It was a great game; close to the final horn. Anyone blaming Fleury for the loss should remember a few things:
� Team Canada won two of three periods. They lost the third. In a one-game series, a lost period can lead to a lost cause.
� Fleury made a number of excellent acrobatic saves earlier in the period. If not for that fluke goal off the clearing play, we'd be discussing those instead.
� The American team was a worthy foe, with more experience on the big ice. They played their system cohesively and had great (at times outstanding) goaltending.
Canadians are so accustomed to winning in hockey that anything less than gold throws us for a collective loop. Never fear; ours is still the pre-eminent hockey nation, as our brimming international trophy case and majority NHL contributor status would tend to suggest.
� Team Canada won two of three periods. They lost the third. In a one-game series, a lost period can lead to a lost cause.
� Fleury made a number of excellent acrobatic saves earlier in the period. If not for that fluke goal off the clearing play, we'd be discussing those instead.
� The American team was a worthy foe, with more experience on the big ice. They played their system cohesively and had great (at times outstanding) goaltending.
Canadians are so accustomed to winning in hockey that anything less than gold throws us for a collective loop. Never fear; ours is still the pre-eminent hockey nation, as our brimming international trophy case and majority NHL contributor status would tend to suggest.