CANADA KICKS OUR BACON
Getting torched by neighbors to north an Olympic tradition
SOCHI, Russia — Do you know how the Americans won that gold medal in 1980, how they managed that Miracle on Ice? They didn't have to play Canada in Lake Placid, that's how. Russia is a relative hockey patsy for Team USA compared to the Canucks. If Canada had been in the Blue Division in 1980 instead of the Red Division, we might still be talking about the 1960 miracle at Squaw Valley.
The Canadians are just too quick, cheetahs i n turbo-charged boots. What happened on Friday was just another demoralizing chapter i n this one-sided rivalry. Team USA, the same guys who had appeared so fast and formidable in four previous Olympic games, skated in molasses and was eliminated, 1-0, in a largely undramatic semifinal.
The Americans lost to Canada again. They almost always lose. The U.S. is now 3-12-3 against Canada at the Olympics, and has been knocked out by our rude northern neighbors three of the last four Winter Games. Canada is 7-1-1 against the Americans at the Olympics during the last 40 years of bullying. The U.S. has never beaten Canada in an elimination game.
On it goes and here we go again. All that talk about a deeper talent pool and an impressive generation of forwards was for naught, yet again. It's just one of those matchup things. Canadian bacon trumps our ham and cheese. Their maple syrup beats our artificial sweeteners. Their hockey team outskates us and gets the big goal whenever they need it, another slap shot in our face.
"These were the two best hockeyplay ing teams in the world playing for the opportunity to play for a gold medal," U.S. coach Dan Bylsma said. "We lost it to a team that's right there as the best in the world."
Going into this semifinal, there was some reason to think that Sochi would be different. After all, the Americans had lost by the slimmest of margins four years ago in Vancouver, on Canada's home ice. Team USA was on a roll, unbeaten. Sidney Crosby was in a slump. The Canadians were without John Tavares, one of their flying young forwards.
From the start, however,
the Americans were back on their heels, merely trying to survive.
"It seemed like we had a tough time sustaining any pressure in their end," Ryan Callahan said. "They outnumbered us in their zone, came up with it quick and they were quick on transition."
The game remained scoreless for one period, until a smart give-andgo play between Jamie Benn and Jay Bouwmeester resulted in Benn's deflection goal at 1:41 of the second period.
"You're not going to beat that goalie on a clear shot," Bouwmeester said of Jonathan Quick. "We got that goal and then grinded it out, like we did with all our games here."
From then on, it was a futile scramble for the Americans, who did not demonstrate much firepower. The score was close. The U.S. scoring opportunities were not. Those 31 shots on goal were largely nonthreatening.
"When we did have chances, we didn't have enough guys there i n front," Joe Pavelski said. "It's tough when you know you're that close. We didn't do enough, didn't do much with our power plays."
The Americans did nothing on those three power plays, which might have been designed by John Tortorella. They did nothing much at all against Canada's Seahawklike defense that is devouring this tournament.
It turns out that thumping of Slovakia and the Czech Republic is one thing. Scoring against the red maple leaf is entirely different. You would think, at least, the Americans would get some odd-man counters, because Canada was cycling often in their zone. But the U.S. rarely caught the Canadians in transition.
"The Canadians played a fast game, a game they came at us with 20 guys tonight, with speed, for 60 minutes," Bylsma said. "That was as fast a game as I've been a part of. We weren't able to counter that, match that, as much as I'd like."
The U.S. coach called Quick "our best player on the ice." The Kings' goalie stopped 36 of 37 shots. Now the Americans are reduced to the bronze medal game Saturday against Finland — the team that knocked them out in 2006.
Where are the Russians when you need them?