What a Fantastic Game

Canada took the gold medal. My hockey heart is broken.

But what a game it was! USA scores with just a few seconds left in the third to tie it and send it into overtime. Then Sidney Crosby scored the game winner to give Canada the gold and the United States the silver.

I had a professor at UMass Lowell who was a basketball fanatic. Whenever he needed an integer for a code example he always used six and would tell us that it was the number of the greatest basketball player of all time. Celtic Bill Russel.

Invariably he would have students challenge that bold statement and he would always fire back with a listing of the championships he won. He won the NCAA championship when he was in college, then went pro and won the NBA championship in every season he was healthy. Literally, the only time he failed to grab the title with the Celtics was when he was injured.

While Russel was playing for the Celtics Wilt Chamberlin was winning all of the individual awards in the league. Who was better? Chamberlin who scored a gazillion points, or Russel who always lead his team to victory.

I think it's pretty easy to decide. Russel. It's pro sports, winning is everything.

The same debate is happening on hockey these days. Who is better, Crosby or Ovetchkin. Ovetchkin wins the goal scoring races and the MVP awards, but in just a few short years Crosby has won a Stanley Cup championship and an Olympic gold medal. Who is the better player? The one with the better numbers or the won with the titles? Clearly it's Crosby and his titles.

Congratulations to Canada. Congratulations too to team USA. They really were an after thought in these games, and to win their way into the gold medal game... just a fantastic achievement.

If the NHL does not participate in the 2014 games it will be an even worse decision than locking out an entire season. Just wait to see what we do next time.

Now...

Let's go Bruins!