Game of the Year

Take a deep breath, the Olympics went out with a bang.

On the final night of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the men's hockey gold medal game lived up to every expectation. A 2-0 second period deficit turned into a 2-2 thriller before Sidney Crosby beat Ryan Miller for the game-winner.

But what an accomplishment for the Americans.

Coming into the Olympic games, the U.S. were barely given any chance of winning a medal. Weeks later the youngest team at the Olympic games is leaving Vancouver after defeating the best team in the world once and skated with them for more than three periods.

The game was exciting, dramatic, and by far the best sporting event of the year thus far in 2010. It gave great exposure to unknown athletes like Ryan Miller, and my personal favorite, Jack Johnson. It may create short-term buzz around the NHL, it may not. It won't make hockey more popular that basketball, baseball, or football here in the U.S.

But for about 70 minutes in the early evening hours on the first Sunday in March, a group of young Americans and talented Canadians kept the attention of the entire world. The spirit of the Olympic games came through the last event of Vancouver.

Another successful Olympic games.