Canada versus USA has become the new hockey rivalry and it's already developed a rich history.
Some say its roots are in the 1991 Canada Cup when U.S D-man Gary Suter body checked Wayne Greztky out of the tournament. Well, perhaps, but it was still Russia that won the Cup. It was really the 1996 World Cup that got the rivalry started when Canada's aging champions couldn't figure out U.S goalie Mike Richter despite showering him with shots in game three of the three game final.
It was a heart breaking loss, but mostly it was a huge surprise, we were used to losing to the Russians, even the Czechs and possibly even the Swedes, but not the Yanks.
Because of Canada's longstanding big brother/little brother rivalry, losing to them at our game let's face it, rankled the most.
In 1998 at the Nagano Olympics Team Canada won something of a rematch, beating the U.S 4-1 in the preliminary round, before going on to lose to the Czechs in the semi-final.
Still it's not the same without all the money on the table, anyone can have a bad day, even elite athletes, but what counts is are they up for the big game? In 2002 Canada was granted another rematch, this time in the gold medal final at the Salt Lake City Olympics, we were playing the U.S in the final on their turf and we won a decisive 5-2 victory and brought Olympic gold in mens' hockey back to Canada for the first time in 50 years (what a long cold draught that was).
But we beat a team that was past its prime, Richter clearly wasn't the goalie he was in 96 and several other key forwards were a step or two slower. And in the intervening years between then and now we've seen a new corp of young American players develop, like the group that beat are boys in the final of the World Juniors (in Saskatchewan) this past winter, are first loss at the Juniors in five years, the previous loss being to, you guessed it the U.S.
So now were back to another gold medal showdown, only this time the U.S team isn't a run down tired group that have already had their glory. No its a pack of rising stars, led by probably the best management team ever assembled in hockey, Brian Burke and Ron Wilson, if anyone can mold a young team of talented stars into a cohesive powerhouse it's these two, plus they're riding hotter than hot goalie Ryan Miller.
One difference between 2002 and now that might be in Canada's favour is we played and lost to the U.S team in the prelims - conventional wisdom says that in sports you learn more from losing than winning. Lets hope Team Canada have studied that game and learn to anticipate every move from the fast American forwards and have found a chink in miller's armour. Never has a game of hockey meant so much for national pride, except possibly Game eight of the 1972 Summit Series. The U.S is trying to play the role of underdog but they are the only undefeated team in this tournament and they are riding high on a wave of confidence. Every player on Team Canada, as talented as they are, will have to play better than they have ever played before to be victorious today - on the plus side when the chips are down have seen Team Canadas in the past do amazing things. This latest incarnation of Team Canada certainly has the spirit and the ability to continue the tradition, so now all we can say is - game on.
