We won’t see very many better hockey games than we saw today.

It had everything. An up-and-down pace all game. Incredible skill on display. Very few lapses by either team. Intensity at the highest level.

And oh yeah, the gold medal was at stake.

Look, I’d much rather see the Washington Capitals win the Stanley Cup than I would see Team USA win a gold medal. I was in stunned silence for about a half an hour after Canada won in overtime and then got on with my life. If the Capitals were to lose a Game 7 in a couple of months just like Team USA lost against Canada, then you’d see me on the ledge of a College Park bridge.

But nevertheless, playing for a gold medal is pretty huge. The players on the ice for either team may not play a bigger game in their lives, and for many, that may have been their last shot at a gold medal.

As for the game, I just can’t get over how well the game was played. The game was played exactly how hockey should be played, especially at such a high level – a unique combination of talent, skill, determination, and emotion. Everything came together and what we saw was a beautiful display in which players moved up and down the ice at a feverish pitch.

The skill of both teams, with every player being in the NHL, was very evident. Canadians like Rick Nash and Ryan Getzlaf showed what a bull they can be on the ice, and Americans like Patrick Kane and Zach Parise displayed their offensive abilities, and Brian Rafalski showed how he can control a game. Lesser known Americans like David Backes, Ryan Kesler and Dustin Brown — and I thought those three were big for the Americans for the entire tournament – let hockey fans exactly who they are.

Each team’s world-class goaltending was on display, as tournament MVP Ryan Miller (they give out MVP’s at the Olympics?) made some incredible stops. Even though Roberto Luongo was a bit shaky, he still held the Americans to two goals.

And the moments in the game — I bet no American who watched that game will soon forget Parise, who was bottled up for much of the game by Canada’s size, scoring the tying goal in the dwindling seconds of regulation and basically jumping through the roof during his celebration.

Sure, I would have loved to have seen the Americans win the gold today. But I also realize what an incredible game was played — it’s a game that will be remembered for quite some time.

I just really, really wish it wasn’t Sidney Crosby that won it for Canada.

I have to relax for a little while and collect my thoughts on the terrific USA/Canada game that just occurred.

Unbelievable game, insane pace, top-notch effort for both teams.

Pavol Demitra had a tie game on his stick.

Everyone’s plans for a USA/Canada final were almost derailed.

Demitra, not far away from Canada’s net — the upper half of which was empty — in the dwindling seconds of regulation with the Slovaks down by a goal, rang the crossbar.

When the puck left Demitra’s stick, I thought overtime was on its way.

Guess not.

Overtime would have been both incredibly intense, and interesting at the same time. Intense for the obvious reasons. Interesting because all of the momentum would have been in Slovakia’s favor, given that the Slovaks scored three straight goals in the third period and Canada’s offensive output was close to zero in the third.

Nevertheless, we get the USA and Canada at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday. Not a bad event for a Sunday afternoon.

It should be be epic. I’m hoping for a game similar in intensity to the game the two teams played last Sunday, which the Americans won, 5-3. Even though the last game was played just a week ago, these are two different teams at this point in the tournament. One might as well throw out that last game when trying to predict the outcome of the final.

Canada’s team chemistry seems to have grown exponentially over the past week, most notably seen against Russia when they blew them out of the arena and looked like a cohesive unit on the ice. Canada also has a new goalie in Roberto Luongo (I felt like he was their best option coming into the tournament). The lines got shuffled a bit.

I am a bit intrigued by the Canadians’ inability to generate any offense late in the game against the Slovaks, although much of that can probably be attested to Canada shifting into a defensive mode late.

With the Americans, I mean, they scored six goals in less than 13 minutes against no slouches in Finland (although Miikka Kiprusoff certainly aided in the goal-scoring process.) Could they do that at the beginning of the tournament? No. In fact, they couldn’t even set up a power play.

The only aspect of the last game that I can take is that Team USA certainly has the combination of size, speed and grit to match the Canadians, a testament to the terrific job that American general manager Brian Burke and Co. in assembling the American team.

Remember when everyone was wondering what Chris Drury was doing on the team? A few hundred blocked shots later, we have our answer.

And, of course, the Americans have that Ryan Miller guy.

Sure, these are two changed teams. But I hope we get the same intensity level that we got last week, because that kind of game is so fun to watch. In fact, we could get an even better game. Higher stakes means higher intensity. And for some of these players, there are no higher stakes than a gold medal.

It’s the USA and Canada. It’s for the gold. I expect one of the most memorable hockey games in recent memory.

I’m guessing Canada wins tonight over the surprising Slovaks. Call me crazy.

If that game goes as most think it will, it sets up a rematch of epic proportions, as the Americans rolled over Team Finland today by a score of 6-1, with all six American goals coming in a 13-shot first period.

Ryan Miller made 18 saves on 18 shots before being lifted in order to get Tim Thomas some time in net.

Team USA, the only team not to lose in the tournament yet. Team Canada, the hockey superpower. Sunday at 3 p.m. Get pumped.

This could be the most epic hockey game of recent memory.

Last night, I was perusing YouTube, and stumbled upon a couple of clips that should get anyone amped up about the United States’ hockey team’s success in the Olympics thus far and their semifinal game today against Finland.

Great movie. Great scenes.

Ok, so if the Americans won the gold medal this year — which would probably involve beating Canada once again — it’s no miracle. But doesn’t the movie Miracle just get you pumped up about the semifinals and the finals?

For this year’s American team, the formula is great goaltending, along with the size and speed to match up with any other team in the tournament.

Ryan Miller has been stellar, which, coming into the tournament, was thought had to be the case if the Americans medaled. Team USA’s size and speed actually matched up extremely well in the tournament, and was especially evident against Team Canada as the Americans didn’t give anything away in terms of the ability to skate and hit with the uber-talented Canadians.

Throw in the talent that the Americans possess (all NHL players on the team) along with the balance, character, and chemistry of the team, and you have a 4-0 squad making a gold medal push.

I haven’t seen much of their next opponent, Finland, but if the Americans use the size, speed, talent and character that they’ve shown in their past four games, one has to like the odds of moving onto the gold medal game.

I’m just wondering why a semifinal game is being played at noon local time in Vancouver. Aren’t big games supposed to be played, so, like, people can watch?

A 4 p.m. local start time for the American game, followed by an 8 p.m. local start time for the Canadian semifinal seems logical to me. That way, you get the American game at 7 p.m. Eastern time, and many more people can watch the game and ratings would increase. And those in Vancouver would get the Canadian game in prime-time.

Me and silly common sense.

The only thing that would derail this plan is that NBC would rather televise ridiculous ice dancing at 7 p.m. Eastern time than an actual sport, so hockey would be relegated to a channel with no HD.

Yes, I’m still bitter.

I’ll take the Americans, 3-2, over Finland, and I’ll take the Canadians, 5-2, over the Slovaks, setting up a rematch for the ages on Sunday night.

So, I guess the quarterfinal between the United States men’s hockey team and Switzerland was a good game.

Ok, try a great game. I’m not putting it up with the USA/Canada, but this 2-0 victory for the Americans was pretty entertaining.

The Americans peppered Jonas Hiller all game with shot after shot, and Hiller stood tall for all but one shot. The Swiss formula for winning against Team USA — have Hiller play very well and be very opportunistic with the scoring chances that they had — almost worked. Despite being heavily outshot (44-19), Hiller was outstanding and the Swiss had their chances. They just didn’t convert on those chances.

The Swiss played a rope-a-dope style throughout much of the game, which was symbolized early in the third period, when I saw three Swiss players packed right around Hiller. When the Americans were making their big pushes, the Swiss were holding on for dear life.

Rope-a-dope almost worked.

Thanks to a persistant American offense, Zach Parise, and Ryan Miller, the Americans still pulled this one out.

The American offense always kept pushing, despite being shut down by Hiller (and luck — I’ll explain later). Parise scored two goals, including the first goal of the game for either squad early in the third period, as Parise stuffed home a rebound off a shot that originally came off of the stick of Brian Rafalski. Parise also scored an empty netter.

Ryan Miller made the saves when he had to (and got some luck, too — I’ll explain later).

Hiller looked like he was getting help from above during this game. In the dying seconds of the second period, American Ryan Kesler fetched a puck from the left wing corner and threw it on net, as there was no time to set up a play. Hiller struggled with the puck, and ended up juggling it in the air. The puck bounced around in the air and went into the net as time expired in the period. The play was reviewed, and the overhead view found that the puck was right over the goal line as time in the period hit 0:00.

I’ve never seen anything like that. Unbelievably unique play.

Hiller got some help from the referees in the third period. Shortly after Parise put the United States up by one, the American netminder, Miller, was tested. Sandy Jeanin of the Swiss got Miller out of position and had an empty net looming. Jeanin hit the post. The Americans rushed the puck back down the ice, and shortly thereafter, American Ryan Suter wristed one past Hiller from the left wing. But the goal was taken away by a phantom interference call on Kesler, who was battling a defenseman in front of Hiller.

Bizarre sequence.

Per Chris Johnston of The Canadian Press, New York Islanders’ defenseman Mark Streit skated 29:06 for the game (and seemingly the entire third period), and Ryan Suter led Team USA in ice time with 24:05.

For Team USA as a whole, nobody would have expected that four games in, they still will had not lost a game. Heck, they’ve won all of their games in regulation, to boot. They beat Canada. They got the No. 1 seed for the elimination rounds. They got the inside track to the gold medal game by having Russia, Canada, and Sweden on the opposite side of the bracket.

Russia and Canada have both lost games, but not the USA. Anyone bet that before the tournament?

Look, Team USA is made up entirely of talented NHL players, so this was always plausible. Just not probable. At all.

Team USA now awaits the winner of the Czech Republic and Finland.

I just got back from the gym, as I played a couple pick-up basketball games.

I also had classes today, and I did my wash, too.

Today was a big day. But tomorrow will be better.

The Americans take on the Swiss tomorrow at 3 p.m. on NBC — which for me, means HD. I’m pumped up for seeing the Americans in HD in such a high-stakes hockey game. The Americans may have some issues dealing with Swiss goaltender Jonas Hiller, as he single-handedly almost defeated Canada when the two teams played in the preliminary round. Hiller is a talented netminder of the Anaheim Ducks who is capable of stealing one for Switzerland against the U.S., but the Americans have Ryan Miller.

Miller was a machine against Canada. So unbelievably great in net. So calm in the final Canadian onslaught. He won’t have to face 45 shots against Switzerland like he did against Canada, as the Swiss only managed 15 shots, but had more scoring chances in the game than 15 shots would indicate they would have.

I expect the Americans to win, but if Hiller stands on his head, and the Swiss are as opportunistic with their scoring chances as the Americans were against the Canadians, then the Swiss can pull off the upset.

My day continues. At 9 p.m., the Maryland men’s basketball team takes on Clemson, a game that I will be attending. It’s a big game for Maryland, as they want to further separate themselves from the pack in the ACC and continue to hold serve at home within the conference. Moving to 10-3 in the ACC and beating a team that they lost to earlier in the year would only help their tournament chances.

But by attending the Maryland game, I miss the majority of Canada/Russia. That’s a huge game that I want to see, but it’s not like I have some fancy recording device in my dorm room. After all, I’m a poor college student. As much as I would love to have TiVo, it’s not really in the budget. I need advice as to how to record this game.

The USA/Canada game was one of the best sports events I have ever watched. Unreal levels of talent on each side. Every minute was full of action. Every moment was played as if it were those player’s last moments on a hockey rink. To say that the game was played at a playoff intensity is a grand understatement.

Ryan Miller playing at a super-human level. Brian Rafalski comes through with not one, but two goals.

The empty netter at the end of the game was symbolic of the Americans’ effort — Ryan Kesler went full blast into the Canadian zone past Corey Perry and slid towards the puck, which was stationed at the bottom of the left-wing face-off circle, and slapped it into the empty net to put the game away for the Americans.

Prior to the empty-netter, the Canadians were putting intense pressure on Miller, who responded with world-class saves. Miller made 42 saves in the game, but it seemed like he made 42 in the last five minutes alone. Canada put together quite the shooting gallery late. Miller stood tall.

The entire nation of Canada will have Miller haunting their dreams for quite some time.

Rafalski, too. How many people thought Rafalski would be the top performing defenseman in the game? Two goals? Wow.

And how big was that goal 44 seconds into the game by the Americans? Settled down the Canadian crowd right away.

The way this American team was constructed, at this point, looks just about perfect (knock on wood.) They left behind aging stars like Bill Guerin, Keith Tkatchuk, and Mike Modano and went with a roster loaded with young talent. This is the new age of USA Hockey was the message, seemingly.

The team also seems to have a unique blend of heart-and-soul guys and scorers along with speed and size. Character and chemistry seemed to also be key components of the team selection (as Kurt Russell says in “Miracle,” I didn’t pick the best players, I picked the right ones.) Players on Team USA are willing to take a shot to the gut in order to win.

Team Canada seemed like it’s a bunch of stars — and Canada has plenty of them — thrown onto the roster. Sure, talent is on the side of Canada as opposed to any other team in the Olympic tournament. But can you throw a bunch of stars together on, say, a penalty kill? Are top-notch forwards going to kill penalties effectively?

Chemistry also doesn’t seem as strong with the Canadians as it does with the Americans. Character, too — on that empty netter at the end of the game, didn’t it look like Kesler just wanted it more than Perry?

I also thought that Martin Brodeur looked a bit average in net. He gave up four goals, one of which looked like he could have saved, and the other came off of a bad clearing effort from Brodeur. Before the tournament began, I felt like Roberto Luongo was a better option for the Canadians, and I haven’t seen anything to disprove that yet.

Look, the Canadians may very well come back and win the tournament. But right now, Team USA, led by their goaltender, is at the top of the hockey world. A big upset and a fantastic game. The upset is no where near a miracle, as Team USA is compromised of just as many NHL players as Canada is. But it’s still a big upset.

I just finished watching the Russian men’s hockey team beat Czech Republic, 4-2, giving Group B to the Russians. That guarantees the Russian a top three seed in the single-elimination rounds and a bye in the first round of single-elimination play.

Alex Ovechkin seemed to change the game with a huge center-ice hit on Jaromir Jagr, which led directly to a goal by Evgeni Malkin, who was fed a beautiful pass by Alexander Semin. That made the score 3-1 in favor of the Russians. The Czechs made a strong push to tie the game up, but couldn’t get closer than 3-2.

UPDATE: Here’s the video of the Ovechkin hit, the Semin pass, and Malkin goal:

Now I’m watching NBC’s feature on the Miracle on Ice. NBC has Al Michaels with Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig and Mark Johnson talking about the 1980 miracle in Lake Placid on the same ice that they played on in 1980.

Well, not the exact same ice, but you get the point.

So far, it’s a very good feature. It’s a lead-in of sorts to the USA/Canada matchup tonight at 7:45, the biggest game of the preliminary round. But the game is on MSNBC, not NBC. What did NBC feel was more important than USA/Canada, the most important event of the Olympics thus far?

Ice dancing.

Yes, ice dancing. And no NBC, for me, means no HD. And no HD means epic fail. Nevertheless, I’m pumped up for this game.

The arena in Vancouver will be absolutely jumping. It’s the powerhouse Canadians, favored to win the tournament by many, against the youthful, talented and underdog Americans.

The talent is clearly on the side of the Canadians, but Ryan Miller of Team USA may be the best goaltender in the entire tournament. Miller gives the Americans a chance to win in every game the Americans play. If Miller plays as well as he is capable of, and guys like Zach Parise and Patrick Kane take advantage of the opportunities that they’re presented with, then the Americans can pull off the big upset.

It’s the biggest event of the Olympics so far. It’s USA/Canada. I can’t wait.