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Canada vs. Canada

By John Batchelor on February 28, 2010 at 2:51 PM in Current Affairs

Editor’s Note: The gold medal hockey game starts at 3 p.m. ET, on NBC, live in all time zones. Or, watch live at NBC’s Olympics site. ALSO: Catch Larry Johnson on John Batchelor’s radio show tonight. Details at end of post.

 

The Canada Hockey Team vs. Canada Hockey Cult closing contest at the Vancouver Olympics on Sunday 28, with the USA team allowed on the ice as a designated loser, is a treat to anticipate and a smile when it is done.

Reed Albergotti, WSJ, has told me several times over the last two weeks that he fears for his life if Canada loses.

The Canada hockey cult includes suicides, berserkers, mystics and a collective trance state. One country breathes as one mesmerized worshipper until Canada delivers the gold on home ice.

All other metrics for Canada must wait — the strong loonie, the booming natural resource economy, the cautious and sound banking system, the assertive wonderland of Nunavut, all must wait for that third period horn and Canada wins.

Final score? Canada Hockey Team 5, Canada Hockey Cult 14,000,000.

USA nowhere. Unless? Nah. Too awful to imagine, and Reed Albergotti must escape with his wits, and the destined Martin Brodeur must join the gods on Olympus. 

martin_brodeur_team_canada.jpg

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Listen to Larry Johnson tonight on The John Batchelor Show. Larry usually joins the expert panel at 10:05 p.m. ET. John’s show starts at 9 p.m. ET, and lasts until 1 a.m. ET. To listen via iTunes:

(1) Double-click Radio.

(2) Double-click Talk/Spoken Word.

(3) Scroll down to WABC-AM, and double-click. (WABC is the NYC anchor station for John’s syndicated show. The sound quality is excellent.)

  • Kathleen Wynne

    Watching the game now, it appears that the Canadian men are playing with the same ferocity as the Canadidian women did against the U.S. women’s team.

    The Canadians just went ahead 1-0.  It will be interesting to see if the U.S. men can score against these guys or if they will face the same ending as the U.S. women.

    The Canadian’s definitely have the home court advantage.

  • Onofre’s arm

    Tied up with 24.4 seconds left!  OVERTIME! KICK ASS U.S.A.!!!

  • EllenD

    The U.S. has tied up. This is a great game.
    In the Olympics all the NHL players go back to their home countries and play against their regular NHL team members.
    Afterwards they go back to their mixed up teams.

  • Onofre’s arm

    DAMN!

  • EllenD

    Good game, and I never watch hockey.

    A hockey story:

    Counting on the reputed hockey mania of Canadians, Jack Kent Cooke, the Canadian multimillionaire (American citizen by act of Congress) started a  a hockey team.

    Knowing Los Angeles was the third most Canadian-populated city in North America, Cooke, owner of the L.A. Lakers, considered an L.A. team a no-lose proposition.

    It flopped. When he sold it he said “What I didn’t take into account is that all these Canadians came here because they HATE hockey.”

    So not all Canaidians are hockey fanatics ;)

  • PortiaElizabeth

    Congratulations to Canada on the gold!

    And now for my rendition of “O Canada”:

    O Canada, the land of ice and cold
    We came to win, but you just took the gold.
    With heavy hearts we’ll go back home
    And take the silver discs.
    But we won’t forget, in ’14 you’ll get
    A team that’s really pissed.

    God help you now.
    We’ll train like hell til then.
    O Canada, please don’t put Crosby in.

  • arabella trefoil

    Congratulations to Canada. I was rooting for you.

    And great job on the Curling too.

  • EllenD

    :-D Love it Portia!

  • EllenD

    Anyone who has a kind word for Curling is a friend of mine. It usually ranks up there with fruitcake (which I also make) as an object of everyone’s scorn.

  • Onofre’s arm

    Well, in the Olympic spirit of friendly competition, and the almost brotherly atmosphere of the world of hockey, I present this tribute.

  • oowawa

    Here’s some action from the game that was not covered on the regular sportscast:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HGPh8Hjyg8

  • arabella trefoil

    EllenD – We have a few curling clubs where I live. In the northern area of Westchester County, NY and in Fairfield County, CT certain sports are popular that are not popular elsewhere. Fairfield Count and Westchester Count abut on another. Maybe it’s a local virus or mutation that causes the love of curling.

    There are curling clubs in these counties. Interest in curling continues to grow, Field hocky for girls/women and lacrosse are also very popular.

    Where I live, people at least have heard of curling.

  • oowawa

    Okay, I’ve had enough!  I know what those stinkin’ Canadians are really up to!

  • Onofre’s arm

    Aww Hell, Olbermann is now announcing the Olympics, time to turn the channel, (or at least I’ll have to turn down the volume)

  • jwrjr

    I get the impression that Curling is sort of like Chess played on ice.  I guess that is why not so many like it.  No blood.

  • Onofre’s arm

    Hey, for all of you who think curling ain’t nice, take off your pants and slide on the ice! ;)

  • No Longer Banned in Beantown

    Astonishingly team USA abandoned the forechecking strategy that gave them the game tying goal.

    Team USA was attacking the entire game, not just when they took out their goalie in the last 2 minutes of regulation. In OT Team USA took the long shots, but had nobody around the net for a rebound because they were all backpedling.

    USA played scared of a breakaway with 4 on 4. They were doing so well playing the Canadians even for 3 periods.  Then USA gave the Canadians an advantage by allowing them to clear the puck in Canadas end, and let Canada forecheck and scrap around the USA net.

    Good game though. Glad I stuck around to watch all of it. Pulling the goalie is so desparation, it rarely works, but is so exciting when it does.

    Great game and great Olympics Team USA. Nobody gave you a chance two weeks ago.

  • oowawa

    What’s missing from this Canadian Bacon clip is POTUS Alan Alda on national television, giving the Canucks the ultimatum:

    Surrender pronto,
    Or we’ll nuke Toronto!

  • oowawa

    Good story EllenD.  But L.A. doesn’t even have a pro football team . . . Go figure . . .

  • EllenD

    True, oowawa. But we have TWO baketball teams!

  • EllenD

    You have made me very happy Arabella!

  • Tex-Mex Soup

    I was really hoping canada lost.  Of course not all canadians are a pain in the ass however, selling real estate and dealing with them here in Vegas has been a pathetic experience.  If one calls me on my phone I just tell them I can’t help them.  They are arrogant, they think they know it all, their accent is grinding, they want a whole lot for nothing and then low ball offers.  Now I do have two Canadian clients who are cool the others, can go to hell :-P

  • EllenD

    One of my favorite movies! Thanks, Onofre!

  • mortuus lark

    Question: Is Canada vs. Canada the same as Obama vs. Clinton?

    Just asking.

  • Onofre’s arm

    It is easily in the top five of all sports movies, all comedies, and the number one hockey movie. I love it too, and you’re welcome.

  • Robb

    not only is that a good hockey movie, it’s one of the best comedies ever made. the gold medal game was a nail biter right to the very end , it could easily gone either way. but i’m glad that canada won!

  • Robb

    piss off, EH!

  • Anonymous

    why do Canucks have sex like dogs?

    So they can both watch the hockey.