of the Buffalo Sabres by profession, Miller was chosen to represent the US between the pipes, and for good reason; he was the best player on the ice for any team the entire tournament. Sure, you could say that he inflated his worth against the teams that weren't in the US's league at all, but the proof to his worth come in the three games where the US was tested the most; the two tilts against Canada and the too-close-for-comfort quarterfinal win over Switzerland. The Switzerland game is easy to see his dominance. He stopped every shot he faced and kept the Americans in the game when we couldn't buy a goal against Jonas Hiller at the other end. The two Canadian games, though, is where you have to dig a bit deeper to see why he was so valuable. Yes, he gave up three goals in both games. However, in hockey, it is very difficult to stop every shot if the defense in front of you is being outclassed, which was the case in both Canada games. In the first period of the first game, the only evidence that didn't support the statement "Canada outplayed the US" was the scoreboard. Had the goalies been switched up, had Miller been between the pipes for the Canadians and Martin Brodeur for the US, there's no doubt in my mind that Canada would have put up a 4-spot on us. When they were on the penalty kill, they played like they were on a power play. They were to steps ahead of the US at every turn. And yet, with all the offensive pressure, they could only get one goal past Miller. In turn, Brian Rafalski let loose two goals on Brodeur at the other end. Miller's stellar play demoralized the Canadians enough that it allowed the US to come out and exert their will upon them in the next two periods.
Yes, he did give up that last goal to punk ass bitch Sidney Crosby, who to that point, did next to nothing to help the Canadian cause. Yes, it was a soft goal. But the US would not have gotten to overtime that game. Again, the Canadians were outskating the Americans, especially in the American defensive zone. Again, Miller didn't get the help in diffusing scoring chances and preventing easy shots from coming loose to be able to shut the Canadians out, and yet he still stood on his head and made several outstanding saves to keep the Americans in the game to the point where Zach Parise could net the game-tying goal in the waning moments of regulation.
If there were any justice in the world, it would have been Miller glomming the camera time post-game, getting a gold medal hung around his neck rather than Mr. Right-Place, Right-Time, an invisible player who got all the glory on name recognition only. This isn't to hate on Crosby... well, yeah it is. I can't stand him, but he's usually a great hockey player - just not during the Olympics except for one play. Miller was the rock by which the American hockey team anchored its efforts, the most valuable player to any Olympic team since Vladislav Tretiak. If not for him, the US wouldn't have clinched the #1 seed in tournament play. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have beaten Canada for the first time in 50 years. If it weren't for him, it might have been us who ended up playing the Russians in the quarterfinals, only not meeting the same results as the Canadians did when they steamrolled the Slavic powerhouses. All of America knows it, and all of America acknowledges it. Why else would have Miller gotten a standing ovation in Pittsburgh when the Sabres visited the Penguins, while hometown superstar but Canadian "savior" Crosby gotten boos?
So, with all that being said, I salute you, Ryan Miller. We might only have placed second in the world, but because of you, US hockey was first in our hearts the last two weeks. Thank you.
