Americans Get Biggest Hockey Win Since ‘Miracle’

Photo Credit: Getty ImagesThe puck went five-hole off the stick off T.J. Oshie to win a hockey game for the United States against Russia just the way the puck went five-hole off the stick of Mike Eruzione to win one against the Soviet Union in a different time and place.

Except that this time and this place, Saturday in Sochi, there was nothing miraculous about the goal that went between the legs of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to lift the USA to a 3-2 shootout-decided, preliminary round victory; nothing, in fact, miraculous about any of the four shootout goals recorded by Oshie that ultimately determined the outcome of this extremely entertaining, up-tempo match.

While NHL hockey turns into a kind of a one-on-one game after 65 minutes of tied score, Olympic hockey can turn into a literal one-on-one affair once a shootout enters the tie-breaking fourth round of the tie-breaking skills competition.

It can be one shooter for the duration, as it was for the USA and coach Dan Bylsma with Oshie, 7-for-10 with St. Louis this season and 25-for-46 in his NHL career in the competition, who went 4-for-6 in extra innings.

The ultimate team game distilled to “One for All.”