Friday's Olympic Rematch:
Friday's men's matchup between Canada and the U.S. will carry extra weight because it's *not* the gold medal game. Unlike in Vancouver, one of these teams will have to play for bronze, and could end up finishing out of the medals like Canada did in Nagano in 1998. The final gap will be wider than before, which could fuel the rivalry more than ever.
If you're one of the people who believes that this is the last Olympics for NHL players, the result of this game could also determine eternal bragging rights if there's no chance to exact revenge in four years. For the record, I don't think the NHL will pull out of the Olympics: I think this is Gary Bettman's negotiating posture, trying to extract a better deal for his side. They can play it down all they want, but the international exposure the league receives is extremely valuable in supporting their brand as the best hockey league in the world.
Yes, holding the 2018 games in faraway Korea is not exactly a natural fit for hockey, but the Nagano tournament worked out just fine. And the time-change is a manageable issue—actually better than in Sochi. Pyeongchang is 17 hours ahead of Pacific time, so if they played games during the afternoons, we'd see them in the evenings. For example, a noon Friday start would air at 7 p.m. Thursday evening here in Vancouver.
Let's take a look at the two teams' Olympic paths so far:
Team USA:
Feb 13: beat Slovakia 7-1
Feb 15: beat Russia 3-2 (shootout)
Feb 16: beat Slovenia 5-1
Feb 18: beat Czech Republic 5-2
Team Canada:
Feb 13: beat Norway 3-1
Feb 14: beat Austria 6-0
Feb 16: beat Finland 2-1 (overtime)
Feb 18: beat Latvia 2-1
With the exception of the game against Russia, the U.S. team really hasn't had to get out of second gear. Will they be complacent or overconfident against Canada, or will they crank up their scoring machine once again, take an early lead, and never look back?
The Canadian group would have to be made of stone if they didn't get an emotional lift today from watching first the Canadian women's curlers, then the Canadian women's hockey team, both bring home the gold.
That hockey game was incredible! I was back on figure skating detail so when I tuned in Canada was down 2-0 with about seven minutes to go in the third. Apparently our girls were waiting for me to show up before they started playing...
After watching the Canucks this year, the whole idea of a team forging a late comeback seems so foreign—even though our opposition has pulled it off numerous times.
A last-minute goal, then weathering a powerful U.S. storm at the start of overtime and some weird officiating ultimately leads to the best gold medal yet for the Canadian women.
In my opinion, those games are now just as fun to watch as the guys—and they're plenty physical. No brawl today but there was still plenty of nastiness.
So, who do you think has the advantage tomorrow—the dominating Americans or the squeaking-through Canadians? I hope Canada wins, but I'm (still) nervous about Carey Price. This could go either way.
Also, because this result will determine Canada's next opponent either way:
Sweden and Finland will play at 4 a.m. tomorrow; Canada and the U.S. face off at 9.
Notes from Canucks Practice:
If you have 13 minutes, take a look at Torts' first visit with the local media after Wednesday's practice. He's pretty realistic about the dire situation that the team is in and says he's been doing a lot of work—not like at Christmas when he was all about the days off.
He also talks a bit about the Olympics, though he says he hasn't seen any of the games. He chuckled when talking about listening to the Canada/Latvia game on his way into the rink on Wednesday, and how they were "carving Canada" when it was 1-1. I guess he knows how it feels.
Apparently Zack Kassian was the most excited about the women's win today:
Torts has postponed Friday's practice till 12:30 so the guys can watch the semifinal without distraction.
Meanwhile, David Booth returns with great tales of gator-hunting:
And to wrap today, some positive news from the infirmary. Maybe the injured bunch will be ready to get back to action next week?
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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