The upside of losing to the USA...

[Inferno]

No matter how far the US goes it will do nothing to significantly improve hockey in the US. There might be a buzz for a bit but that will eventually fade. Hockey is just not important to Americans unlike football, basketball, and baseball.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by RogerWilco

You would have to be an idiot to compare a group of NHL hockey players to the 1980 team.

Agreed.

People seem to forget what that whole USA team was made up of and what the Mighty Reds were doing throughout the hockey world previous to that game.

Team USA was literally nothing but a bunch of college kids, average age of 22, who played 60 games internationally that year at the request of Herb Brooks. Their first real taste of high level hockey. In the lead up to the tourney they had faced the Soviets twice IIRC, and the week before that game had lost 10-3 in Madison Square garden.

The Soviets on the other hand had beaten 3 NHL teams in their warmup games and every single one of their players would have been in the NHL if that was allowed at the time. The previous season they had absolutely smoked a team of NHL all-stars 6-0 in the final of the challenge series.

No comparison...maybe Canada should of been the favorite last night, but in no way, shape or form is it comparable to what happened in lake Placid 30 years ago today. The single biggest upset in sports history IMO.

[GreenLantern]

I would say that Kane, Parise, Miller and Rafalski qualify as established superstars. There is also another 8-10 superstars in the making on that team.

I understand what the writer is saying, compared to Canada they are a bunch of kids. But lets not sell the US short here, I know a lot of people scoffed at me months ago on this board when I said the US would be a good Olympic team.. here is the proof. But they aren't doing it with a rag tag bunch of misfits. They have solid goal tending and a lot of young kids with something to prove.

[liamenator]

I don't think the US team were ever as big of underdogs as they make themselves out to be.

Similarly, I don't think Team Canada was ever as big of a favourite as a lot of us in Canada made them out to be.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Ryan Miller looks like the second coming of Jim Craig

Except Jim Craig was a mutt in his NHL career. He was never able to come even close to replicating what he did in that tournament, underlining the flukiness of that tournament for the Americans.

The story of the USA win yesterday is the third most popular story in the Miami Herald this morning, the front story at the Phoenix newspaper website (including a picture of frowning Canadian fans), number one at USA Today and number three at the Washington Post.

Cowperson

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Kobasew7

Spin it however you want.. the fact are these:

With this win the USA gets the following:

A bye to the next round as #1 seed.
Will play the winner of Swiss vs Belarus
If they win that, will play winner of Czech Rep vs Finland game (should Czech beat Norway I believe)

With the loss, Canada gets the following:

Only 1 day off, will play Tuesday vs Germany.
If they win, play vs Russia on Wednesday.
If they win, play winner of Slovakia vs Sweden game.

Clearly, Canada has now backed themselves into a corner by forcing themselves a much much harder route towards the gold. Their bracket is stacked with top teams.. while the US has a virtual cake walk to the semi's and than should get a MUCH easier matchup in Czech or Finalnd than if they were Canada who will have to go on short to no rest vs Russia and than Sweden most likely to ONLY GET TO the gold medal game.

Just 1 game? Sure. A very important, HUGE 1 game? Oh yeah!

USA!

I would also include the fact that the US will now be the home team for the remainder of the tournament and will always get last change. Canada after playing Germany, will probably always be the road team.

[OzSome]

Just remember in the recent World Junior Championship in Saskatchewan, the US lost the game to Canadians in round robin. Canada got the bye and US played another game. They won that game then beat Canada in the Finals. I can see a reversal of fortune here.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by OzSome

Just remember in the recent World Junior Championship in Saskatchewan, the US lost the game to Canadians in round robin. Canada got the bye and US played another game. They won that game then beat Canada in the Finals. I can see a reversal of fortune here.

That's juniors. Less depth. Every game for Canada from now on will be life and death. Including Germany.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by OILFAN #81

I think we will see a Canada-US rematch in the semis. You heard it here first.

Would be more likely if it was at all possible based on the format

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by OzSome

Just remember in the recent World Junior Championship in Saskatchewan, the US lost the game to Canadians in round robin. Canada got the bye and US played another game. They won that game then beat Canada in the Finals. I can see a reversal of fortune here.

You have to see the silver lining in everything. Sure it's one extra game and you draw the Russians after if you win but is one extra game really a bad thing for this team looking like the are still trying to find that 'mix'?

Looking past Germany, which I don't think the Canadians can take lightly, it was always said to get the gold the Canadians have to get past the Russians, they do but it's just in the quarters now.

[Bertuzzied]

... is the US will actually think they are good and get crushed against their next decent opponent.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by HPLovecraft

I couldnt care a less if the game is liked by more Americans or not, personally. I enjoy the sport, and lots of Canadians enjoy it, and some Americans do. Who needs more? I don't.

So screw the bloody US. I'll be royally pissed if Canada loses.

See you don't get it. More US exposure = more US hockey at a junior level = better skilled players in the NHL = better games for you to watch.

So ya, it does matter.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Kobasew7

Spin it however you want.. the fact are these:

With this win the USA gets the following:

A bye to the next round as #1 seed.
Will play the winner of Swiss vs Belarus
If they win that, will play winner of Czech Rep vs Finland game (should Czech beat Norway I believe)

With the loss, Canada gets the following:

Only 1 day off, will play Tuesday vs Germany.
If they win, play vs Russia on Wednesday.
If they win, play winner of Slovakia vs Sweden game.

With the Loss to US, this has all but eliminated Canada. I would think Canada will beat Germany but will have a tough time against the Russian team.

Canada would have to play 4 games in 6 nights and they would have to beat 3 top teams.

I would guess Luongo will play the rest of the games.

[jtfrogger]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

Just goes to show the world how we will EARN our gold medal.

If we can beat Russia (pending Germany) and Sweden/Slovakia, then I doubt the finals will be tough (Americans or Finn's?).

I'd rather win against the best than win against Belarus and Switzerland.

The US has already proven they can beat the best. They earned their easy remaining schedule by beating the Canadians. They also beat the Swiss in regulation, which the Canadians couldn't do.

[pope04]

Originally Posted by RogerWilco

You would have to be an idiot to compare a group of NHL hockey players to the 1980 team.

Yup.

That '80 win by the States over the Soviets was an upset of monumental proportions. When you stop and consider that the US beat essentially the same team that shellacked the best NHL guys (essentially Team Canada plus Salming, Hedberg and Nilsson) in '79 and blew Team Canada away in the '81 Canada Cup.

[Flame19,289]

I am pleased with last night's result. It was a thrilling game, and I am proud of the performance put forth by my fellow U.S.A. countrymen. Both teams played great. The difference was goaltending.

However, I am not willing to write off Team Canada just yet. There is simply too much talent on this team. I would expect Luongo in net for the next game.

Similiarly, I am not foolish enough too predict smooth sailing to the gold medal game for the Americans. The Swiss, the Finns, and the Czechs are all more than capable of pulling an upset over the next two games.

But the real upside for me is that we will get to see some more great international hockey. I hope that Canada defeats Germany and goes on to play Russia and Sweeden or Slovakia. I'm looking forward to a Hiller vs. Miller rematch. I'd like to see the Americans against Kipper, Jokinen, and Hagman, too.

The next week will be fun!

[browna]

Another advanrage of Canada losing (and, combined also not getting full points against the Swiss) means that Finland got through to the QF.

One less game for Kiprusoff is huge for us Flames fans in the bigger scheme of things.

[Meers]

For Olympic success to generate interest in NHL hockey south of the border Americans have to be able to watch the games.

Unfortunately, with Gary Bettman's preferred TV-partner NBC calling the shots, we can look forward to any exciting Team USA games being pre-empted in favor of ice dancing or some other sport enjoyed by housewives who watch Oprah.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Meers

For Olympic success to generate interest in NHL hockey south of the border Americans have to be able to watch the games.

Unfortunately, with Gary Bettman's preferred TV-partner NBC calling the shots, we can look forward to any exciting Team USA games being pre-empted in favor of ice dancing or some other sport enjoyed by housewives who watch Oprah.

All hockey games involving US and Canada have been shown live, in HD, and in their entirety, plus most of the other games.

I don't care anything about hockey growing in the US, but one good thing might be the odds of NHL players in the next olympics probably increases with US success.

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

All hockey games involving US and Canada have been shown live, in HD, and in their entirety, plus most of the other games.

I don't care anything about hockey growing in the US, but one good thing might be the odds of NHL players in the next olympics probably increases with US success.

MSNBC doesn't have an HD option, and Ice Dancing was on NBC last night