Americas Hockey Hero and Zach Parise

Zach Parise: Four years ago he was almost Americas hockey hero. Indeed, he was Zach the Lionhearted in that epic gold-medal final between Canada and the U.S., tying the score with 24 seconds left in regulation and sending the thrilling match into overtime, according to The Star. Clock ticking down, goalie pulled, it was Parise who jumped on a desperation long shot rebound, tucking the puck behind Roberto Luongo, knotting it 2-2, and then practically leaping over the glass in celebration, knuckle-knocks all along the U.S. bench and Zach Parise has had flashbacks, goosebumps, shivers up his spine and more than the occasional fantasy about how it might have all turned out so gloriously different. Yes, the spawn of J.P. Parise the scrapper from Smooth Rock Falls, Ont., who d been a bullish part of that legendary team which had played for life-and-death, honour-and-country, in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union had come this close to rewriting the narrative in Vancouver 2010, while affixing an OT coda to the game. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.