USA Hockey Making a Statement: Olympics, U-20, and U-17 Teams All Defeat Canadians
by Bob Wage on Feb 22, 2010 7:00 AM EST
25 comments
Team USA celebrates after beating Team Canada, 5-3 on Sunday night in Vancouver. (Getty Images)
Has Canada lost the right to claim North American hockey dominance?
Not only did Team USA defeat Team Canada in a huge Olympics matchup in Vancouver last night, the USA Juniors team beat Team Canada for the gold medal in the Under-20 World Junior Championships less than two months ago, also on Canadian soil.
Coincidentally, USA also beat Canada to win the championship in the World U-17 Hockey Challenge, held in Canada earlier this season as well.
That's a full sweep so far this year for USA Hockey.
While it might be a bit premature to say that hockey dominance has officially shifted south of the border, let's give credit where credit is due ----- USA Hockey has made huge strides and the future looks very bright.
The Olympics team, which just earned the number one seeding in the medal rounds, is one of the youngest selected in recent American history. While naysayers could claim that Ryan Miller stole the game last night for USA, and the goalie did play lights out, the Americans were opportunists in that matchup and clicked for five goals. They blocked a ton of shots, played a physical game, and did what they needed to do to win.
Also, Team Canada was pushed to the limit by a mediocre Swiss Team and needed a shootout to beat them while Team USA defeated that same team, 3-1 in their opener.
The win last night was huge for the Yanks, but they still have a long way to go. With the number one seeding, they earned a bye in the next round and will face the winner of the Switzerland/Belarus matchup on Wednesday. If they win that game, they move on to the final four of the medal round, something many experts thought was a long-shot at the start of this tournament.
Here are the medal seedings:
- USA
- Sweden
- Russia
- Finland
- Czech Republic
- Canada
- Slovakia
- Switzerland
- Belarus
- Norway
- Germany
- Latvia
Here is the remaining schedule:
Next Round:
- 5 vs 12
- 6 vs 11
- 7 vs 10
- 8 vs 9
Quarter-finals:
- 1 vs 8/9 winner
- 2 vs 7/10 winner
- 3 vs 6/11 winner
- 4 vs 5/12 winner
If USA can beat the winner of the Swiss/Belarus game, they will then most likely face the winner of a Finland/Czech matchup.
Canada will have to get by Germany, Russia, and Sweden to get into the gold medal game. If both teams win out, USA and Canada would face each other in the gold medal final.
It should be interesting.
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Excellent game played by team U-S-A! Couldn’t take my eyes off this one! GO U-S-A!! Go for the gold! Timmy Gleason made a few nice defensive plays in the 3rd, and even got recognition for one of them by Doc Emrick I do believe..?
Let the new era of Hurricanes hockey.... begin!
by 3yrsnoplayoffs? on Feb 22, 2010 7:58 AM EST reply actions
This is not good: Joni Pitkanen is suspended one game for his elbow to the head of Hormqvist. From Canes Now
U S A ! U S A ! U S A ! U S A !
Here’s the link to see all 12 teams placed in the bracket.
Team USA plays Wednesday at 3pm. But the Team USA Women’s semi-final game is today at 3pm, vs Sweden.
U S A ! U S A ! U S A ! U S A !
What jumps out to me is the potential US vs Finland on Friday. Finland has to get by (probably) the Czech Republic (Jagr etc) without Pitkanen, and USA has to get thru their QF game for that to happen.
That and the likelihood for Canada vs Russia on Wednesday. Somebody’s going home without a medal. There’s a shocker.
U S A ! U S A ! U S A ! U S A !
by hockeymomof2 on Feb 22, 2010 10:13 AM EST up reply actions
Not that the swiss should be taken lightly ( no way Belarus gets past them to face us), but I see us getting past this next round. The Finns have a tough test in the Czechs, but I think they will be angry and fresher, so they should go one.
Russia vs Canada will be EPIC! I think Canada goes on , with Bobby Lou in net. Russia is VERY beatable. They lack cohesiveness still. With the way the Czechs played them, that game should have been a blow out for Russia, but because they have no chemistry, it was not. I also think they are not coached well either.
by wylde4canes on Feb 22, 2010 10:28 AM EST up reply actions
+2
Relax !! Even Micro Wave Popcorn takes time !! Go Canes !!
by CaniacSteve on Feb 22, 2010 10:29 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, and very likely whoever wins the expected Canada/Russia matchup is probably going to have to take on Sweden in the first medal round. Few are talking about the Swedes but they are the defending gold medalists and are a force to be reckoned with. They manhandled the Finns last night. They have excellent goal-tending with King Henrik, and at least once last night I counted four Red Wings in front of him on the PK.
Sees the world through ruuu-colored glasses...
Sisu
And they all looked about 6-4, 230. Maybe that was just Dougy Murray. I fear for the Americans in that match-up.
U S A ! U S A ! U S A ! U S A !
by hockeymomof2 on Feb 22, 2010 11:22 AM EST up reply actions
I don;t buy Lundquist going all the way again, though. He runs hot and cold, and is due for a cold spell.
by wylde4canes on Feb 22, 2010 12:06 PM EST up reply actions
Give Ron Wilson and his coaching staff a ton of credit. They’ve got this group playing like a team in a very short time-frame. Sounds like his legendary .pdf files he was sending out over the past months had some good stuff on them.
Barry Melrose Rocks: Hockey and mullets. What else is there?
i as a guy who did play on the city ponds and rinks in chicago as a kid all the way through High School…and in my intrests and involvement in youth hockey in the midwest and northwest…it took a spark called the mirical on ice back in 1980 which helped start the expantion of youth hockey programs here in the usa…True Canada may have the market on youth hockey…but the USA is catching up and in some places 7 programs…passing Canada….USA USA USA !! But like many here i too am shocked about “Yanni’s” suspention…as while he is a tough player, but not a cheap shot artist…but international rules are a wee bit different huh ??
Relax !! Even Micro Wave Popcorn takes time !! Go Canes !!
There is no one who is more of a fan of USA hockey than me, and no bigger Caniac, I’m just like all of you, fanatical. That being said, and realistically stepping back and analyzing each of the teams playing for a medal, sadly I can’t honestly say that I believe USA has this thing in the bag. Canada was tough last night. Both the Russians and the Czechs looked like medal contenders. I agree with wylde4canes that the Russians have some chemistry problems though (surprise, surprise). Mike Milbury was asked, if he were a GM again, who would he pick? Ovechkin or Crosby? And he picked Ovechkin. But if I were a GM Ovechkin’s “chemistry problem” would make me think twice about that choice. So, I think we were amazing through the neutral zones and Miller is obviously the best goalie in the Olympics right now. But….the Canadians just seem like they are waiting to bust out. It gives me goosebumps just hearing their lineup. While he scored twice, once for us and once for his home team, I think Crosby is still trying to figure out where he fits in on his team, IMO, and when he does he is going to be something to watch. And then there is Staal. I wish he had that jump in his step when he played for us this season (guess it’s tough staying motivated in last place, new C or not). He has the opportunity right now to “make up for” the horrible season the Canes are having. The captain of our Canes has the chance to come home with the Gold. That’s big enough to motivate him to play with all his heart, which is already huge. While I love him and truly hope he comes back to us healthy cuz I am all things Canes first, I have to admit that last night I found myself wishing someone would put a hurt locker on his whiney, bitchy little ass. If it was Gleason so much the better. Nash was amazing. Brodeur is pissed. And while we were physical, the Canadians matched us in that department, and maybe edged us out a little bit. And I think that in winning last night we might have might have done ourselves more harm than good. We might have awoke the proverbial sleeping lion. So I am going to pray that we get this done, and I am going to cry if we don’t, but my gut tells me that the Canadians will prevail at home. I’m trying to shake it, talk myself into believing that good ‘ol American spirit will carry the day, but I saw something in team Canada last night, in a loss, that tells me they are just too stacked with talent to be beat. But then, there was Dustin Brown. Probably the best individual performance I have seen on any team so far. If Team USA can catch his spirit, maybe, just maybe, I’m wrong. I hope so. Because Team Canada gold is going to feel pretty lousy. Watching Team Russia celebrating would leave a scar.
I just want to say F Rick Nash.
Exact same play that cut Cam’s leg open last night on Ryan Miller. Miller was not pleased.
Well it may comfort you to know he was a team worst/tied-3 last night. any guesses on who he shared that honor with……..WAAAAAAAAAH WAAAAAAAH WAAAAAAH
by wylde4canes on Feb 22, 2010 12:09 PM EST up reply actions
I saw the “waah” part and automatically assumed you meant Brodeur. Then I re-read the rest of it and knew I was wrong.
"This guy is as meat and potatoes as there is of a man."
Gleason for Emperor!
Yeah, I could see how you make that mistake. Though if I were talking about Brodeur I would have said NOM NOM NOM instead……
All jokes aside, Brodeur’s comments to the press in his post game were the most slefish, deflective, I have ever heard. He was not good last night, and as a result they lost. Take your lumps and move on. Oh well, he has plenty of time to gripe while watching Loungo backstop his team through a comeback attempt.
by wylde4canes on Feb 22, 2010 12:27 PM EST up reply actions
Oh yeah “nom nom” is a much better reflection of Brodeur’s habits. And I agree 100% with you on the reaction to his comments. The whole team lost the game last night, but at the end of the day he’s the last thing standing between the puck and the back of the net. He shouldn’t have tried to deflect blame like that. I have always had an impression of him that was less than flattering so this came as no surprise.
"This guy is as meat and potatoes as there is of a man."
Gleason for Emperor!
He slid into Hiller the other night too. At some point in time a pattern starts to emerge and it stops being some weird coincidence.
Sees the world through ruuu-colored glasses...
Sisu
Yep, when he slid into Hiller, I told elskling “that’s it, he’s going on the list”.
Then he pulls the same running-the-goalie move on Miller.
I don’t watch the Preds that much on Center Ice, unless they’re in a close finish, but I’m beginning to suspect that this is Nash’s standard M.O.
you mean the Blue Jackets?
U S A ! U S A ! U S A ! U S A !
by hockeymomof2 on Feb 22, 2010 2:25 PM EST up reply actions
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