The Whole Delivery

They come up big in the massive moments .

In the minds of most hockey fans and analysis, an Olympic Final that did not pit Russia vs Canada would have been a disappointment for maximum buzz and attention. Unless, of course, that final turned out to be the United States vs Canada instead. That alternate dream final is what has been given to hockey fans, sports fans, and casual nationalistic fans of all rounds today, as the two neighboring states will battle in the climactic event of this Vancouver Olympiad. The stage for this final was set last Sunday, when an inform Ryan Miller outplayed an aging Martin Brodeur in the US's impressive upset over the Canucks 5-3 last Sunday. That win sent a struggling Canada team into having to face the Russians two rounds earlier than expected, in a quarterfinal where one of the two superpowers were going to leave British Columbia without a medal to show. And it was Canada, buoyed by a much needed kick start 8-2 domination of Germany, who took it to the Russians in that quarterfinal ...

It was a long night for (Photo from the IOC) A lot of casual fans watching hockey seriously for the first time ever (or in a long time, and yes, last year's wondeful Stanley Cup Finals count as in a long time ) probably developed a myriad of jokes for the pain that was watching Evgeni Nabokov this evening. I couldn't help but be apart of that cabal, but it was more in total jaw dropping shock than taking glee in the Russian goalie's worst nightmare of his career. In what was suppose to be the final transformed into the de facto final , the ruthless Canadian assailment on their bitter rivals right from the opening moments of the contest made most wonder "Did Germany dress up in Russian uniforms to enact some sort of payback for losing 8-2 last night?" And then it hit me and virtually everyone else the minute Ed Olczyk said "Nabokov has got to come out of this game". No matter how much coach Vyacheslav Bykov may try and console him, along with an...

Photo from Getty Images' Bruce Bennett It was a tight and tenuous affair, and it could have easily been a disappointing defeat off the highs of Sunday. But Ryan Parsie, Ryan Miller, and Erik Johnson made sure that their team did not suffer such a fate. The US team advanced to the semifinal round by beating the disclipine and rugged Swiss side 2-0 in a contest that could have swung the other way. Despite the US having more than double the shots on goal, the brilliant goaltending of the Anaheim Ducks' Jonas Hiller stifled the Red, White, and Blue until Parise scored what turned out to be the game winning goal just as the final period started. After the Swiss looked to have equalized later on in the 3rd, Parise added the crucial additional goal with 12 seconds left in the contest thanks to an empty net. The U.S. will await the winner of the Czech Republic and Finland in one semifinal on Friday. But all attention has now shifted to the massive final held sadly tonight, as C...

Photo from Johnson/Pool One of the luckiest individual sport figures ever will finally be locked up . A tearful Jayson Williams apologized Tuesday for the fatal shooting of limo driver before he was sentenced to up to five years in prison. This means the former NBA star will be eligible for parole after serving just 18 months for the death of Costas (Gus) Christofi. The slain driver's sister, Andrea Adams, had asked the judge to make Williams serve the max - with no parole. An angry look crossed Adams' face as State Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman imposed the more lenient sentence. But it closed the book on a painful chapter in the troubled life of the former power forward that took eight years to resolve. And he was clearly lachrymose about it : In court, a tearful Williams apologized to the Christofi family and to his own family and friends. "I sincerely apologize for my actions that caused [Christofi's] death," Williams said. "I'm embar...

Photo from Getty Images' Julie Jacobson Brian Rafalski's two goal, one assist performance and Ryan Miller's outstanding goaltending has given the U.S. a massive 5-3 over home nation Canada in the preliminary round of men's hockey at 2012 Winter Olympics. The former New Jersey Devil set the tempo for the night by scoring just 41 seconds into the contest. Little did anyone know that the Americans would never trail in this contest. That startling detail was thanks in part to Miller outperforming Rafalski's former club teammate, the great Martin Brodeur. The Buffalo Sabres keeper was superb in handling the likes of Sidney Crosby and Jerome Iginla, though the latter far from resembled his world class goal scoring form making him one of the NHL's best forwards in the last decade. That lack of finishing for Canada, along with the obvious pressure of being the host nation, was too much for Mike Babcock's team to handle. And discussion will be bubbling throu...

Photo from Reuters' Leonhard Foeger A second consecutive medal wasn't to be for Lindsay Vonn, as a crash in the latter stages of the super-combined prevented her from reaching the podium. But even an accident free run wouldn't have stopped her close friend and rival Maria Riesch from winning the gold medal in this event today. The German claimed the top spot with a fabulous run : Riesch had a total time of 2 minutes, 09.14 seconds to beat Julia Mancuso of the United States by 0.94 seconds. Mancuso got her second silver medal after being runner-up to Vonn in the downhill. Anja Paerson of Sweden took the bronze, 1.05 behind Riesch. The event's winner sure did face her moments of adversity Riesch, who trailed Vonn by 0.33 after the downhill run Thursday, punched the air and pressed her hands to her goggles in delight when she saw her time. She came into the games as the biggest threat to Vonn's predicted domination of the women's Alpine events but was a disapp...

Photo from Getty Images No injury was going to stop her this time. The wait for her is over : Lindsey Vonn lived up to expectations and won the Olympic downhill Wednesday, and childhood rival and American teammate Julia Mancuso took a surprise silver medal. In a race characterized by several crashes -- including one to Swedish standout Anja Pärson -- Vonn's bruised right shin proved not to be a hindrance as she sped down Franz's Downhill course in 1 minute, 44.19 seconds. Mancuso finished 0.56 seconds behind, and Elisabeth Goergl of Austria took the bronze medal, 1.46 seconds back. Maria Riesch of Germany, Vonn's main rival and best friend, finished eighth. It's the third time two Americans have finished 1-2 in an Olympic Alpine race, and the first time in 26 years. Parson's crash from reports appears to have been a spectacularly dreadful one, as it concerned the new Olympic champion A few moments later, Vonn's smile turned to a frown, as she watch...

Photo from Michael Sohn from AP The dangers of luge racing has been painfully reminded to all of us today as Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia has died today after a tragic crash during the practice session for the upcoming event. The full report from NBC Sports here . The country of Georgia has now withdrawn all their athletes for the entire Olympiad, reportedly from Reuters Update 2: Thanks to Vent Casey on Twitter , it appears that decision to remove Georgia's athletes "may" happen, but hasn't happened. The head of Georgia's delegation also said Friday that the Georgia team may withdraw from the Vancouver Winter Olympics. "We are all in deep shock, we don't know what to do. We don't know whether to take part in (today's) opening ceremony or even the Olympic Games themselves," Irakly Japaridze said. There will be updates on whether they participate or not coming soon. Update 2 : Georgia will participate in the opening cermonies...

Photo from Getty Images The Giants ' decision to release their defensive leader Antonio Pierce is a real bizarre one that shocked everyone around here. Though Pierce's injuries and level of play lead to the release before his final year on his deal, the middle linebacker still has a few good years in my mind. And there will certainly be a team that will benefit from having him in my mind. NBA All-star news : Allen Iverson is out, as he will be replaced by David Lee , so good for Mr. Lee because he deserved it way more than Al Horford did. And thankfully, Kobe Bryant has pulled himself out of the show piece in Dallas, with his ankle being the reason why. Jason Kidd will replace him, giving Mavs fans another reason to be happy. Hopefully no one will ask Rick Pitno again until actual evidence comes up about him wanting to be the coach of the Nets. MSNBC sure has been making sure you don't miss up to the minute coverage on Lindsay Vonn's injury, as she pract...