The significance of the Americans defeating Canada in hockey is and always will be big but let’s not get too carried away here.
Time will tell just how big of a win this was for the Americans.
Does the U.S. have the same level of talent assembled on their roster as the Canadians? Of course not, but these games aren’t played on paper.
This is far from the Washington Generals beating the Harlem Globetrotters here. If you look at the American roster you’ll see plenty of former NHL first round picks including a couple of players who were recently drafted first overall. The Americans are no pushover, the roster is 100% loaded with quality NHL players and they were far from being intimidated prior to the puck being dropped.
If the Americans move on to capture Gold then we will all look back at this game and say it was a huge step in taking USA hockey to the next level. If USA slips and fails to win Gold or even medal then just how large will the win over Canada be?
One thing people need to realize is how good USA hockey is today. We just recently captured Gold in the World Junior tournament and I personally see American youth hockey teams defeat top rated Canadian teams all the time.
There are more Canadian’s living in the United States coaching American kids than ever. Many of these coach’s are former NHL players who are teaching the Canadian game to American kids.
It’s time to stop analyzing these two countries the way we did 15-20 years ago.
Those days are over.
Canada didn’t play poorly Sunday night but they didn’t play good enough to win the game. Their game is way too nonchalant way too often. There are times when Canada reminds me of some recent USA basketball teams who assumed they could just show up and win. Canada showed little urgency to their game outside of the last five or so minutes of each period.
The “Too cool for school” approach won’t cut it in a tournament like this.
Here are some relevant questions to toss out there?
How can Canada explain coming out flat with 18,000 home fans going absolutely nuts?
Is Jarome Iginla hut? Then why are players such as Corey Perry seeing more ice time than Iginla?
Iginla was very good throughout the game and should be playing more for Canada.
Why is Rick Nash the only Canadian forward throwing his body around? I thought Nash was Canada’s best player versus the Americans. He lost a few key battles along the wall early on but he eventually got it going.
Has Scotty Niedermayer dropped off? I have always been a huge fan of this guy. He’s an obvious Hall of Famer but it’s quite clear he no longer can play at the dominating level he once did. In fairness Niedermayer played better the second half of the game.
Does Hockey Canada struggle turning the page on some of these veteran players? This is something Brian Burke and USA hockey have done and it’s working out nicely
Joe Who? (Thornton)
How good was USA D-man Brooks Orpik? Especially early in the game when he owned Joe Thornton.
Where is Brendan Morrow?
Is Mike Babcock willing to bruise a few ego’s along the way if it means it increases Canada’s chances of winning the tournament?
Did some Canadian media really have Drew Doughty as the 7th D-man heading into the tournament? As I mentioned it wouldn't take long for people to realize just how good Doughty is. This kid is incredible.
Luuuuuuuu!
It’s obviously time for Roberto Luongo.
Martin Broduer didn’t get the job done as he uncharacteristically made too many costly mistakes. How often have we seen him flop around like he did on the Chris Drury tap in?
The bottom line is this is Luongo’s home city, his home dressing room, and his home rink. He knows the boards and the sightlines and feels very comfortable playing in Vancouver.
And oh by the way, last time I check Luongo is a pretty damn good goaltender who’s big, fills the net, and can carry a team as well as any goaltender in the tournament.
Canada must tweak a few things if they want a chance to win gold. It starts with simplifying their game and bringing a little grit to the table.
Look at the Americans goals and you’ll see simple plays. Pucks are directed on net with bodies in front.
As good as USA goaltender Ryan Miller was, he was able to see the puck with little traffic in front.
The Canadian power play needs more traffic and more shots. It would help Canada if they stopped over passing and looking to set up one-time shots and started getting pucks to the front of the net.
Canada will be fine if they play up to their potential but thus far they have yet to do so. Their passive play and lack of forecheck, especially in the neutral zone, needs some adjusting.
The empty net goal delivered by Ryan Kesler was a perfect illustration of the hunger the Americans brought to the ice Sunday night.
That determination level is what's missing right now for Canada.
Things That Make You Say HMMM?
What’s up with the broadcast?
How can NBC continue to say how important the 1980 USA Gold Medal was to our country and then bump the most anticipated matchup to a non-HD MSNBC channel (DirecTV viewers)? The 1980 team meant so much that hockey still plays second fiddle to skiing! The fact that the game wasn’t even shown in HD is ridiculous. Isn’t NBC a television partner of the NHL?
NBC can show NHL games on a Sunday afternoon but they won’t air Canada vs. USA?
I liked Jeremy Roenick as a hockey player but his broadcasting skills needs a little work. I don’t mind him doing an NHL game here and there but to feature him on the Olympic coverage isn’t the right move in my opinion.
Did you know MSNBC is in 10,000,000 more homes than Versus?
As least NBC didn’t pull what TBS did during the 1990 Goodwill games in Seattle when TBS elected not to even televise the Gold Medal Ice hockey game between USA and Russia. Blues President John Davidson was broadcasting the hockey tournament for TBS at the time. The Russians won the game in a shootout and Davidson tells me it was one of the best games he’d ever watched. To this day he remains disappointed it wasn’t seen on television. This was the year Sergei Federov defected from Russia.
Rink Rats!
People close to Toronto Maple Leafs D-man Tomas Kaberle tell me he’s privately indicated he’s ready to waive his no-trade and move on from Toronto. He continues to only want to stay in the Eastern Conference. Will that change?
Blues Clues!
Blues players will begin arriving back into St. Louis in the next 24-48 hours as they resume practicing Wednesday.
Anybody notice David Backes line shut down Sidney Crosby and his line for part of the game Sunday night?
What about Erik Johnson on the ice for the final minute of the USA victory over Canada?
It’s obvious Johnson is keeping his game relatively simple and is playing nearly mistake free as a result.
Congrats to the 1997 AAA St. Louis Amateur Blues as they advanced all the way to the semi-finals of the Pee Wee Quebec International hockey tournament.
Mathew Tkachuk and Clayton Keller led the way for the Blues with 11 points each.
David Perron took in one of the games while he was back in his native Quebec.
The Blues knocked off the Mark Messier coached NY Rangers 7-1 en route to the semis.
Speaking of Tkachuk, word is Keith Tkachuk is not looking to be traded at this time.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
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St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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