I have not been more happy after the result of a sporting event than on Sunday morning.

Sitting in my recliner, I watched Connor Hellebuyck will the United States into an overtime period against a loaded Canadian roster.

I thought that a lineup which started an overtime period with Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar would surely make quick work of the Americans and ascend to the top of the podium.

However, that’s not how it played out.

Jack Hughes made a risky poke check in the defensive zone and then the Americans were on the attack. Zach Werenski won possession for the United States in the offensive zone and Hughes was the clear passing option coming in as the trailer.

Bang.

Hughes delivered a moment that every young hockey player in the United States dreams about.

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Heading into the Olympics I will admit that I was not the patriot that I am today. I did not bleed the Red, White and Blue that I do this morning. But this tournament yanked that patriotism out of me. After each game I began rooting more and more for the United States.

While most people would immediately believe my trife with the United States is political, I instead have a very bitter attitude toward USA Hockey — not the United States — but instead the organization that decides who gets to represent our great country at these games.

As an individual born with multiple congenital abnormalities, the dreams of playing any professional sport was off the table for me from the start. Although, that did not make it impossible for me to have any athletic aspirations.

Thanks to Shriners Hospital in Erie, Rod Kolstee and the Jamestown Lakers Sled Hockey program and, most importantly, my parents, Bob and Kathy Storms, I did have the opportunity to live out the dreams of playing sports at the top level in the world.

Born in 1996, I was a Jamestown, New York kid who began playing sled hockey in 2004. Thanks to Jamestown resident Josh Moran, I saw how far that sport could take me. Seeing him represent the U.S. in sled hockey made me believe that I could someday work to have that opportunity myself.

Josh provided the goal, but it was my parents who made it possible.

Playing for the Lakers program, I went to the USA Hockey national championships in 2009 and then, later that summer — at 12 years old — became the youngest person ever selected to represent the United States at a player development camp.

The Americans were fresh off a World Championship gold secured by a late goal from Andy Yohe, and this camp’s focus was finding the next group of players to keep the United States on the top of the world. The United States captured its second gold medal the next year in Vancouver, and has since not relinquished that title in Paralympic action.

After surgeries to improve my quality of life, I missed more than two years of competition, and then began my road to recovery without sled hockey on my mind. But it did not take long for me to get back to playing and, once again, return to the United States hockey camps.

Falling out of favor for three years may have done damage to my overall career, but with my quality of life was much improved by the fine medical professionals at Shriners Hospital and, finally, in the 2016-17 season I was representing the United States Development Sled Hockey team.

Over that period of time I was afforded several great opportunities to represent my country, whether it was playing against Canada, Russia, Sweden or South Korea. My goal was to represent the United States at 2018, 2022 or even 2026 Paralympics.

However, that opportunity never came for me as the type of player I was did not factor into the plans for an already dominant force that has captured every Paralympic gold medal since Vancouver in 2010.

In 2018, I became the first person to ever score double-digit points at the summer development camp while playing defense, but even then I was not selected to the national team. My feelings admittedly became bitter as I believed my talent was being overlooked because of things outside my control, such as my size and strength as an undersized player.

I was eventually cut prior to the Beijng Paralympics, which I know I could have been a part of, but when the gold is the final result it does not matter who is involved.

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A big critique of this United States roster in Milan was the fine United States players that we left at home, such as

Cole Caufield, who has scored more than 30 goals the past two seasons for the Montreal Canadians or Jason Robertson, who has eclipsed 100 points for the Dallas Stars and is on pace for 95 this season.

At the end of the day, the United States won the gold medal and 50 years from now most people will not remember the players who were possibly unjustly left off this roster, let alone the players that made it possible for the United States flag to be raised atop the rafters as we clinched gold.

I entered this tournament not wanting USA Hockey to succeed for not doing its best job to create the greatest American team ever assembled, but quickly reverted back to the young kid who can remember the honor it is to represent your country on the world stage.

I remember teaching future gold medalists Jake Sanderson and Brock Faber how to play sled hockey in 2019. I remember talking to Jack Hughes that year with the sled team and I remember sitting in Brady Tkachuk’s locker stall in Plymouth, Michigan while he played at the World Junior Championships that season.

Watching this tournament I did not lose any animosity toward USA Hockey for not picking me for the Paralympics, but instead remembered that these guys competing for this gold medal are just like me. It’s not their choice whether or not the powers to be selected them for this tournament, it is not a matter of swimming or running the fastest time, but instead being the best team.

I remember meeting Sanderson, Faber and the rest of that United States Development Program team in December 2018 and how nice they were while trying our game of sled hockey. I remember working out that year with the entire USA U-18 team and how those players revered Jack Hughes. Talking with him I realized, too, how humble he was as an athlete and a person.

They were just like me and, on Sunday, I got to see Americans my age, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Noah Hanifin, Zach Werenski, Kyle Connor, Dylan Larkin, Matthew Tkahuck and Tage Thompson live not only their dreams, but also my dreams and the dream of many others not given the opportunity.

Yesterday, that team made me — for the first time in a while — proud to be an American.