USA TODAY International Edition
5 steps to U. S. upset of Canada
In the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Canada took down the USA in the gold medal game. In the 2010 Games in Vancouver, it was the same story.
America’s record against its hockey- crazed neighbor in the Canada Cup and World Cup is 38- 1. In the world championships, the Americans are 4- 39 against the Canadians since 1931. The Americans haven’t had a meaningful victory against Canada since Brian Leetch, Chris Chelios, Mike Modano, Mike Richter and Co. won the World Cup in 1996.
“( But) it’s an upbeat mood,” USA defenseman Erik Johnson said Monday. “I think we’re relishing the underdog role, being in Canada, going into the hornets’ nest Tuesday night.”
After losing to Team Europe in the opener of the World Cup of Hockey on Saturday, the Americans desperately need a victory against the Canadians on Tuesday. Here’s a step- by- step program on how to achieve that: Step 1: Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien enters the lineup. Coach John Tortorella benched Byfuglien in favor of Jack Johnson on Saturday, but the Americans need Byfuglien’s size and attitude. He is 260 pounds, skates with speed and authority and has a heavy slap shot that will boost the power play. Tortorella is also considering playing Justin Abdelkader to add more nastiness to the lineup.
“We’re coming ( after Canada),” Tortorella said. “That’s no secret. It’s a way we’ve been built.” Step 2: The stars shine. Patrick Kane, Joe Pavelski, Zach Parise and Blake Wheeler have to
raise their levels of play. The Americans must get more highquality scoring chances after a 3- 0 loss to to Team Europe. “We need our best players to be our best players,” Tortorella said. “Our guys need to be there. Not just Kaner. There’s a number of really good players we have on our club. We’re out of time. It has to happen ( Tuesday) night.” Step 3: The USA crashes
Canada’s net. The Americans seemed frustrated by Team Europe’s passive style, and they made it worse by not driving to the net. They need traffic in front of Canadian goalie Carey Price. Forty shots from the perimeter won’t get the job done. The Americans are going to try to create chaos in front of Price.
“It’s just willing to be there,” Tortorella said. “The more important thing is willing to stay there. That’s going to be a big part of the game. It’s always a big part of the game between the U. S. and Canada. To compete and win this game, we need to be there.” Step 4: Jonathan Quick outplays Price. Is Quick one of the greatest American goalies of all time? He has two Stanley Cup championship rings and a Conn Smythe Trophy. What he doesn’t have is international success.
Some of his predecessors have him beat on that. It was Ryan Miller’s net for the silver medal in 2010. Richter was the biggest reason for the USA’s 1996 World Cup championship. Jim Craig’s performance in 1980 was legendary. And Jack McCartan was a force in leading the Americans to gold in the 1960 Olympics.
Step 5: Puck movement from the back end is sharper. The Americans don’t have a dominant puck mover such as Sweden’s Erik Karlsson, but the American defensemen can move the puck quicker than they did against Team Europe. The USA’s transition game has to be quicker to be effective against Canada.
Said Tortorella, “A big part of our style of play is trying to get the puck north- south as quickly as possible.”