While most of Los Angeles was still tucked under their duvets Sunday morning, O’Brien’s Irish Pub was already rocking.
The Santa Monica staple threw its doors open at 5 am to host a rowdy, bleary-eyed crowd of hockey die-hards for the Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey gold medal match.
In a heart-stopping game that capped off the Milan-Cortina Games, the US edged out the Canadians with a 2-1 overtime victory, securing the gold and sending a shockwave of “U.S.A.!” chants that echoing throughout.
“Just incredible, you can’t beat it,” one fan told KTLA 5’s Jennifer McGraw of the viewing experience. “So much spirit, so much energy. This is just something I’ll never forget.”
“I knew we were gonna win,” another said, waving an American flag. “I knew we were going for gold the whole way. I was freaking out a little bit towards the end, but we had them.”
“I’m feeling electric,” another guy said, wearing a New York Islanders hat. “There’s a Ranger fan in the corner, but I’m an Islander fan. I hate his guts, but today we’re one under this roof. Thank you O’Brien’s.”
The electric win delivered Team USA its 12th gold medal of the games and pushed its total haul to 33 medals overall this year.
“To be with some of the people I love the most, this is an unbelievable sports day,” another fan told McGraw.
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“This is why sports are so beautiful, this is why hockey is so beautiful. This is why we’re proud to be American.”
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
