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Leto · 02-25-2010, 09:26 AM

ahem... oh ya, that.... yes that smarted. Will we be coming out MAD? Quite likely so. Or as the Russians said, like Gorillas from a cage:

Canada comes at Russia like ?gorillas coming out of a cage? - Vancouver 2010 Olympics - thestar.com

Canada comes at Russia like ‘gorillas coming out of a cage’

February 25, 2010
Comments on this story (7)

Paul Hunter

VANCOUVER – It wasn’t much of a game. The Canadians made sure of that. But it was a glorious, chest-thumping, flag-waving display of hockey superiority on a grand stage. The Canadians made sure of that too.

In the much-anticipated showdown between two great hockey nations Wednesday, Canada rolled over Russia 7-3 and into the Olympic semi-finals on Friday against Slovakia, which upset the defending Olympic champion Swedes 4-3 in a late game. The other semifinal has Finland against the U.S. on Friday.

This was a reputation-changing stunner — not unlike the opener of the 1972 Summit Series won by the Russians 7-3 at Montreal — and far different than the taut, down-to-the-final-shot, nail-biter most fans expected. Instead, these teams answered the question, what if there was a hockey cold war and only one superpower showed up?

“They came,” said Russia goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov of the Canadian onslaught, “like gorillas coming out of a cage.”

Canada dominated fully and completely from the start. The newly formed line of Jonathan Toews between Rick Nash and Mike Richards — along with pounding hits from Shea Weber and Drew Doughty — took Alex Ovechkin out of the game early. The APB could have issued after Weber’s first hit.

Meanwhile, the Canadians were only one goal short of their own Great 8.

“We came out with that physical edge right away,” said Corey Perry, who led Canada’s offence with two goals.

“Everybody knew what was at stake. Everyone knew what we had to do. And we went out and showed everybody what we wanted to do.”

That, more or less, summed it up. The Canadians did exactly what they wanted to do. With ease. It was breathtaking. They not only pounded the Russians in to submission, they tossed the puck around the way, over the decades, we’ve seen the Russians artistically control play when at their high flying best.

The Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby subplot was neutered early by effective Canadian checking and questions about the goaltending of Roberto Luongo were also muted because it didn’t really matter if he gave up two or three or four, so dominant was the Canadian offence. Though Luongo made a statement of sorts with a terrific save on an Evgeni Malkin breakaway late in the third.

Canada again got scoring from a variety of sources, including Perry’s linemate Ryan Getzlaf, who had been quiet here. A resurgent Dan Boyle had a goal and two assists as Canada’s defence — which must get free roaming minutes — continues to help out offensively. Weber scored his second in two games, though this one didn’t dramatically burst through the mesh. Canada’s blueliners have four goals in the last two games after scoring none in the three preliminary games.

Crosby, always with the big picture in mind, declined to put a tick on his side of the ledger in his long-standing rivalry with Ovechkin, though he didn’t dismiss the idea either.

“It’s up to you to decide,” he said. “We won a quarterfinal game. It happened to be against Russia.”

And it happened to be watched by millions of Canadians, not to mention the hoarse supporters here who likely didn’t believe what they were witnessing but loved every moment of it. Our national nervousness was suddenly replaced by swagger as the fans chanted “We want gold” towards the end.

“It was an electric atmosphere,” said Luongo.

Canada will now play for a medal. Friday’s game will decide the colour. The Russians will go home with nothing.

And that left both sides with a very different perspective on what unfolded on the ice Wednesday.

“You want to do well,” said Canadian coach Mike Babcock. “Because you’re proud and you think hockey is Canada’s game. Now, it’s pretty obvious it’s the world’s game. But we still think it’s ours and I’m a bit of a redneck so I like to think it’s ours.”

“In saying that, it’s going to be one country’s game this year. There’s no guarantees. You’ve seen in all these games. There’s a fine line. All we’ve done is set ourselves up with a chance. We like our team. We like our opportunity. There’s pressure on us because we feel we have a chance. To me, that’s a really good thing.”

Bryzgalov, forced into the game in relief after starter Evgeni Nabokov, was shredded for six goals on 23 shots, was asked how this will play out at home.

“Same thing like Canadians if they lose.”

Meaning?

“Disaster.”

In truth, on Wednesday, the line between owning the game and the other option wasn’t very fine. It was, instead, very clearly defined. The Canadians made sure of that.

02-25-2010, 09:26 AM	#100 (permalink)
Leto Junkie Location: The Danforth	ahem... oh ya, that.... yes that smarted. Will we be coming out MAD? Quite likely so. Or as the Russians said, like Gorillas from a cage: Canada comes at Russia like ?gorillas coming out of a cage? - Vancouver 2010 Olympics - thestar.com Canada comes at Russia like ‘gorillas coming out of a cage’ February 25, 2010 Comments on this story (7) Paul Hunter VANCOUVER – It wasn’t much of a game. The Canadians made sure of that. But it was a glorious, chest-thumping, flag-waving display of hockey superiority on a grand stage. The Canadians made sure of that too. In the much-anticipated showdown between two great hockey nations Wednesday, Canada rolled over Russia 7-3 and into the Olympic semi-finals on Friday against Slovakia, which upset the defending Olympic champion Swedes 4-3 in a late game. The other semifinal has Finland against the U.S. on Friday. This was a reputation-changing stunner — not unlike the opener of the 1972 Summit Series won by the Russians 7-3 at Montreal — and far different than the taut, down-to-the-final-shot, nail-biter most fans expected. Instead, these teams answered the question, what if there was a hockey cold war and only one superpower showed up? “They came,” said Russia goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov of the Canadian onslaught, “like gorillas coming out of a cage.” Canada dominated fully and completely from the start. The newly formed line of Jonathan Toews between Rick Nash and Mike Richards — along with pounding hits from Shea Weber and Drew Doughty — took Alex Ovechkin out of the game early. The APB could have issued after Weber’s first hit. Meanwhile, the Canadians were only one goal short of their own Great 8. “We came out with that physical edge right away,” said Corey Perry, who led Canada’s offence with two goals. “Everybody knew what was at stake. Everyone knew what we had to do. And we went out and showed everybody what we wanted to do.” That, more or less, summed it up. The Canadians did exactly what they wanted to do. With ease. It was breathtaking. They not only pounded the Russians in to submission, they tossed the puck around the way, over the decades, we’ve seen the Russians artistically control play when at their high flying best. The Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby subplot was neutered early by effective Canadian checking and questions about the goaltending of Roberto Luongo were also muted because it didn’t really matter if he gave up two or three or four, so dominant was the Canadian offence. Though Luongo made a statement of sorts with a terrific save on an Evgeni Malkin breakaway late in the third. Canada again got scoring from a variety of sources, including Perry’s linemate Ryan Getzlaf, who had been quiet here. A resurgent Dan Boyle had a goal and two assists as Canada’s defence — which must get free roaming minutes — continues to help out offensively. Weber scored his second in two games, though this one didn’t dramatically burst through the mesh. Canada’s blueliners have four goals in the last two games after scoring none in the three preliminary games. Crosby, always with the big picture in mind, declined to put a tick on his side of the ledger in his long-standing rivalry with Ovechkin, though he didn’t dismiss the idea either. “It’s up to you to decide,” he said. “We won a quarterfinal game. It happened to be against Russia.” And it happened to be watched by millions of Canadians, not to mention the hoarse supporters here who likely didn’t believe what they were witnessing but loved every moment of it. Our national nervousness was suddenly replaced by swagger as the fans chanted “We want gold” towards the end. “It was an electric atmosphere,” said Luongo. Canada will now play for a medal. Friday’s game will decide the colour. The Russians will go home with nothing. And that left both sides with a very different perspective on what unfolded on the ice Wednesday. “You want to do well,” said Canadian coach Mike Babcock. “Because you’re proud and you think hockey is Canada’s game. Now, it’s pretty obvious it’s the world’s game. But we still think it’s ours and I’m a bit of a redneck so I like to think it’s ours.” “In saying that, it’s going to be one country’s game this year. There’s no guarantees. You’ve seen in all these games. There’s a fine line. All we’ve done is set ourselves up with a chance. We like our team. We like our opportunity. There’s pressure on us because we feel we have a chance. To me, that’s a really good thing.” Bryzgalov, forced into the game in relief after starter Evgeni Nabokov, was shredded for six goals on 23 shots, was asked how this will play out at home. “Same thing like Canadians if they lose.” Meaning? “Disaster.” In truth, on Wednesday, the line between owning the game and the other option wasn’t very fine. It was, instead, very clearly defined. The Canadians made sure of that. __________________ You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey And I never saw someone say that before You held my hand and we walked home the long way You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Leto_Atreides_I