Feb. 17 - A golden medal, a golden moment



NAGANO - They won gold. My sister is an Olympic gold medalist.

And what a game. It was a great game. Two great teams, great goaltending, great special teams. It was just what an Olympic gold medal hockey game is supposed to be.

I have to say that when Canada scored that goal (making it 2-1), I fell apart. I was a wreck until the empty-netter went in. My wife Linda and I were watching the game at a friend's house because they have a dish so we could pick up CBC, which was broadcasting the game live so I kept telling myself to relax.

I told myself I wouldn't pace so I stayed seated. But I did all those things you do when you're nervous - I crossed and recrossed my legs, twisted my hands, stretched my legs - like by doing something, even just physically moving in the slightest way, it will have some impact on the game.

It was such a great game that you feel bad that there's a loser. But, hey, for the past four years at the World Championships we've been the team on the other end, losing by a goal or two, with Canada celebrating. So I guess every comes around.

And AT&T gave everyone in our family phones so we could be at the game "together," even though we all over the place. That was really great and I want to thank them for that. It wasn't quite like being there but just hearing the game noise in the background and being able to talk to my family during the game made it better.

It was a very special game, the most special one that I can remember.

They also had a phone right there in the tunnel for when Cammi came off the ice, so she could talk to me and Donny (who was in Columbus, Ohio). She said, "We did it!" She was very emotional, very excited.

When I talked to her earlier in the day before the game, she said that the team knew their moment was in front of them. Well put, I think. It certainly is their moment to shine and celebrate all the hard work.

It's 6:30 a.m. (Pacific Time, 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time) on Tuesday morning and I've watched the game twice already - first on the CBC live broadcast, then on the CBS delayed broadcast. The second time I was back at home watching it with my kids. My four-year-old son, Nicholas, said Cammi won her "golden medal." It sure is, buddy, definitely a golden medal and a golden moment.

My friend said jokingly after watching the broadcast of the U.S. women singing the national anthem on the podium during the flag raising ceremony that the Americans were great hockey players but not really very good singers.

I don't know. They sounded kind of wonderful to me.


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