"I didn't expect that" On Ice

Unbelievable? Yes. Unexpected? Yes. Miracle? Not even close.

For everything that last night's hockey game between Team USA and Team Canada was, miraculous was not one of them. So our team of professionals went into their country and beat their team of professionals and we're supposed to call it a miracle? Basically for one night, at least, our millionaires were better than their millionaires.

I understand why everyone wants to hop on the "Miracle" bandwagon. As I sit and type, it is literally the 30th Anniversary of the US over the Soviets in Lake Placid. We all get caught up in the memory so we try to project that upon what we witnessed last night. Back in 1980, Team USA was made up of college amateurs. Team USSR was the Red Army, highly skilled professionals who lived hockey and their dominance over the decades proved that. Just a few weeks before, the Soviets destroyed Team USA on our own turf and were expected to do so again in Lake Placid. Throw in the backdrop of the Cold War and the movie writes itself. Where does last night compare?

Canada is favored to win the Gold. News Flash... they still can. It was in Canada. OK, Canada beat the US in the Gold Medal Game in 2002... in UTAH... and that wasn't seen as a Miracle. But the US hasn't beaten the Canadians in the Olympics in 50-plus years. True... but the Olympics don't happen every year so when you break it down, the US was only 0-5-1 in that span, hardly Notre Dame over Navy.

It was a great game. It was exciting as hell. When the last goal crossed into the empty net, I jumped off the floor and did some sort of tae-bo exercise celebration, but it was far from miraculous. It wasn't even for a medal. If the US comes out and loses in the quarterfinals and leaves Vancouver without a medal how much will last night mean? That's not to take anything away from last night. The United States showed that they can play with Canada and effectively showed that they can play with anyone in the world. It sure made me proud but not once did I think it came close to 1980.

Last time I checked, we played our friends to the North, not the Taliban. And I'm pretty sure that Bin laden hasn't been training his men and dominating the hockey landscape for the better part of a decade only to fall to us on the Olympic Stage. Unless I missed all of that somehow, quit with the Miracle II talk. I realize that 2010's Ryan Suter is the son of Bob Suter from 1980 and that this year's team has a Ryan Callahan and 1980 had a Jack O'Callahan and that Brooks Orpik was named after Herb Brooks, but seriously, the comparisons should end there.

Last night was a great win and hopefully another step on the return to the medal stand. But 1980 was a moment in time that should stand alone. Not even Tiger Woods transcended the game like that group of kids that shocked the world. To even try to compare anything to that diminishes what they did.

I will say this, though. There is a comparison to make from last night to 1980. Some people will look back to 1980 as the birth of the USA USA chant that echoed through that arena. Last night it echoed again, on Canadian soil, on Facebook and in bars and living rooms all throughout the country. None of the talk was about brakes or healthcare or affairs. There weren't red states and blue states. There was only red, white and blue states. For the first time in a long time, the country came together.

Do you believe in miracles?