Congrats to Motown’s Hockey Elite

At the conclusion of Sunday’s incredible hockey game between the US and Canada, all of us here in the Metro area can honestly say that we were in a win-win situation. Being American, it would have been something unimaginable if Canada had lost to the US on Canadian soil. The Canadian win means that Mike Babcock and Steve Yzerman have the golden touch and we don’t have to hear of 30 million-plus complaints for four years.

To think that the US is still without a men’s hockey gold on foreign soil, is somewhat disheartening. The country that is home to the most elite, professional teams in the world has seen a unique birth and rebirth over the past few decades. Herb Brooks parts I and II were pretty spectacular, as were the silver medal teams of 2002 and 2010. The Motown connection to some of this Olympics’ top players was pretty remarkable, especially those members of Team USA.

Ryan Miller was spectacular in net throughout the games. He and fellow net-minder Tim Thomas are both native Michiganders and really represented our country well over those six games. Red Wing and Michigan native Brian Rafalski had one of the most unbelievable two game spans, concluding with an unbelievable effort against the Canadians in group play. Tim Gleason is a young defenseman who is coming into his own recently, spending time away from his native Clawson. Livonia’s Ryan Kesler felt right at home in Vancouver, and played like he was back at the old ice rink on Six Mile.

Congrats to our Michiganders, our Red Wings and to our Canadian neighbors for an incredible Vancouver Winter Olympics hockey tournament!