NAGANO, Japan -- After sending the Ugly Americans over the edge Wednesday night, then winning one for the ages Friday night in a shootout against Wayne Gretzky, Eric Lindros and Team Canada, the underdog Czech Republic has a Sunday date with Russia in the gold medal game, which can mean only one thing back in the Czech Republic.

"I just

Dominik Hasek waved off hype about a U.S. vs. Canada gold-medal game. (AP)

talked to my mother," said Czech forward Martin Rucinsky of the Montreal Canadians. "The kids aren't going to school. Nobody is going to work. Everybody is watching TV. It's a good life.

"AND IF WE WIN THE GOLD MEDAL, it would be amazing. The whole country would be upside down."

One piece of advice: Don't bet against upside down.

The Czechs have the hot goalie in this tournament -- Dominik "The Dominator" Hasek -- who allowed the Canadians nothing until one minute, three seconds left in regulation -- then allowed them nothing more the rest of the way: 25 shots, 24 saves ... 2-1, Czechs.

Duck-waddling down the tunnel that leads to the locker rooms of Big Hat arena after the game, Hasek looked almost skeleton-like inside those oversized goalie pads. He looked very happy. He also looked very invincible. That's because for 70 minutes, plus a shootout, plus interviews in a couple of languages, The Dominator never blinked.

"I think we deserve to win it," Hasek said frankly. "The Canadians were lucky to score the tying goal. It was a deflection ... I think, by one of my teammates. It was lucky goal. They were lucky to tie the game."

Hasek then breathed a sigh of relief, admitting, "This was the biggest pressure in my hockey life. Seventy minutes, then a shootout. One mistake, and you lose the game. That's unbelievable pressure."

During the shootout (with teams alternating five shots each), whenever a Czech was trying to slip the puck past the venerable Patrick Roy, Hasek buried his head in thought. He didn't cheer. He didn't speak. He didn't even watch.

Then it happened. Right away, Robert Reichel -- the Czech Republic's first shooter -- skated fast and hard straight at Roy ... backing, backing, backing him up. Then Reichel, at the last possible second, flipped in the eventual game-winner.

NOW,

CBS Sports audio from the game:

Czech Republic forward Jaromir Jagr on: beating Canada always having a chance to win Canada assistant coach Wayne Cashman on: losing Joe Sakic Roy vs. Hasek

THERE'S SOMETHING YOU NEED TO KNOW about Robert Reichel and penalty shots. He claims never to have missed one. What we do know for sure is that he's 1-for-1 in the Winter Olympics.

"I never miss a penalty shot," said Reichel, who plays for the New York Islanders when he's not winning games for his countrymen. "I was very confident, very relaxed ... I said to myself, 'Just once, score a big goal.' It's something special for our team, our country.

"(We) beat the two best teams in the world (U.S. and Canada). It's the first time NHL players come to play in the Olympics, and (we're) in the finals. Big surprise, right?"

Reichel didn't wait for an answer.

"Well, anybody who watched TV, or watched the game in the rink, they can see that it's not surprise. We play very well, we play like a team, and we deserve to win."

Reichel doesn't have Roy's number. To the contrary, he said, "I have maybe one (career) goal against him -- maybe one. Maybe."

But this was mano e mano and Reichel doesn't miss those kind -- against anybody.

"MY STRATEGY? MY STRATEGY ON PENALTY SHOTS is always the same -- go fast and shoot the puck. I was waiting, waiting ... and I saw a spot."

The Canadians, too, saw their spots, had their chances. They just couldn't slip the puck past Hasek's long arms and rapid reflexes.

Prior to the shootout, the Czechs won the coin toss and deferred to the Canadians. The Czechs wanted The Dominator on the ice first.

Hasek responded by stopping Theoren Fleury's shot with his right shoulder; Ray Bourque with a flick of his left glove; Joe Nieuwendyk on a wild backhander that missed wide right; then, Lindros on a much more threatening backhander that glanced off his glove then clanged off the left post. Suddenly, it was down to Brendan Shanahan.

Shanahan played right into Hasek's hands.

"Against Shanahan, I expected shot around the five-hole," Hasek said. "But as soon as he went wide, I knew I (would) make a save. I was only afraid that maybe the puck would roll and (he would) put it under my arm. But I know when he made his move, there was almost no way he could score."

Shanahan didn't second-guess his strategy, but he did agonize over his failure.

"(Hasek) was pretty aggressive ... so I tried to pump him, get him down, then walk (the puck) around him," Shanahan explained. "But it didn't work. It's very disappointing, especially when you're the last guy to go. You feel like you've let down your team and your country."

The Canadians were the gold medal favorites here. From a self-motivational standpoint, their getting ready to play Finland for the bronze medal Saturday will be difficult.

Canada still hasn't won an Olympic hockey gold medal since 1952. And the Czech Republic is about to turn itself upside-down.

Ray Buck is CBS SportsLine's national columnist.