Neal: Minnesotans should rejoice in glow of Americans’ double Olympic hockey gold

It is totally acceptable to be emotional, Minnesota.

We should be.

Especially when I drive around town and see, hear and talk hockey in the winter. Especially when I fly into Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport during the snowy times, look down during the approach and see backyard hockey rinks dotting the landscape. From 24-hour rinks in Warroad to a friend buying goalie equipment for his 12-year-old to my 50-year-old buddy with a bad back still trying to grind through a men’s league in West St. Paul, I get the hockey culture in this state.

So Sunday, Feb. 22, should be celebrated by the nearly 6 million residents of Minnesota. From International Falls to Albert Lea. From Lake City to Luverne.

Because Minnesota pulled off the double.

The U.S. women’s hockey team won an Olympic gold medal Thursday, Feb. 19. The American men followed suit three days later. Both victories in Milan came against our friendly neighbors above us, Canada.

Both games in which the Canucks outplayed the Americans for most of the game. Both wins coming 2-1 on golden goals in 3-on-3 overtime.

Three days later, Wild star Matt Boldy opened the Americans’ scoring by slithering through two of the best defenders in in the world in Cale Makar and Devin Toews before beating goalie Jordan Binnington in the first period.

While the American women weren’t at their best for most of their game, it didn’t look like the men could match Canada’s level. The Canadians controlled play, outshot the United States 42-28 and made all of us uneasy to watch it unfold.

And in a close game, Canada’s Conor McDavid will crush dreams. Like Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he is inevitable. The Edmonton Oilers star’s next-level play in overtime against the Americans in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face Off last year is still fresh in our minds. Like it or not, overtime in Olympic hockey is 3-on-3 play. When Canada can trot out McDavid, Makar and Nathan MacKinnon on one line, they are the three horsemen of the hockey apocalypse.

Except for one thing.

“They’ve got the best offensive players in the world,” Lou Nanne, the former North Stars player, coach and general manager, said by phone from his condo in Florida. “But the best offensive players in the world sometimes don’t score. And they don’t play defense as the best defensive players in the world.

Zach Werenski claimed the puck from MacKinnon behind the American net and quicky sent a pass to Jack Hughes, who nudged the puck past Makar to start a 3-on-1 rush. Werenski chased the puck down in the offensive zone and fed Hughes, who fired from just inside the left circle.

More American glory.

“Great play by Werenski and a fabulous shot by Hughes,” Nanne said.

It came 46 years to the day when Mike Eruzione’s goal produced the Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid, N.Y. Jim Craig stood on his head in goal against the Russians that day. Connor Hellebuyck channeled his inner Craig on Sunday. Toews and McDavid will attest to that after their prime scoring chances were thwarted. Hellebuyck shouldn’t pay for another dinner for the rest of his life after stopping 41 shots Sunday.

It’s been much too long for Americans to inject that 1980s euphoria into our veins again. It wasn’t until last year that the 1980 team received a Congressional Gold Medal for its heroics. Breaking a 46-year drought seems to be a good reason to grant another. Maybe through a faster process this time?

“Isn’t that phenomenal?” Nanne said. “Again, we had to get to overtime to win. I think the U.S. [women are] better than Canada. I don’t think anyone is going to beat them in the next Olympics.”

Heise, Lee Stecklein, Kelly Pannek, Grace Zumwinkle and Rory Guliday are the Minnesota natives on the women’s team. Heise, Stecklein, Pannek, Zumwinkle, Britta Curl-Salemme and Kendall Coyne Schofield all play for the Frost, and Abbey Murphey plays for the Gophers.

The men’s team included Minnesota natives Brock Faber, Jake Guentzel, Jackson LaCombe, Brock Nelson and Jake Oettinger. Boldy, Faber and Quinn Hughes all play for the Wild, with Hughes named the tournament’s best defender after he had seven assists to go with the game-winning goal in overtime in the quarterfinals against Sweden.

Wild General Manager Bill Guerin selected the Team USA men’s roster. Obviously, he made all the right moves. And Wild coach John Hynes handled a U.S. penalty kill that was 18-for-18 during the Olympics, including a stretch of 5-on-3 on Sunday.