Crosby’s Golden Goal at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games is Obiter’s choice for Sports Moment of the Decade
Picking a top sporting moment of the decade is obviously a very difficult process. So many sports are played around the world at such an incredible level. Honourable mentions would go to the Toronto Raptors winning their first title and bringing Canada its first big 4 North American Championship since the Blue Jays won the World Series in 1993, and Germany’s shocking dismantling of host Brazil 7-1 in the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup. But for me, the best sporting moment this decade is one that involves our entire country.
To find the moment, we would go all the way back to the start of the decade. In 2010, Canada played host to the world with the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The entire event could be included as the best Canadian sporting moment of the decade. Indeed, with the likes of Jon Montgomery downing a beer in the streets of Vancouver after capturing the gold medal in skeleton and the Canadian women’s hockey team securing gold against the Americans, Canadian pride was at an all time high. This civic pride culminated when Canada faced the United States in the men’s gold medal hockey game. The gold medal game was the last competitive event at the Olympics before the closing ceremony.
Stakes were at an all-time high with the Americans having defeated the Canadians 5-3 in group play to secure an easier path to Gold. Team Canada could have wilted under the pressure from that loss, but the players grew from this loss as they knocked off Germany, eviscerated Russia, and snuck by Slovakia to secure themselves a rematch with the Americans in the gold medal game. With the backing of an entire country, Canada seemed destined to claim gold. The game had been hard-fought by both teams, with each team trading blows. With a 2-1 lead late, the whole country was ready to burst with jubilation, but in the dying moments, Zach Parise tied the game for the Americans with 25 seconds to go. The score was tied 2-2 in the game, we were headed to overtime and you could hear the collective deflation of millions
Queue the magic of Sidney Crosby. At the time, Sid had been held off the scoresheet for almost 2 games. But 7 minutes into the overtime frame, Jarome Iginla had the puck in the corner when he heard a cry of “Iggy!” from Crosby who was alone in front of the net. Crosby fired a quick shot between the legs of Ryan Miller that caught the American net minder off guard, and with one flick of the wrist, brought a nation to its feet.
The words of CTV play-by-play man Chris Cuthbert still echoes in the minds of Canadian hockey fans everywhere.
“Sidney Crosby! The Golden Goal! And Canada has once in a lifetime…Olympic gold!”
The Golden Goal stands out to me as the top sporting moment of the decade. A country united by one sport. It doesn’t get any better than that! With as many as 26.5 million Canadians watching at any point during the game, the most watched sporting event in Canadian history, nothing else simply comes close. The moment was so glorious that the puck and Crosby’s gloves now sit on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame, forever immortalized. As an avid sports fan, I can’t wait to see what incredible moments we get in the roaring 20’s.