Miracle on Ice? Not Quite...

The U.S. hockey team defeated the Canadian Ultra-squad tonight in a thrilling, back-and-forth game in Vancouver, Canada.
But is this anything to compare to the 'Miracle on Ice' in 1980? Kind of. The U.S. didnt send out a bunch of reject college players on the ice, these were professional hockey players from the NHL. But compared to Canada's team, this U.S. roster would seem like a bunch of college scrubs. The U.S. team is a gathering of the NHL's second-tier players with big names like Patrick Kane and Ryan Miller. While Canada's team is the NHL's elite, and possibly the greatest group of hockey players ever assembled with big names like...ummm...'Sid the Kid' Crosby and 'Jumbo' Joe Thornton. In fact, if Canada had won every game on their way to a gold medal in these Olympics, it wouldnt have surprised a single person. After all, hockey is Canada's game. And yet, they lost to the United States whose fans back home might not have been aware they were playing tonight.
Does this put U.S. hockey on the national map? Sure it does, to a certain extent. David has slayed Goliath, and who doesnt love a good underdog story? Canada can still win the gold medal, and woudnt be surprised id they did, but the fact that the U.S. got them one time is all they need to take back home with them.
After this game and the performance that they put on, it wouldnt surprise me to see the U.S. win gold in these Olympics. Of course, the Big Three still remain: Russia, Canada, and Sweden. But maybe add the underdog United States team in there as well. After all, they beat Canada at their own game.