Featuring stacked rosters of hockey superstars boasting more that $200 million in combined NHL contract money, Friday morning's Team USA versus Canada men's hockey semifinal match at the Winter Olympics was one of the games' most anticipated events — at least, for the majority of North America.
The match was slated for a noon ET start. But NBC's live streaming service offered an easy workday workaround that the broadcast giant hypothesized could overload office networks.
See also: Outrage Spreads: Was Women's Figure Skating Rigged in Sochi?
As a transfixed continent followed along online, Canada won 1-0 behind a Jamie Benn goal and stifling defense to set up a showdown with Sweden for the gold medal on Sunday. We've already given you the full recap on delightfully nationalist pre-match trash talk, so now let's relive the hockey+Internet madness as it happened Friday.
Over 300k streaming USA/Canada hockey... before the puck dropped. #nbcolympics
— Jim Bell (@jfb) February 21, 2014
USA/Canada hockey streams now over 400k and growing. Welcome to the revolution. #nbcolympics
— Jim Bell (@jfb) February 21, 2014
Puck drop. Hell yes, LETS GO USA
— Hannah Reed (@_HannahReed_) February 21, 2014
God bless America... Land that I love... Stand beside her & guide her!!! USA USA USA!!! Puck drop... Now!!! #USAvCAN
— Drew Steele (@t3mperedsteele) February 21, 2014
puck drop!...hoping for good hockey, no injuries and a USA win! #SoGladIDontWork #TeamUSA #Sochi2014
— J (@Lovethe88) February 21, 2014
A little life in the arena. U-S-A chants get drowned out by CAN-A-DA chant. Dissolves into usual chaos. PA system takes over.
— NYT Olympics (@SochiNYT) February 21, 2014
Your official Don Cherry intermission wardrobe update: pic.twitter.com/AI3qUHu2ZQ
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) February 21, 2014
I'm kind of working...
#TeamUSA @NBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/D5GeaqhZZ4
— Tod Sturgeon (@7of69) February 21, 2014
@NBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/6TSWoB0THg
— Nisreen Ibrahim (@NisreenIbrahimk) February 21, 2014
Hockey semifinals are priority #1 at @thedailybeast @moneyries @HellerJake @benteitelbaum pic.twitter.com/etQOmhE5xG
— Nina Strochlic (@NinaStrochlic) February 21, 2014
@NBCOlympics convinced our Spanish teacher to let us watch the game. USA pic.twitter.com/InwF3NUQ6p
— Emily Wiegers (@ewiegs) February 21, 2014
USA/Canada hockey over 700k CONCURRENT streams. NBC Sports digital record. Higher than Super Bowl in 2012. If this goes to a shootout... oy.
— Jim Bell (@jfb) February 21, 2014

Third period. Deep breath. Buckle up.
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) February 21, 2014
"WAS IT OVER WHEN THE GERMANS BOMBED PEARL HARBOR? HELL NO!!!" #USA
— Amanda Rykoff (@amandarykoff) February 21, 2014
.@usahockey any time you’re ready
— Erik Malinowski (@erikmal) February 21, 2014
Team USA missing easy passes now. Gripping.
— paulkaps (@paulkaps) February 21, 2014
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO
— Nate Scott (@aNateScott) February 21, 2014
I, for one, welcome our new Canadian overlords.
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) February 21, 2014
Nothing is higher than the stakes of tomorrow’s game. pic.twitter.com/usqJ9EPTpg
— Command Sign (@CommandSign) February 20, 2014

Canadian terror agent Justin Bieber, on a rare mission outside the USA, arrives in Cannes, France, for the NRJ Music awards festival on Jan. 28, 2012.
Image: Lionel Cironneau/Associated Press