Raw Charge, a Tampa Bay Lightning community

An anthology of excerpts from the best writing about the best hockey game ever. Enjoy. (I can see a movie coming out of this game, too.)

Throughout Bulldog Nation, the name Ryan Miller is being spoken with disdain the way the name Bill Buckner is spoken by Boston Red Sox fans. Yeah, he was sure-handed and reliable, but we will never forget the image of his giving up the shot that cost his team the title. I'll be honest with you: I couldn't care less about the Olympics generally, and hockey isn't my sport. When I first heard about this afternoon's outcome, I could have sworn they said Cindy Crawford had scored the winning goal, which would have been something to see. However, there is no question that the loss of the Olympic gold medal was felt more deeply in the Peach State than anywhere else in the United States. We remember the "Miracle on Ice" of 30 years ago, and we who are superstitious sports fans understand what a win today would have meant not only for the Red, White, and Blue, but also for the Red and Black. The United States won an Olympic hockey gold medal in 1980. The Georgia Bulldogs won the national championship in college football the following fall. If Miller had stopped that shot, the crystal football would have been Athens-bound. When the game went to overtime, Manic Kyle briefly began preparing to book a hotel room for next year's national championship game. When the Canadians won, the Georgians lost and Depressive Kyle went back on duty. Sigh. Go 'Dawgs!