Shock. The. World.

You gotta love when your team storms the Bastille like team USA did today against Finland. Six goals in the first period. Count 'em. And just like that Team USA will play for gold fifty years after the red, white, and blue took the top prize in Squaw Valley, and thirty years after blowing minds in Lake Placid. Could it happen again?

Nobody expected the small, young, and "undertalented" Americans to get this far. Nobody.

Here's the thing, the NHL needs a win by the Americans. Hockey needs a win by the Americans. To say the least the NHL in North America has been struggling since a lockout killed the 2004-2005 season.

The fact of the matter is that hockey is mostly supported by a nation that treats it like a red headed stepchild. On most days, most Americans have better things to do then try and follow around a black doughnut on a slick surface. The United States is fickle like that. We are content to watch modern day gladiators bump heads in publicly funded stadiums, rather than watch grown men on skates. Can Canadians live without hockey? No. But can the ignorance of the nation to the south kill the game at a professional level? Most definitely.

Sunday is the biggest of all big games for the sport of hockey in America. Team USA will once again take on a juggernaut, and the betting money will be going in the direction of Canada.

Can team USA supply the kind of jolt that will re-awaken American hockey passion?

Do you believe in miracles?

The Dirty

Entering today I felt that the winners in the quarterfinals of the Olympics would be pretty clear cut. The United States, riding a wave of momentum was geared up to dispatch the Swiss. Team Canada would be challenged, but ultimately overcome the Russian invasion. The Finns and their ability to come together during the Olympics would mildly upset the Czech Republic. Finally, the Swedes would prove superior to the suddenly dangerous Slovakians. When the day was over I was mostly right. Let's have a look.

Men's Quarterfinal #1- USA vs. Switzerland

Result: Team USA scraped out a victory, 2-0.

What I said:

Both Miller and Hiller (hey that rhymes!) have been incredible up to this point. Miller has his uplifting win over Canada, and Hiller has his uplifting almost-win over Canada. The Swiss have been trapping harder than an Arizona minuteman at the border, but the Americans have all the momentum in the world after shocking the rock on Sunday. This game will be close because I expect Team USA to deal with a bit of a letdown, but in the end the Americans should prevail.

Winner: Team USA

Analysis: Once again Ryan Miller stepped up and delivered a shutout against a Swiss team that played hard, but ultimately ran out of gas. Had this game gone 6 periods it's possible the Swiss may have found a way to win, but in the end Zach Parise found the will and the way for the Americans, scoring both goals. A big tip of the hat to Jonas Hiller for showing the world once again why he should not be taken lightly in tournament play.

Men's Quarterfinal #2- Russia vs. Canada

Result: Canada stomped the commies 7-3.

What I said:

The question here is whether or not Team Canada managed to gain some cohesiveness during their game against Germany, or if it was a case of a bunch of angry Canucks doing mean things to a bunch of hapless umlauts. One has to think Mike Babcock will keep the line of Iginla, Crosby, and Staal together if only because he has to go with something that is working. That said, Canada must get some production out of the Thornton line for Canada to have a chance.

On the flip side Team Russia has flipped on the afterburners since Evgeni Malkin was put together with Alex Ovechkin. Russia's weakness as I have stated before is in their defense. Outside of Gonchar and Markov this team has some questions. Considering that Team Canada was in disarray not but 48 hours ago, and the fact that the Russians have had some issues on their end coming into this game, I'm thinking that once again this one is coming down to the goaltending. If that is the case I have to go with Roberto Luongo playing in his building, in his country.

Winner: Team Canada

Analysis: What is shocking about the result of this game is not that Canada came out focused and angry, nor is it shocking that they managed to pump in seven goals against what was widely regarded as the second best team in the world. What is shocking is how Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin were rendered almost completely irrelevant by the Canadian defense. Check out Ovechkin and Malkins lines for the game:

Ovechkin:

No goals, No assists, 3 shots on goal, minus-2, 23 shifts

Malkin:

No goals, 1 assist, 3 shots on goal, minus-2, 22 shifts

That my friends is IN-CRED-I-BULLLL!

The Canadians are officially rolling at this point. Am I scurred? I ain't scurred...I think.

Men's Quarterfinal #3- Finland vs Czech Republic

Result: You read it here, Finland over the Czechs 2-0.

What I said:

Finland has to be reeling a bit after getting stomped by arch rival Sweden on Sunday. But on the other hand there is a good chance Jaromir Jagr is still trying to figure out what country he is in after being taken behind the woodshed by Ovechkin (which may or may not have been the reason he had to leave the game against Latvia in the first period).

I mention Jagr because if he plays the entire game against Latvia, and is healthy, there is no way the Czechs win by only one goal, and even then that game doesn't go into overtime. If I take that into account along with the fact that Finland and Miikka Kiprusoff have had a chance to rest up since their loss to the Swedes, I end up leaning more in the direction of Finland in this game.

Winner in a mild upset: Finland

Analysis: This was a strange one, as a well intentioned but not well thought out rule assisted the Finns. Long story short, Czech defenseman Pavel Kubina dropped to block a shot during a Finn power play late in the third period but lost his helmet in the process. According to International Hockey Federation rules, a player who loses his helmet must promptly return to the bench. What Kubina did was leave his man, Nicklas Hagman, in front of the net and go to retrieve his helmet. Hagman then promptly scored.

Both teams agreed after the fact that the rule which was intended to ensure the safety of players was a stupid rule. The DNP agrees with this assessment, as losing your helmet during play means that it is man time, and risking your safety in exchange for helping out your team is your choice.

That said, Miikka Kiprusoff was more or less, and not just a little lucky in helping his team to the win. At one point Jaromir Jagr had Kipper beat and fanned on an open net. In fact, it was Jagr's limited play (he was playing injured) which may have been the difference maker in the game.

Men's Quarterfinal #4- Sweden vs. Slovakia

Result: Shock the world Slovakia wins 4-3!

What I said:

Wouldn't it be something if the Slovaks rose up and took down the defending Olympic champions? It is something to consider. Jaroslav Halak has been otherworldly in this tournament, and any team icing Marian Gaborik and Marian Hossa cannot be ignored.

Still, it is difficult to bet against King Henrik at this point. Halak may be the up and comer, but Lundqvist is an Olympic champion. Additionally it is hard to ignore the contributions that have been made by Swedes who aren't the Sedin twins. Nicklas Backstrom is a superstar along with Daniel Alfredsson and Johan Franzen. Not to mention that there are plenty of Swedes who still have some gas left in the tank...like say...Peter Forsberg.

Winner: Sweden

Analysis: I'm officially upgrading Slovakia on my Boston townie threat chart from "Wicked" to "Pissah!" What a game by the Slovakians! Pavol Demitra had three points. Marian Hossa had three assists. The Slovaks were up 2-0 early only to have the Swedes even it up before Demitra put his team up for good. You want vermouth? You can't handle vermouth! If it wasn't for the United States rattling Canada's cage on Sunday this would be the upset of the tournament. Slovakia is for real. Incredible.

Quarterfinal prediction results: 3-1

Tournament record: 18-5

Let's move on to the biggies. It's man time.

February 26 (The official birthday of the DNP)

Men's Semifinal #1- United States vs. Finland

USA: Ryan Miller

Finland: Miikka Kiprusoff

This should be another tight game for the Americans, and for the Finns. The teams are fairly evenly matched. The difference maker? Team speed. As the Americans showed against the Canadians their youth movement wasn't in vein. Team USA can sprint. Ryan Miller is lava hot at this point, while Kipper is merely at a rolling boil after his strange win in the last round.

The Finns are a tricky team to analyze. Miko Koivu is the star of the squad these days, and frankly that makes me shrug my shoulders like I should care. Gone are the days of a dominant Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu. I feel like I should take Finland more seriously, but the Americans are rolling.

Winner: Ryan Miller- USA

Men's Semifinal #2- Canada vs. Slovakia

Canada: Roberto Luongo

Slovakia: Jaroslav Halak

Considering the antics of the Slovakians they would be the sexy pick at this point...except that they are up against a juggernaut manned by several hall of fame quality players. Team USA did accomplish an upset against them, but at this point I think what they may have done was awaken Godzilla. The Canadians are pissed and focused. If there are any questions I recommend you take a look at the scattered wreckage of the Russian team.

Winner: Roberto Luongo- Canada

If all goes as planned we are looking at a USA-Canada final, which two weeks ago nobody saw coming. All I can hope for here is that everyone finds the time to tip their waitresses.

Quarters, Nickels, and Dimes

Here we are in the Olympic quarterfinals, and if you feel like I do the start of the hockey action seems like it was six months ago, even if it was only a week ago. Sakes, Olympic hockey takes a lot out of everyone, including the players! I'm still riding high on Team USA's epic win over Team Canada, and here's hoping the Americans still have some juice!

One note here, I neglected to write about the qualifying round on purpose because I felt that the better teams (Canada, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia) would all prevail over the lesser teams (Belarus, Germany, Latvia, Norway), and fortunately I was right.

One thing to notice about the "play in" games was Canada dismantling Germany 8-2 behind a stellar performance by Roberto Luongo, who in my opinion should have been in goal for Canada in the first place. Also, Jarome Iginla was put back on the Crosby line along with Eric Staal, and the combination paid dividends. Canada is not out of this tournament by any means.

One more thing. If you would like to read up on my preliminary round results, please feel free to check them out HERE.

Let's get down to it!

Wednesday, February 24th

Men's Quarterfinal #1- USA vs. Switzerland

USA: Ryan Miller

Switzerland: Jonas Hiller

Both Miller and Hiller (hey that rhymes!) have been incredible up to this point. Miller has his uplifting win over Canada, and Hiller has his uplifting almost-win over Canada. The Swiss have been trapping harder than an Arizona minuteman at the border, but the Americans have all the momentum in the world after shocking the rock on Sunday. This game will be close because I expect Team USA to deal with a bit of a letdown, but in the end the Americans should prevail.

Winner: Team USA

Men's Quarterfinal #2- Russia vs. Canada

Russia: Evgeni Nabokov

Canada: Roberto Luongo

Whoa nellie! The ice will melt in Vancouver before this one is done. Surely it is a bit of a letdown that one of these teams will walk away without a medal, but in the end I'm an American, and I'm okay with that.

The question here is whether or not Team Canada managed to gain some cohesiveness during their game against Germany, or if it was a case of a bunch of angry Canucks doing mean things to a bunch of hapless umlauts. One has to think Mike Babcock will keep the line of Iginla, Crosby, and Staal together if only because he has to go with something that is working. That said, Canada must get some production out of the Thornton line for Canada to have a chance.

On the flip side Team Russia has flipped on the afterburners since Evgeni Malkin was put together with Alex Ovechkin. Russia's weakness as I have stated before is in their defense. Outside of Gonchar and Markov this team has some questions. Considering that Team Canada was in disarray not but 48 hours ago, and the fact that the Russians have had some issues on their end coming into this game I'm thinking that once again this one is coming down to the goaltending. If that is the case I have to go with Roberto Luongo playing in his building, in his country.

Winner: Team Canada

Men's Quarterfinal #3- Finland vs Czech Republic

Finland: Miikka Kiprusoff

Czech Republic: Tomas Vokoun

Finland has to be reeling a bit after getting stomped by arch rival Sweden on Sunday. But on the other hand there is a good chance Jaromir Jagr is still trying to figure out what country he is in after being taken behind the woodshed by Ovechkin (which may or may not have been the reason he had to leave the game against Latvia in the first period).

I mention Jagr because if he plays the entire game against Latvia, and is healthy, there is no way the Czechs win by only one goal, and even then that game doesn't go into overtime. If I take that into account along with the fact that Finland and Miikka Kiprusoff have had a chance to rest up since their loss to the Swedes, I end up leaning more in the direction of Finland in this game.

Winner in a mild upset: Finland

Men's Quarterfinal #4- Sweden vs. Slovakia

Sweden: Henrik Lundqvist

Slovakia: Jaroslav Halak

Wouldn't it be something if the Slovaks rose up and took down the defending Olympic champions? It is something to consider. Jaroslav Halak has been otherworldly in this tournament, and any team icing Marian Gaborik and Marian Hossa cannot be ignored.

Still, it is difficult to bet against King Henrik at this point. Halak may be the up and comer, but Lundqvist is an Olympic champion. Additionally it is hard to ignore the contributions that have been made by Swedes who aren't the Sedin twins. Nicklas Backstrom is a superstar along with Daniel Alfredsson and Johan Franzen. Not to mention that there are plenty of Swedes who still have some gas left in the tank...like say...Peter Forsberg.

Winner: Sweden

That's all for now, I'll be back in a day or so to assess the damage.

Movin' On Up

So here we are after a raucous opening week of men's Olympic hockey. There have been some close calls, some monster hits, some dirty plays, a minor and a major upset at this point. The quarterfinals should prove to be even more exciting! Let's get down to the dirty.

Tuesday, February 16

USA vs. Switzerland

Result: USA won 3-1 over Switzerland.

What I said (In so many words...)

If there has been a better keeper in the NHL this season then someone should tell Ryan Miller about him. Goaltending is America's hope in these Games considering the rest of the squad is young, and not very deep towards the end of the 4th line. If the US is truly the dark horse this year it will be because of Miller.

If the Swiss play Gerber over Hiller then the US wins handily. Gerber hasn't been relevant well, ever. Hiller showed in last season's Stanley Cup tourney that he is capable of rising to the occasion. If Hiller plays this could be a close one.

Winner: Miller- USA

Analysis: Miller got a great start to the tournament with a win over a surprisingly strong Swiss contingent that was playing a very stout trapping game. Jonas Hiller proved once again that he can be a monster in a tournament format.

Canada vs. Norway

Result: Canada won 8-0 over Norway.

What I said:

Does Team Canada throw out Brodeur or Luongo, both of whom were distracted and pulled from their respective pre-Olympic NHL games? My money is on Luongo. He is the best Canadian goalie at the right time, as Brodeur is in a nasty slump.

Winner: Luongo-Canada

Analysis: Canada rolled and smoked Norway like Cheech and Chong at Burning Man. Jarome Iginla was a man on a mission with an opening game hat trick, and Luongo came out on fire with a shutout. Little did we know then that Canada may have been much better off keeping Robbie between the pipes!

Russia vs. Latvia

Result: Russia 8-2 over Latvia

What I said:

Nabokov should get the start here, although something tells me that Bryzgalov has a 2x4 sized chip on his shoulder that has come from tugging along an upstart Phoenix club this season. Russia's offense is pow-er-FUL, but their weakness is on defense after Sergei Gonchar and Andrei Markov, both of whom are more offensive than defensive. The Russian goalies will see shots.

Winner: Nabokov-Russia

Analysis: The Russians are an incredibly strong team and did little to disprove that in this game. Ovechkin topped all scorers with two biscuits in the basket.

Wednesday, February 17

Finland vs. Belarus

Result: Finland won 5-1

What I said:

Something tells me to watch out for the Finns this year. They have a way of coming together in the name of nationalistic pride like no other country. Kiprusoff should have a strong tournament, as he has been a steadying force on an erratic Calgary club this season.

Winner: Kipper-Finland

Analysis: I think the only thing that could be considered shocking about this game is that Kipper actually looked bored. I guess I felt Belarus would put up more of a fight. Teemu Selanne came within spitting distance of setting the all time Olympic scoring mark.

Sweden vs. Germany

Result: Sweden eked out a close one 2-0

What I said:

This will be an interesting team this year with the addition of Peter Forsberg and the late, late addition of Johan Franzen. Still, this article is about the keepers, and Lundqvist clearly dominated in the last Olympics. This year should be no different although Lundy has played a bit timidly for the Rangers this season. If he falters I'm left wondering if Sweden will have the goaltending to stay in the tournament. Gustavsson is the heir apparent but is a bit young, and Stefan Liv won't be used to this level of talent.

Winner: Lundqvist-Sweden

Analysis: This could have been a game where Sweden dropped an easy one to a heavy underdog, yet they managed just enough scoring to keep the umlauts at bay. Peter Forsberg emerged on North American ice for the first time in over two years looking more like Pedro the late night corner burrito guy than the legendary Pedro Forsbergo from his better days with the Avalanche. I miss old Pedro.

Czech Republic vs. Slovakia

Result: The Czechs scrape out a win against the stout Slovaks.

What I said:

This team has the ability to pull an upset. The reason? Vokoun. Vokoun has come alive in the last month of the NHL season for a bad Florida club. If the people running this team have their heads on straight and aren’t busy staring at Jaromir Jagr’s new mullet they’ll ride Vokoun like Secretariat.

(Slovakia) is the other team that has the ability to pull an upset. The reason is that they have someone between the pipes who has had something to prove in Jaroslav Halak. While everyone is going to be busy staring at Slovakia’s terrifying top line of Gaborik, Demitra and Hossa, I’ll be busy staring at Halak, reveling in the fact that I haven’t seen a goalie this pissed off and focused since Marty Brodeur got divorced and decided to win the Stanley Cup out of spite in 2003. If the Slovakian coaches feel the need to motivate Halak even more than he already is, all they have to do is tape a photo of Carey Price up in his locker.

Winner: Halak- Slovakia

Analysis: Indeed Halak was a force to be reckoned with, but in the end the Czechs and a slimmer, trimmer, and wiser Jaromir Jagr were too much in this rivalry game.

Thursday, February 18

USA vs. Norway

Result: The Americans won 6-1

What I said:

Can Ryan Miller bring down the circle-slashes? It says here that this one will be a close game, but not really.

Winner: Miller-USA

Analysis: Norway proved to be a tougher opponent than expected, but that was due to a lackadaisical effort by the red, white and blue for half the game. Miller was tested at times but didn't give.

Switzerland vs. Canada

Result: Canada won 3-2 in a shootout.

What I said:

Let’s see…Jonas Hiller getting scored on by Sidney Crosby. Jonas Hiller getting scored on by Patrick Marleau. Jonas Hiller getting scored on by Eric Staal. Martin Gerber getting scored on by Dan Boyle. Martin Gerber getting scored on by Dany Heatley. I could go on.

This one has “bloodbath” written all over it.

Winner: Brodeur- Canada

Anaylsis: Jonas Hiller absolutely stonewalled the Canadians before finally giving way to Sidney Crosby's shootout winner, which was the second shootout attempt by Crosby in the game due to some strange olympic rules from the moon. Brodeur did not look great but did well enough in the shootout to get the win. This is where Canada started to come apart a bit. For whatever reason Mike Babcock shuffled lines resulting in Jarome Iginla being dropped off of the Crosby line. This tinkering would not bode well in the next game for the Canadians.

Slovakia vs. Russia

Result: Slovakia wins a shocker in an eight round shootout 2-1

What I said:

Nabokov vs. Halak. If they get a chance to fight I’ll take Halak. If not, I’ll take Ovechkin pumping in four goals and demoralizing the upstart Slovaks.

Winner: Nabokov- Russia

Analysis: Halak, Halak, and more Halak. This game was the coming out party for the Montreal goalie who should be considered on the short list of up and coming superstar goalies. The Slovakian keeper stopped 36 shots through three periods and overtime. Ovechkin suddenly turned into a checking forward in this game, for whatever reason, while Pavol Demitra potted the winner in the shootout. This game served as a wake up call for the Russian squad.

Friday, February 19

Belarus vs. Sweden

Result: Sweden won 4-2

What I said:

Vitali, Maxim, and Andrei meet Henrik, Daniel, Peter, Henrik, Daniel, Nicklas and Johan.

Just…try to relax.

Winner: Lundqvist- Sweden

Analysis: "The Monster" Jonas Gustavsson spelled Henrik Lundqvist and gave up a couple of goals to make this game look closer than it was. Simply, Sweden dominated for long stretches in this contest. The emergence of the Sedin twins as a force to be reckoned with has been something to behold. Not to be upstaged, old man river, Daniel Alfredsson spanked in a couple of goals to ensure the win.

Czech Republic vs. Latvia

Result: Team Jagr over Latvia 5-2

What I said:

Has anybody else noticed that 80% of the Latvian team plays for Dinamo Riga of the KHL? Remember that note about cohesiveness and chemistry that I wrote about 17 paragraphs ago? Well, at least the Latvians will have that going for them. This could be a close one!

Winner: Vokoun-Czech Republic

Analysis: This turned out to be a fairly close contest even though the Czechs knocked in three goals in the first five minutes. The Latvians didn't break and instead answered with a couple of goals in the second frame before finally yielding.

Finland vs. Germany

Result: Finns win 5-0.

What I said:

Hmmm…Kipper versus Greiss. Is it me or does “Greiss” sound like the name of a strange boss character from Double Dragon on the ol Nintendo?

Winner: Teemu Selanne’s magic team from the frozen lunar hell scape.

Analysis: The only news to come out of this trouncing by Finland was that Selanne became the all time Olympic scorer with an assist in the second period. He now has 37 points all-time in Olympic competition.

Saturday, February 20

Norway vs. Switzerland

Result: The Swiss over The Vikings 5-4

What I said:

What’s this? We have the Outback Bowl of hockey! This might be a close game between two marginally talented, under-populated countries! I can only hope the circle-slashes play Reuben Smith, if only because I’d like to spend the two hours making jokes about how Reuben once worked at a restaurant where he toiled for weeks unsuccessfully trying to come up with name for a sandwich featuring corned beef, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing on toasted marble rye before flying off the handle and killing the sous chef.

Winner: Hmmm…give me The Reubens by a goal with a side of curly fries.

Analysis: This proved to be a tight and exciting game between the two squads. There isn't much else to say here outside of me taking a moment to express my aggravation that Reuben Smith was not played, and that yes, I miss American food.

Latvia vs. Slovakia

Result: Slovakia whipped Latvia 6-0

What I said:

Dinamo Riga vs. The Marians.

Methinks Halak bounces back nicely in this one.

Winner: Halak-Slovakia

Analysis: The Latvians went down hard in this one as the Slovaks buried five goals in a little over a period. Jaroslav Halak threw up the force field as he added a shutout to his Olympic resume. I'm officially elevating the Slovaks to "Wicked" on my Boston townie threat chart.

Germany vs. Belarus

Result: Belarus by a couple.

What I said:

I’m going to have to go with Belarus on this one. If only because it wouldn’t be the Winter Olympics if some guy named Vitali wasn’t able to hold his head up high before he is shipped back to run a forklift at the mink factory.

Winner: One of the Belarussian goalies.

Analysis: Happy time for all!

Sunday, February 21

Russia vs. Czech Republic

Result: Russia won 4-2

What I said:

Vokoun shall enjoy making many stoppings but in end Ovechkin and Semin will dance upon his bloated carcass like drunken postmen. High five!

Winner: Nabokov-Russia

Analysis: take a moment and watch this witness account of Alex Ovechkin taking Jaromir Jagr's lunch money (thanks to NBC rights n' stuff us overseas folks aren't being treated to an actual clip).

BAM!!!!

Canada vs. USA

Result: USA! USA! USA!

What I said:

I want an upset. Oh god I want an upset! This game has to be close going into the third for the Americans to have any chance. Miller has to be poppin’ and lockin’ like it’s 1985. Please God. Please!

Winner if life were fair: Miller-USA

Analysis: Good day, sunshine! Team USA came to play and this game may be the last time Marty Brodeur sees Olympic ice. So it goes when the mighty fall. The Americans weathered a consistent attack by the Canadians and came away with a HUGE upset. Ryan Miller proved that he has what it takes to win big games, as he repelled 42 of 45 Canadian hate bullets, while Brian Rafalski continued his scorching tournament play from the blue line with two goals.

Sweden vs. Finland

Result: Sweden won 3-0

What I said:

I’ve been to Finland. I’ve been to Sweden. They get along only because they kind of, sort of have to. Kind of like how Minnesotans and Wisconsinites tolerate each other at family reunions because it’s for the greater good and nobody wants to make a scene. They’re strange folks, them. Having a rivalry game of this magnitude in the preliminary round is a bit of a travesty doncha think?

Winner: Give me Sweden and a shot of Finlandia measured out by a sexy bartender in an extremely tight sweater.

Analysis: Sweden is defending champ for a reason. Remember this.

Overall predictions: 15-3

Whoa Canada!

Well then!

I decided to drop in a quick post before I go back to celebrating Team USA's 5-3 victory over mighty Team Canada in the preliminary round today. The victory will surely go down as the biggest ultimately meaningless upset of all time because nobody won anything, but still it is worth enjoying. Team USA was not supposed to win against the Canadians today. They hadn't beaten them in the Olympics since 1960, yet they won in impressive fashion and here we are on top of the world for at least a day or two.

Many kudos have to go out to Ryan Miller for putting up the force field and stopping 42 of 45 shots in the victory. As many people have said before, if the US wins it will be because of Miller. But there is something else that gets me excited about Team USA. They are gritty, and fast, and they are having fun. The composition of the team seems to be more out of necessity than anything. They are an assemblage of the best parts USA hockey had available.

Team USA isn't a bunch of chubs, mind you. They are professionals who are tough and fast because they have no other option. America doesn't end up putting as many 6'-4" lumberjacks on skates as Canada does. But they do have one thing that Canada doesn't have: they are loose.

It is times like this when the average American's complete disregard for the sport of hockey actually works to our advantage. We aren't heaping a ton of pressure on our team to bring home a gold every four years. A medal would be nice, but mostly people seem to be expending more energy trying to figure out the sport of curling.

I have this feeling that something is up with Canada, and it isn't because Mike Babcock decided to play a 38 year old keeper on the backside of his career over the best goalie in their country (Luongo).

On paper there is no way Canada should ever lose a hockey game, except they are lacking the one element that wins hockey games that the United States pumps out in quantity: mediocre checking forwards who do everything they can to keep the locker room from becoming tense.

I swear Canada lost simply because they didn't add enough David Backes or Ryan Kesler types to their roster, going instead with established world class talent.

You know the types of players I'm talking about. Guys who probably shouldn't be on an olympic team, but get on because they are good at hitting and grinding and drinking. People who are genuinely happy to there. They might end up sleeping on a couch on a sidewalk in Vancouver, or peeing in the team captain's skates, who knows? But it's all for the good of the team and it keeps everyone from having a collective aneurism.

Simply, Canada might not win the gold medal because they don't have enough Shjon Podeins.

When I look at Canada's roster I see some skilled grinding types like Mike Richards and Brendan Morrow. I also see a whole lot of admittedly terrifying offensive and defensive talent. Yet I also see a whole lot of pretty (Patrice Bergeron), pretty old (Neidermayer and Pronger), and pretty tense (Joe Thornton).

Canada is begging for a guy with the kind of carefree attitude to pants Sidney Crosby during an interview.

In Team USA you have a squad with a pretty big chip on their shoulders but they are loose because they weren't supposed to get this far in the first place. While at the same time Team Canada is more wound up than a pair of garage door springs.

The world hasn't ended for the Canadians, even though it would be nice if Team USA didn't have to face them again. But until Team Canada realizes that they need to loosen up they aren't going to go anywhere.

Strangely enough this might be a time when Canadian hockey could learn a thing or two from their brothers to the south.