BEIJING — When it was over, when another edition of the fiercest and most frenetic rivalry at these (or any) 2022 Winter Olympics was filed away in the history books, the misty-eyed, muscle-sapped players of the United States women’s hockey team waited.
They waited as the Canadian bench emptied, sticks and gloves flying and falling to the ice like confetti. They waited as Wukesong Sports Centre filled with sporadic cheers of LET’S GO CANADA, as a maple leaf flag was fetched and flapped in joy. They waited for 5, 10, 15 minutes, some standing, some kneeling, some unable watch, some unable to look away.
They hugged, they cried, they consoled one another before waiting some more.
