… It was a fun game of hockey to watch—as compelling, if not moreso, as anything that you’ll see in the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring, and arguably every bit as meaningful. If you doubt that, you should watch some tape of the pained expressions on the Finnish bench as Saku Koivu, Teemu Selanne and company watched the Swedes celebrate their victory. The great thing about the NHL’s involvement in Olympic hockey is that it gives us an opportunity to watch all of the world’s best players compete on an international stage with pride being the primary motivating factor. And when it comes to playing with pride, Finland and Sweden didn’t disappoint.
… So, while Canada went into meltdown mode and the U.S. shrugged and flipped on American Idol, the Finns and Swedes went on about their business, beating Russia and the Czech Republic in their respective semifinals with relative ease.
The gold medal game, though, was a different story. It was a dog fight, starting with a surprisingly defensive first period which ended with Finland leading 1-0 thanks to a goal from Kimmo Timonen. …