Sid v. America v. My Head v. My Heart

It has been very difficult to explain my feelings about the Olympic gold medal hockey game. That being said, I understand it is even more difficult for anyone not in the same situation to understand my particular dillemma. For all but 2 weeks out of every 4 years it is Penguins before anything else. (OK, Penn State football is probably #1 all time but if a Penguins Stanley Cup Game 7 and a Penn State National Championship were to occur on the same day (a feat I realize is impossible, thank God), it would be the worst best day of my life.) So while country comes first and I wanted the USA to win gold more than anything, I couldn't help but be happy for Sidney Crosby. He is hero in this family. That doesn't just go away completely for 2 weeks because of how much you love America.

I didn't have a good way to say all this until I watched the simple ceremony before the Pens vs. Sabres game (at Pittsburgh) this evening presenting the Olympic competitors from both teams. On ESPN's PTI earlier today there was a discussion as to whether the people of the city of Pittsburgh would boo Sidney Crosby as his name was announced at Mellon Arena. The fact that this question was even asked proves these people clearly do not know the city of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh is town of homes and hearts. (One of my favorite quotes from a 1997 NPR Morning Edition piece called Where Are Your Loyalties? from Frank Deford.) It is a place, much like the city of Buffalo, where people are passionate about the place they live. People born there will live their whole lives there if possible. There is a loyalty there that is nearly impossible to shake. (I've lived in Buffalo for 14 years and still can't shake Pittsburgh. I support the Sabres but would never choose them over them over the Penguins. And that's not just because my mom would disown me. Literally. Disown me.) So no, when Sidney Crosby, took the ice back in Pittsburgh tonight, no one booed. It wasn't the loudest cheer I've ever heard when the announcer yelled 'Sidneyyyyyyyyyy Crrrrrrrrrrrosbyyyyyyyyyy!' But no one would dare boo Sid. He's ours. We simply lent him back to Canada for 2 weeks.

So that is why it was so difficult to be mad that it was Sid who scored that goal. If it had been anyone else on Team Canada it would have been considerably more heartbreaking. The fact that it was Sid was really just poetry to anyone from Pittsburgh. A strange, ironic, somewhat stinging kind of poetry, but poetry nonetheless.

All that being said, the cheers in Pittsburgh this evening when Ryan Miller's name was announced, were epic. (Those of you who know your likeness is in this picture, I cropped you out of it to maintain any kind of anonimity you may want. If you would like the original picture in this post instead, feel free to let me know.)