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(Posted 6:30
a.m., Feb. 25)
Olympic hockey final a gold rush for local bars
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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|  A
patron at Jonny Canuck's on Trim Road leads the bar in the singing of 'O Canada'
following Team Canada's win over the USA in men's hockey on Sunday.
Fred Sherwin/Photo
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Olympic
hockey fans flocked to their local watering hole on Sunday to watch Canada go
for gold against the U.S.A. and witness history in the making. The
Tartan Pub, East Side Mario's, and Boston Pizza were all filled with enthusiastic
Team Canada supporters wearing their favourite Team Canada sweaters and waving
the maple leaf. At
the Heart and Stroke Foundation's International Food Fair at the Orleans Legion,
they removed a sign covering the only television in the room and turned the game
on without the sound while Elvis impersonator Shawn Berry finished his last set. Jonny
Canucks on Trim Road was also operating at standing room only as every set of
eyes in the place were glued to one of the many large screen televisions that
were showing the game. They even had a television in the back so the kitchen staff
could watch the game. When
the first goal was scored by Jonathan Toews, everyone jumped to their feet and
let out a loud cheer. The scene was repeated when Corey Perry scored in the second
period to give Canada a 2-0 lead. Even
after Ryan Kessler's goal made it a 2-1 game late in the second period, everyone
was still quietly confident Canada would win the gold. As
the final minute played out, the crowd was poised to burst into total pandimonium,
and then the untinkable happened, Zach Parise tied the game after Patrick Kane's
initial shot deflected off the front of Jamie Lagenbrunner's skate. Despite
the general feeling that fate may not be on Canada's side, there was still a sense
of hope that someone in a Team Canada uniform would come through in overtime and
put an exclamation point on Canada's best Olympics ever. The
opportunity came just over seven minutes into the extra session on a play that
began with Sidney Crosby flying across the blueline into a crowd of four American
players. He chased the puck into the corner and passed it back to Jerome Iginla
who flipped it back to him as a U.S. defenceman Ryan Sutter was draped over his
back. Crosby
took the return pass and fired a shot without looking that beat U.S. goalie Ryan
Miller between the legs just as he was coming out to challenge the shot. Crowds
across the country instaneously went nuts. In Jonny Canucks they were jumping
up and down, patting each other on the back and generally going crazy. After the
initial wave of pandemonium the corwd broke into a rousing endition of "O
Canada". The
happiest guy in the place had to be Charlie Leduc who won a Sidney Crosby Team
Canada hockey sweater just before the game. "That
had to be the biggest goal he's score in his life," said Leduc who plans
to try and get Crosby to autograph the sweater the next time the Pittsburgh Penguins
come to Ottawa. "Once he signs it, I'm going to get it framed and put it
up on the wall." The
second happiest person in the bar was Ralph McIveen who lived just down the street
from Sidney Crosby when he was growing up in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. "I
couldn't be prouder. He's such a good kid and such a great ambassador for hockey
and for Nova Scotia. It's amazing," said McIveen. "It's a proud day
for Nova Scotia and a proud day for Canada." (This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local
business partners.) Return
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