March 5th, 2010... As I write this final recap from the Olympics, I am still disappointed in not winning the gold medal. As a team, we had one focus and goal and that was to come home with a gold medal, so to come up short is disappointing for us. It will definitely take some time to really appreciate the silver medal because we came to win gold. The silver is still an accomplishment because we did something nobody expected. All the so called "experts" picked us for 8th place and gave us no chance at a medal. Barry Melrose said we had "no chance". Well, how was that Barry? We shocked the world though. People thought it was a mini miracle when we beat Canada the first time, but we knew we could do it. Canada was considered the greatest team north of the border in history, yet they could not beat us in two complete games! It took overtime in the final game for them to finally beat us. One shot away from beating them twice and then maybe people would've realized how good our team was. Every player in that room would love to play the Canadians again. They know who the better team was, and so do we. This was the best team, the best group of guys, and the most fun I have ever had playing hockey.
I think as time has passed since that game I have come to realize that we as players and our families were the only ones who really understood the resolve and to never underestimate the USA. We were so proud to play for our country and we hope that we made all the Americans proud with our accomplishment. Every time we put that jersey on we felt unbeatable and it came down to one shot to see our gold get away.
It really was an incredible game from start to finish. We actually trailed for the first time in the whole tournament, 1-0 after one period. We went into the locker room confident and relaxed still. The speed of the game was fantastic and the pace, intensity and pressure were intense, but I loved it. We all did. These are the kind of games you live for and want to be a part of. As the game wore on we had so much confidence that we were going to win. Even though it took a great play by Patrick Kane to set up Zach Parise's goal with just 24 seconds left, we believed we were going to tie it and win in overtime. It's one of those things that you know you can and will do it and nothing will stand in your way. When Zach scored you should have seen the place - from a building that rocked the roof off to total silence except maybe the 100 USA parents and families. We knew we just stunned the whole country and it was awesome!
When we went into the locker room before overtime for the gold medal, we felt this was our time. As I have said before, we knew we were the best team and it was right there to stamp us forever. We came out flying and just knew we would do it. We just knew if we could just keep playing we would wear them down and win. Then, bang, they scored and it was over. I have never felt so disappointed in my life. Something you have dreamed about for so long and that is so close is taken away with just one shot, one goal, and our gold medal was gone.
The atmosphere was truly amazing and I think that made this game even more special. Talk about underdogs - we played the Canadian's in their game, on their soil at the Olympics, with their crowd and their referees. Yes, two refs and a linesman were from north of the border. These are not excuses, we welcomed the challenge and rose to it. It made the experience even better and we got to prove to the world even more that we belonged. I would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming support and those that took the time to send a note. Thank you so much. I can truly say that I take tremendous pride wearing that jersey and am really proud to be an American. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I hope to see you in Russia in 2014 with a different outcome!
GOING4 the GOLD
February 27th, 2010... It's always nice to prove people wrong. The media wrote us off, fans wrote us off. Everyone wrote us off, but everyone in that locker room (the only ones that matter) - we knew we could do it. Despite the experts and pretty much everyone on the planet expecting us to fail since we are so young and inexperienced, we are right where we expected to be and will be playing Canada for the gold medal.
It didn't matter what people were saying, as a group we believed in ourselves and that's all we needed. We want the gold and know we can get it, so that's what we are here to do. This means everything to us. We expected to be here. I've got a lot of medals in my house from international tournaments and a lot of them are gold. We knew we could do that.
Beating Finland 6-1 yesterday was a shock though since we thought it would be a closer game. We came out flying and put a lot of pressure on them, but we never expected to be up by 6 goals in the first period. When we were in the locker room during the first intermission, I just sat there and thought "Wow, I can't believe we just did that." Although we were surprised and had the game in hand, our coaches wanted to make sure we stuck to the game plan so we could carry it to the next game. We stayed focused and kept attacking them and played a great 60 minutes. Every guy on our team is doing whatever it takes to get the job done because we know what we are playing for. We are on the biggest stage in the world and want to bring the gold home to the U.S.
We have practice today and are focused on the rematch with Canada. Tomorrow will be the biggest game of our careers. I couldn't believe the atmosphere for last Sunday's game against Canada, but I know it will be louder and more electric for the gold medal game. I'm sure this will be the most watched TV event ever in Canada and I want nothing more than to win. This whole experience has been great and playing in that atmosphere with the gold medal on the line will be amazing. It's something you only dream of as a kid, but now it's actually here. It will be a thrill of a lifetime and I can't wait to get on the ice and start playing. To be an Olympian is special, but to be a gold medallist would be indescribable. This whole tournament has been amazing and I can't believe it comes down to this game.
I wanted to also thank everyone who has taken the time to write in and wish me luck and send words of encouragement. It means a lot. I haven't had a chance to answer everyone's questions yet, but I'll do that soon. Right now I'm focused on Canada and playing in the game of my life! Go USA!
February 24th, 2010... We're down to 4 teams fighting for medals and we want gold! We beat Switzerland today, 2-0, but knew it was going to be a dogfight. It's tough to play the same team twice in a tournament and I think the team that lost has an advantage because they know what adjustments they have to make to win. We just focused on sticking to our game plan and wanted to make sure we attacked them every chance we had. We knew we could wear them down and if it went to overtime or a shootout, we'd have the advantage, so we focused on attacking them and being aggressive all game.
Some people might be surprised by the score, but we knew it was going to be a battle. It definitely wasn't easy, but our coaches prepared us well. At this stage in the tournament, everyone plays with desperation because if you lose, there's no tomorrow. Every pass, shot, and shift is so important and the intensity kicks up a notch. Zach Parise had a great game and we know we can count on him to come up big when it matters most. It was an incredible complete team effort though. So many guys were sacrificing their bodies, blocking shots, and just doing the extra little things to make sure we got the win.
We have to stay focused and take it one game at a time, but we're getting closer and closer to what we came here for - the gold medal. It's great to be in the semifinals and I couldn't be prouder or more excited to be a part of this. We seemed to gel right away with each other and have been a team from the beginning of the Olympics. This has been an unbelievable experience and we're not done yet! Bring on Finland! Go USA!
I was interviewed by Jim Rome about the Olympics.
February 21st, 2010... Someone asked me after tonight's game when I knew that we could beat Canada. To be quite honest, I knew when I got off our bus and headed into the arena. Everyone thinks we're the underdog, but we're on a mission and knew we could win. We came here to win the gold and that's what we plan on doing. The game was absolutely incredible. For the first time in my life, the arena was completely packed when I skated out for warm-ups. The atmosphere was unbelievable and the game hadn't even started! I've never seen a rink like that and it was the most incredible, intense, and loudest rink I have ever played in. It was a sea of red and just mind blowing. Throughout the game we had to scream at each other just to hear one another because of how loud the rink was. We jumped out early and really put the pressure on them with a quick goal. The Canadians tied it up, but we never trailed in the game and just kept playing our game and working hard. Ryan Kesler had an incredible effort to track down the puck and score the empty-netter and clinch the 5-3 victory. Ryan Miller was phenomenal in net once again and proved why he is the best goalie in the world.
When the final buzzer went, we felt a sense of relief and satisfaction. It was an all around great team effort and Canada played well too. It's how a game should be and with the crowd, rivalry, and intensity of the game - I don't think it's something anyone will forget. I've never played in a game with that much intensity, but it was definitely fun and something I live for! Now that the prelims are done, the real work begins. We earned a bye to the quarterfinals and still have our focus on winning a gold.
February 20th, 2010... In our second game on Thursday we beat Norway, but it was definitely a tough game, which is expected in the Olympics. Everyone is good, so no game is easy and we can't let up. It's nice to get these games in though since I feel the team is coming together better and we're getting more comfortable with each other. Ryan Miller is awesome and it was a good win for us.
Yesterday we had the day off and had a chance to relax, visit with family, and hang out. It's really cool to walk around the Olympic Village and see other athletes. I recognize a lot of them, but some I just look at and wonder what they do. It's definitely incredible and an amazing experience. Last night USA Hockey had a beautiful reception at a country club for both the men's and women's hockey teams and their families. It was a great opportunity to get some pictures with everyone else. My little brother Kenny was having a ball and got his picture taken with Bobby Ryan, Erik Johnson, Patrick Kane, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rafalski - just to name a few. A lot of guys got group pictures like former Badgers, Spartans, and Gophers. It was a beautiful evening and many thanks to USA Hockey for putting it on. Today we practiced and will be getting into game preparation since tomorrow we have our big game against Canada! It should be an incredible atmosphere and we can already feel the intensity building. I can't wait and know that we will be ready.
Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to write in - it means a lot. Go USA!
February 17th, 2010... WOW! The Opening Ceremony was unbelievable and the coolest thing I have ever done! All the effort we put in to getting there was worth it. The day started off by meeting Vice President Joe Biden. That was really cool and he even knew my name! I was stunned and it was really neat. He was a great guy and it was a real thrill to meet him. He said he would follow all the hockey games and cheer us on. All the secret service guys took photos with me and I took a photo standing next to the VP seal and his car. It was such a cool experience, but there was so much more to come!
I did some interviews, saw some of the Olympic stuff, and checked in to get my credentials, but the main reason for my trip was fast approaching: The Opening Ceremony. In line "The Flying Tomato" Shaun White, the snow boarder, came up and wanted a picture with me. How cool is that!? And I thought I would be asking him. I can't describe my feelings as I was walking into the arena alongside the best athletes in the world. I was so proud and had to keep telling myself I'm really here.
After returning to Los Angeles and beating Colorado, I came back to Vancouver and was ready to play for Team USA. We opened the Olympics against Switzerland and beat them 3-1 last night. We were all a little nervous and excited at the start, but it was a great win and it helped settle us down. The Swiss team has been together for 6 months so they had a little advantage early, then I think we took over. It sure helps to have Ryan Miller in net. Great crowd, great way to start, and now we're preparing for Norway.
If you want to see details about my trip and the Opening Ceremony, check out the ESPN video below and the link (that has even more videos from the trip)
or the nbcolympics.com
video. I'll keep blogging and keep you up-to-date on this amazing experience of Going for the Gold!
UNBELIEVABLE
Vancouver 2010 Olympics
February 12th, 2010... I don't really have much to say about the Opening Ceremony because I'm still in awe. It was unbelievable and more than anything I could have imagined. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to be there.
Keep checking back as I'll be blogging from the Olympics!
Watch more videos and read more about my Opening Ceremonies adventure on ESPN.com
I never expected the attention I'd get for going to the opening ceremonies, but we've had TV crews and media following me and my family around. Check out some of the articles in the Latest News section including an article from NHL.com.
