Californians hit the bars before breakfast to cheer on US Olympic hockey team: ‘Freaking out’
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.
“This is why sports are so beautiful, this is why hockey is so beautiful. This is why we’re proud to be American.”
“I almost cried,” one woman said. “I had chills everywhere. It was amazing. Such a great feeling.”
“You can’t make this up,” another said. “These are the moments you live for. Special place, special time, special team. This was the moment for us.”
The scenes were replicated the other side of the country, with New Yorkers also rising early to hit the bars in the Big Apple.
“This is better than the sex I had last night,” quipped Evan Decastro, who said he rescheduled a date with a girl so he could catch the real action.
“I was supposed to pick up some groceries in preparation of the 2 feet of snow, but who cares?” said native New Yorker Ken Greissman, part of the packed crowd at Blue Haven on Third Avenue.
As the Winter Olympics draw to a close, the US returns home with the ultimate prize in hand–and a lot of hockey fans in Santa Monica collectively experienced a historic victory for team USA.
