"This Is All About Our Country Right Now. I Love The USA" -- Jack Hughes Is An American Hero From Now Until The End Of Time
I know that certain people out there hated people trying to draw parallels between today's game and the 1980 Miracle on Ice (cough cough Dave Portnoy cough cough). And sure, the circumstances were wildly different today. The intro to this game said it all. USA vs Canada wasn't the same David vs Goliath story we saw play out in 1980 against the Soviets. This was a Clash of Titans. The best two hockey teams in the world going head-to-head to claim global supremacy.
Obviously there are a ton of people in the world right now who hate America. Obviously there are a ton of people within America right now who hate America. So very much like 1980, the United States of America needs something to pull this country together. We need a group of individuals to rally behind, and make us realize that we are still the greatest country in the world. That no matter what happens, we will always carry the American spirit with us, and nobody else can take that away.
The US men's and women's hockey team both embodied that spirit perfectly throughout these Olympics. Some of the best hockey players in the world who all understand that nothing is more important than the team.
Jack Hughes just scored the biggest goal in the past 46 years of American hockey history. He instantly became a legend with one shot of the puck. And what does he do in his first post-game interview immediately after the game? He talks about how proud he is to be American. He talks about how much he loves all of his teammates. He gives all of the very deserved credit to Connor Hellebucyk for putting on one of the greatest goaltending performances we've ever seen. He loves his country, he loves his teammates, he loves USA Hockey. At no point does he even consider talking about what this means for him.
If we could all just find a way for these USA Hockey teams to bleed their way into the way normal Americans think every day, then we'll be well on our way back to being the America that we were always meant to be.