Russians Still Whining About Olympic Hockey Loss To U.S.A.

A sign held by protestors outside the U.S. embassy in Moscow.
Image via AP

It was an instant classic as far as Americans are concerned. On Saturday morning Team USA and Team Russia played a hockey game for the ages. A game of such historic proportions that it’s second only to Lake Placid’s “Miracle On Ice” back in 1980.

That description may seem a little hyperbolic to those who didn’t watch or are impressively indifferent, after all there were no medal implications whatsoever—the gold medal game is still six days away. But anyone with even a passing interest in sports or the Olympics knows it was bigger than that.

The game was intense, going down to the wire tied 2-2 as time ticked away in the third. For a moment it looked like the Russians had taken the lead with just over four minutes remaining in the period. Ultimately the goal was disallowed because the net was bent partially off its mooring.

At the end of regulation and a five-minute overtime period the score was still tied, resulting in a dramatic eight-round shootout in which Team USA would eventually emerge from victorious. In that moment American T.J. Oshie became a legend, as he battled back and forth with Russian superstars Ilya Kovalchuck and Pavel Datsyuk.

American triumph quickly gave way to Russian outrage. Both teams have already moved on in the tournament, but protests in the host country show that while the game may be over, the supposed injustice of the overturned goal is not forgotten. And considering Russian coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov has taken it upon himself to personally fan the flames, it seems the ridiculous protest in Moscow could be just the first act in this crybaby saga.

Per an ESPN report, the demonstrators, “organized by a Kremlin party youth group, donned Russian hockey jerseys and hooted, ‘Make soap out of the ref!’ —a common expression among Russian soccer fans.” Vladimir Putin’s Nashi army gathered outside the U.S. embassy in Moscow to make their always threatening and menacing presence known.

Just to be clear—this is what a Russian soccer game looks like.

Not to be outdone, the state-run media in Russia has gotten in on the action too, with one newspaper’s headline reading, “An American referee and the puppet international federation deprived us of a deserved victory.” With a member of Parliament adding on Twitter, “How interesting. And how come they didn’t appoint a referee from Russia, but an American?”

Probably because a Russian referee in the same position would’ve likely found himself in the Gulag, never to be seen or heard from again, just for enforcing the rules. And make no bones about it, the rule as it was enforced in this situation is crystal clear.

The IIHF video replay rules state that if the net isn’t completely in place, there’s no goal.

Even if the U.S. did catch a break with the call, then that’s all that happened—a lucky break which didn’t decide the game. Between the time left in regulation and the overtime period, the Russians had over nine minutes after the call to score and eight rounds of a shootout to win the game.

It’s not an international conspiracy and any such insinuations are as ugly as they are crazy. Despite the increasingly unhinged political climate in Russia, the Cold War is long over…and the Americans won. Just like we won the hockey game on Saturday.