With the Winter Olympics coming to an end, the NHL resumed play last week, meaning players who represented their country in the two week event were able to return to their original teams. One notable return, was that of Buffalo Sabers goalie Ryan Miller. Miller single-handedly kept the U.S. Hockey team in contention throughout the tournament, before coming up short and having to settle for silver when losing in an overtime thriller to team Canada. Coincidentally, Canadian hero Sidney Crosby was also making his return in the same building. Sid the kid scored the game winning goal to win his country a gold medal in their home made sport of hockey, by slipping the puck past Miller 5-hole to send both the arena and the country into a craze. But returning to the States, you would think he would have gotten the biggest applause of the night granted Crosby was in his team's arena, right? Wrong.
During player introductions, the Penguins public announcer addressed Miller and his outstanding effort in the Olympics that eventually won him MVP of the tournament. Despite being on the opposing team, the crowd roared and even gave him a standing ovation. When their very own superstar player Sidney Crosby was announced, he too was mentioned for his Olympic play. Upon his introduction, the replay of his game winning goal that put Canada back on top of the hockey world, was seen on the JumboTron, leaving the home crowd in boo's. The reaction among the Penguin faithful reminded us just how heated the rivalry between both countries has gotten in the sport of hockey. & Although the American born, Michigan native Ryan Miller was unable to keep the All-Star cast that was team Canada from spoiling the U.S.'s first gold medal in hockey since 1980, Miller joins an elite group of heroes and will forever be remembered for his brilliant effort in this past Olympic games.
Crosby, who has been referred to as Canada's savior for his late game heroics in the gold medal game, has also been said to be the best Penguin since Mario Lemieux, who now owns the team. We all know Crosby could care less about what the Pittsburgh crowd thinks, because it is he who brought them their first Stanley cup (last year), since the 1991-92 season. I'd give it a week or two before Pens fans forget about the whole thing and let their guy who just so happens to be the best player in the league, off the hook. Miller was awarded the night off, with Pittsburgh using that to their advantage, winning the game 3-2.
Cook's wrongdoing leads to New Rules - Another headline in the NHL since the Olympic break came to an end, is the recent news of the league looking into banning fights. Hockey in this year's Winter Olympics had the highest television rating in Winter Olympics history, and many think the friendly, non-physical environment played a major role in it's success. However, some fans, like myself, think banning fights would make the sport less interesting. Keep in mind, this isn't the first time the league has considered outlawing brawls. One thing that does need to be outlawed however, is blind-sided hits. They're already illegal in the sport, but a small fine and a game or two suspension isn't going to prevent them from happening.
This past weekend seen the most recent episode of illegal hits, as Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke's shoulder knocked Boston Bruins Marc Savard out with an illegal blow to the head. Savard received a Grade 2 concussion and could miss the remainder of the season. Cooke is no stranger to suspensions for head checks, as he has had 2 separate two-game suspensions already for similar incidents. Although he's a repeat offender, he will not be suspended this time around, as officials have reviewed the altercation and found nothing illegal about the hit. But next season with different rulings on hand, referees will have the upper-hand and the authority to determine how extreme the punishment to those who commit similar incidents is.
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