In a perfect world, USA vs Canada is one for the Ages
In 1960, the US Men had to play the Soviets (above) two days after knocking off Canada
Fifty years ago at Squaw Valley, California, the US Men won their only Olympic Hockey Final Round game against the Canadian Men. On February 25th, 1960, the USA beat Canada 2-1 on it’s way to sweeping the medal round-robin. That scrappy group of amateur league & college players came in laughable underdogs and came out Gold Medalists. If the Americans do it again in Vancouver, Canada will never forgive US.
On February 28th, 2010, a scrappy United States squad consisting entirely of American Collegiate-branded NHL players will take the ice against a powerhouse group of Canadian NHL All-Stars. And like their 20th Century predecessors, these American Men will try to outwork, outdefend & outcheck their favored Canadian brothers.
If this fresh generation of American hockey players have it in them to take Vancouver on the 50th Anniversary of Squaw Valley, it will surely be Olympic Hockey for the Ages. Gold in Canada would be a triumph for US Hockey the likes of which this sport has rarely seen, and it will only come from the tough, disciplined hockey that has gotten the upstart Americans to the Final Game of the 2010 Olympics.
Team Canada will not give up anything easily with the magnified pressure of winning Olympic Gold on home ice. (Especially since the Canadian Women have already fulfilled their prophecy.) Team USA will have to fight for every inch, and a win will require some manner of heroics from this quick, aggressive group of forwards.
More than that, it will take another transcendent performance from US Goalie Ryan Miller to stop a loaded Canadian attack from blowing the game wide open. The US outscores Canada in this game only one way: tight checking, body-sacrificing defense, and capitalizing on the few good chances generated against a big, fast goaltender in Canada’s Robert Luongo.
The US Men have already proven themselves to be shot-blocking dynamos. They limit chances with active sticks and persistent pursuit. They get chances when they pass well, and this group knows their system so intuitively that great passes come in tight spaces with amazing consistency.
Really, the biggest offensive gaffe for this US Team has been their tendency to make too many passes. Getting a shot off & crashing the net has been their most effective method for scoring so far this tournament, and they’ll need to be disciplined enough to mix up their attacking style to keep the Canadian defense from settling in.
In the end, this game should come down to the closing minutes, if not an extra frame. The United States will need another hero in this game, as Brian Rafalski was in Round One, and as Zach Parise was in the Quarterfinals. (My hopeful pick: Chris Drury)
I believe in the US win at Vancouver enough to pick them over the Canucks. Anything less would be a letdown as history threatens to come full circle.
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