STEELE SPORTS

If you’re a sports fan, chances are you were tuned into the Olympics over the past two weeks, and if you’re like me, there were no events more highly anticipated than the men’s and women’s gold medal hockey games.

The moment that it was determined that the USA and Canada would square off in both games, I marked my calendar and cleared my schedule to make sure I could watch in peace.

I know that I wasn’t the only one.

In fact, this past Sunday I witnessed an incredible display of patriotism, and believe it or not, it actually came prior to the USA men’s Olympic hockey team winning the gold medal in a 2-1 overtime showdown against Canada.

The spectacle was viewable from my apartment window as I woke up at 6 a.m. to prepare for the gold-medal game at 7:10 a.m.

When I lifted the shades from the main window in my living room, I was shocked to find out that I wasn’t alone as the only early bird waiting for the big game.

The lights in nearly all of the units in my complex were already on for the day, and while I know there’s a strong contingency of morning people out there, the sheer number of people awake at that hour of a Sunday was obviously no coincidence.

It was a perfect representation of how sports can bring us all together, no matter how divided we may be outside of the rinks, courts and fields.

The game fell 46 years to the day from the infamous Miracle on Ice game where USA’s Olympic men’s hockey team defeated the Soviet Union’s super team full of professionals in a 4-3 game.

Although I wasn’t around yet back then to appreciate the importance of that game, I do know that this past week’s games against Canada felt like more than just sporting events.

They were sources of national pride, and they were felt by all of us.

Every save made by Connor Hellebuyck and Aerin Frankel had us holding our breath.

Each shot taken by one of our USA players had friends and family jumping out of their seats.

The game-winning goals in both games were highlight-reel plays that will live forever in the minds of young athletes nationwide.

This past weekend was bigger than hockey, it was coming together again as a nation, whether we realized it or not in the moment.

And in perfect symbolism, we got to see in real time how unbeatable we can all be when we come together for a common goal.