Olympic Hockey - USA vs Canada

[TwoTone]

VANCOUVER (AP) -- That was no way to treat friends.

And neighbors.

Not to mention guys you'll be back working alongside in less than 10 days.

But that's exactly what made USA 5, Canada 3 so special. For two hours Sunday, in what the Olympic program listed as just a preliminary-round game, the mercenaries from the NHL forgot about paychecks and played for nothing more tangible than national pride.

This wasn't a cold war. It was the heat of battle. There hasn't been anything like it since the rest of the world kept trying to throw a wrench into the old Soviet Union's dynastic Big Red Machine.

"It's a little different, not fun I'd have to say, especially when the guys are on your team for the regular season," said U.S. winger Patrick Kane, whose four Chicago Blackhawk teammates were wearing Canada's red sweaters on this night. "But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Pretty much the whole world was watching."

International Olympic Committee boss Jacques Rogge and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman were just two of a dozen swells in attendance, perhaps grateful that the only safety issue for a change was how many people inside the arena would suffer broken eardrums.

Olympic Broadcasting Service president Manuel Romero showed up between periods and walked to his seat, wedged among some fans who had walked all the way over from Granville Island, a half-hour or so away, and others who had paid $1,200 for an $80 ticket.

By the time it ended, all of them seemed satisfied they had gotten their money's worth.

There were seven pairs of NHL teammates on the two rosters, led by five who share the Anaheim Ducks jersey the rest of the year. There were all-stars, but this was no all-star game. It was more Civil War than Pro Bowl.

The hitting on both sides was thunderous, the playmaking sublime. The beauty is that no one got a free pass.

Rick Nash, one of four Canadian bruisers who stands at least 6-foot-4 and weighs 220, led the hit parade. But in just one measure of how much skill was on display, it was Nash's vision and his deft little flick pass from the bottom of the right face-off circle that Sidney Crosby tipped in to pull Canada back within 4-3 and give the hosts a chance in the last 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, the two Yanks responsible for the bulk of the retaliating -- 6-0 Jamie Langenbrunner and 6-2 Ryan Kesler, each barely 200 pounds -- proved every bit as skillful.

Langenbrunner scored just inside the 13-minute mark of the third period by deflecting a slapshot from U.S. defenseman Brian Rafalski past Canadian goalkeeper Martin Brodeur for a 4-2 U.S. lead. He and Brodeur are teammates in New Jersey and shared the Devils' last Stanley Cup.

Before moving on from New Jersey to Detroit three years ago, Rafalski won two cups playing in front of the Canadian netminder. That didn't make him feel bad about adding goals to his big assist for the Americans. And he had better hope Canadian coach Mike Babcock carries no grudge, either, because Babcock will be doling out Rafalski's playing time when the two get back to Detroit.

Beyond all those personal and professional relationships built up over the years, the two countries share a border and a common language. The only substantive differences are that Canadians are more polite and enjoy national health care.

But nobody was about to pull any punches -- in some cases literally.

"Oh, no," replied U.S. defenseman Jack Johnson, who hammered Drew Doughty, his Los Angeles Kings teammate and Canadian counterpart, behind the Canada net and then finished off the check with an elbow to the head. "It's USA vs. Canada. It doesn't matter, absolutely not."

The victory provided the U.S. team with a bye and a breather heading into the quarterfinal round. It means one less game to reach the final, but a whole lot more than that. In a motivational ploy, the U.S. team broke out replica jerseys from their improbable 1960 Olympic gold at Squaw Valley, Calif., complete with the laces at the neck and a retro patch over their hearts.

"Our next game is a survival game, too. All we've done is we get to skip a game," U.S. coach Ron Wilson said.

"In fairness, Canada probably outchanced us 2-1 (actually, 45 shots vs. 23) and our goalie played excellent. We still have a long ways to go. Canada, I personally think, is the best team, and the Russians are right behind them."

For one evening, though, none of that mattered.

"A game like this," Kane said, "is all about bragging rights."

[lanikai]

the sports Psychologist will always say to forget the last game .. shot.. inning.. whatever.. and not to get too euphoric and have a mental let down..

but.. that all said.. it was a great game especially for me, who is not a Hockey fan and the last time the USA beat Canada was in 1960...

Congrats to all the players.. great efforts on both sides..

I was mentioning to someone .. "it's always easiest to say that when you or the team your in favor of wins"..

But it still was a great game for all..

[hackR]

definitely an epic game...the way hockey was meant to be played...

more important than one less game for the USA, this now sets up Canada vs. Russia -- so one of the powerhouses will knock the other out of contention...

R-

[HauteHippie]

What a game, indeed. And yet I'm glad to see, with this article, someone in the press able to talk/write about it without really making any comparisons to 1980, Cold War evocation aside.

[krpster]

Definitely a great game to watch. Team Canada was certainly playing well but 3 penalties in a row and Miller between the pipes in the US end really put a damper on their progress. Not to mention Brodeur was not exactly on his game last night. All in all a great game. Looking forward to more.

[By-Tor]

Amazing game. Hockey is the best sport.

US team has a lot of determination and Miller is unbelievable. Rafalski is the best d-man so far. They might win it all... I'm rooting for the US team.

[Nanuq]

I'm rooting for the US team.

THAT, from By-Tor, says it all.

Great game!

[PeteM]

Great sport, I love that organ music makes it all worth while!

[stilty]

US team has a lot of determination and Miller is unbelievable.

100% agree. Miller was amazing.

Still a couple more teams for the US to get through before a medal is in sight though. The tournament is still wide open.

And for Canada, I don't have a lot of faith in their goaltending. Brodeur is not at his best, and being from Vancouver, and a Canuck fan, we all know how Luongo chokes in the big games. If Lou gets the call against Germany tomorrow, he better not blow it or there will be rioting in the streets.

[Ztech]

Like Lani, I'm no hockey fan, but that game had me at the edge of my seat the entire time. Great game. More, great sportsmanship and determination from both sides.

[By-Tor]

Burke was wise because he left all 40-year old veterans out this time. Schneider, Modano, etc.

Experience is important and those guys are still solid NHL players. But they have already won Stanley Cups, etc. These kids haven't won anything yet.

Russia won but has been a bit disappointing. Their PP is terrible. Exactly as I predicted... too many superstars. Let's hope they blew it... arrogant bastards!

Here are the (most likely) quarterfinal pairings:

USA - Switzerland (Swiss team is solid but has no chance)

Finland - Czech Republic (Finland has been disappointing too. Too many tired veterans.)

Sweden - Slovakia (Slovakia is super skilled team but Sweden is always good in big tournaments)

Russia - Canada (See above)

My prediction for the semifinals:

USA - Czech Rep.

Sweden - Canada

Final:

USA - Canada (rematch).

[Nanuq]

By-Tor, "Do you believe in miracles" What a game that would be! I love it when teams leave nothing on the ice.

[By-Tor]

Anyone knows where to download that game? 1980 Lake Placid game USA - Soviet Union?

I'd like to have it in my collection.

[wheaton26]

a assume you've seen the miracle. if not, it's worth watching. a teammate of mine from 2004 was an extra on the russian team. kinda cool.

[stilty]

Anyone knows where to download that game? 1980 Lake Placid game USA - Soviet Union?

I'd like to have it in my collection.

yes! PM sent!

[By-Tor]

Thanks Stilty.

The 1980 game is here as well (I'm seeding it right now):

http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/89547941/miracle+on+ice?tab=summary

[stilty]

USA - Switzerland (Swiss team is solid but has no chance)

Finland - Czech Republic (Finland has been disappointing too. Too many tired veterans.)

Sweden - Slovakia (Slovakia is super skilled team but Sweden is always good in big tournaments)

Russia - Canada (See above)

Good predictions for the quarters! And judging by how things have gone yesterday, very hard to make predictions on the outcome today.

USA - Switzerland: This can go either way. It depends who is better in net. Miller, or Hiller. Hiller pretty much shut down Canada and it went to a shoot out. Don't count the Swiss out.

Finland - Czech Republic: No Jagr and Latvia could have stole it last night, but lost on a weak goal. Tough to call the outcome on this.

Sweden - Slovakia: Slovakia has the edge and are pumped up to win, especially after the douche-bag hit last night. My gut tells me Slovakia.

Russia - Canada: Both teams pumped. This will be a better game then USA vs Canada. If Luongo can keep it together, advantage Canada. Also, the loss to the USA was a good thing. Better to lose in a game that really doesn't mean anything ( it was not elimination), except for national pride. All the loss did was light a fire for Canada.... so again. advantage Canada.

A good day for hockey!

We could see:

USA vs Finland

Slovakia vs Canada

USA vs Canada for gold.

No medal predictions, but I think Slovakia will surprise everyone

[By-Tor]

USA was the superior team but you gotta respect the Swiss. They were warriors. Mark Streit must have been one of the best d-men of the whole tournament. Pure class.

All my predictions have been correct so far.

[dluddy]

Another good game and the Swiss gave it all - well played game all around

[Panoris]

I so eagerly look forward to a US-Canada final. Based on the Russia game today, it was quite clear they didn't show up for the US-Canada game.

[By-Tor]

Russia wasn't ready to play. Yeah they have superior offense but where was their defense?

Gonchar is still great but he's an offensive d-man just like Brian Rafalski. They made terrible defensive mistakes. On top of that Nabokov had a bad day... it was a recipe for disaster.

Finland surprised me again. They have the oldest team of the tournament. Selanne is 40, etc. But I guess experience counts for something and Kiprusoff was ultra cool. USA-Finland will be interesting... youngest and oldest team.

Watching Sweden-Slovakia game right now.

[Panoris]

Agreed that it wasn't the Russia that was expected. They played lethargically and out of sync. That being said, the Canadians exploited their holes exactly how they needed to and executed near flawlessly.

Finland will be a challenge for the US. I hope they don't sit back and allow the Fins so much time in their zone, or they will pay the price.

[stilty]

Goaltending will win this tournament. Will be quite a showdown between Miller and Kipper. Kipper has been known to steal a game.

And the way it is going... could likely be a Canada vs Slovakia.

[wheaton26]

last night we had about 30 canadians take over a pub here in the bahamas ... it was a blast!