Team USA vs. Canada: The Official Internet Recap

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Canada goaltender Carey Price greets USA goaltender Jonathan Quick after the 1-0 Canada win in the men's semifinal ice hockey game at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics on Feb. 21.

Image: Matt Slocum/Associated Press

By Sam Laird2014-02-21 21:19:30 UTC

Featuring stacked rosters of hockey superstars boasting more that $200 million in combined NHL contract money, Friday morning's Team USA versus Canada men's hockey semifinal match at the Winter Olympics was one of the games' most anticipated events — at least, for the majority of North America.

The match was slated for a noon ET start. But NBC's live streaming service offered an easy workday workaround that the broadcast giant hypothesized could overload office networks.

See also: Outrage Spreads: Was Women's Figure Skating Rigged in Sochi?

As a transfixed continent followed along online, Canada won 1-0 behind a Jamie Benn goal and stifling defense to set up a showdown with Sweden for the gold medal on Sunday. We've already given you the full recap on delightfully nationalist pre-match trash talk, so now let's relive the hockey+Internet madness as it happened Friday.

Pre-match trash talk spread so far and wide that NBC Olympics honcho Jim Bell couldn't even contain his glee about the company's streaming numbers.

Then the puck was dropped. Lines were drawn once and for all — especially by Americans.

The New York Times, as they are wont to do, kept us abreast of the scene in Sochi.

Canadian broadcaster Don Cherry brought his usual fashion, um, sense?

People shared photos of their viewing arrangements.

And Jim Bell was more pumped up than ever.

Then Jamie Benn scored his second-period goal. That to one of those situations where your entire Twitter stream looks like this.

With one more period to go and the score 1-0, the Canadians were filled with optimistic anxiety. The Americans tried to rally.

But Canada was just too dominant on the ice. As time wound down, America was forced to take a long look in the mirror. The reflection it saw was frightening.

Game? Over. Hopes? Dashed. This had been the most popular piece of pre-match hype before the shutout.

So, America, the question becomes: Are you ready for four more years of this?

Canadian terror agent Justin Bieber, on a rare mission outside the USA, arrives in Cannes, France, for the NRJ Music awards festival on Jan. 28, 2012.

Image: Lionel Cironneau/Associated Press

We'll get 'em in 2018, guys. Just you wait. Just. You. Wait.

Topics: Conversations, Entertainment, Olympics, Sports