It has been a very, very long time since the men’s US hockey team has struck gold in the Olympics. This is the year though I believe we'll see a gold medal final between the easily favorite Team Canada and the underdog Team USA. The prediction has no basis on science. However, if victories have anything to do with science, I need an explanation for 2006.
Remember Switzerland: The Gerber Effect
February 18, 2006 is to Switzerland what February 22, 1980 is to the United States. It was indeed a Swiss version of the miracle on ice. Team Canada was a dream team made-up entirely of star-caliber NHL talent including Jarome Iginla, Joe Sakic, Vincent Lecavalier, and Chris Pronger. The Swiss roster featured 3 players from the NHL: Mark Streit, David Aebischer, and Martin Gerber. While Paul DiPietro, a former NHLer, scored the only 2 goals of the game, the 49 save performance of goaltender Martin Gerber was nothing short of amazing. The Swiss defeated the Canadians in a 0-2 shutout and probably the biggest upset in the 2006 Winter Olympics.
This is hockey. Frustration can easily become the bigger opponent and a roster full of superstars does not guarantee victory.
Home Ice Disadvantage
Being on home ice may hinder the Canadians as much as benefit them. Imagine the triumphant feeling of winning game after game in front of the smiling, cheering, adoring, roaring Canadians in Vancouver. Now imagine the polar opposite. The stunned silence of these same fans as they watch their team lose even a single game. Maybe it’s similar to the Swiss miracle on ice from the Olympics before. Maybe it’s an exciting, close game where they lose by a single goal like the U20 team did in January for the World Junior Championships. Even a tie could feel like an upset and have a huge momentum shift working in favor of Team USA.
Play Like The Vladinator
While many arguments can be made about who the best defensemen in hockey is/was, no one can deny the impact Vladimir Konstantinov brought to the ice game after game. It wasn’t about scoring goals, it was about getting the other team off their game. I tell my son the best defensemen are those who keep their team on offense and, as I say this, Vladinator and Scott Stevens are in the spotlight of the highlight reels in my memory.
Team Canada has some serious firepower in their defense. The lineup is Duncan Keith, Shea Weber, Brent Seabrook, Drew Doughty, Chris Pronger, Dan Boyle, and Scott Niedermayer. Apples to apples, Team USA does not compare. Tim Gleason, Erik Johnson, Ryan Suter, and Jack Johnson are just beginning to form names for themselves. Brooks Orpik, Ryan Whitney, and Brian Rafalski are the most experienced NHLers within the Team USA defense.
Comparing apples to oranges though, Brooks Orpik and Ryan Whitney are being reunited. They’ve been teammates for a long time now, not just with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but going back to their high school days at Thayer Academy. This is sure to spark some team chemistry. Of all the players listed so far, Pronger and Orpik are the most likely to play Vladinator-style in the Olympics. However, I believe Orpik will be a force to deal with while Pronger looks for his role amongst the other big names on Team Canada. Orpiks play during the Stanley Cup finals is a great indicator of the intensity he’ll bring to Vancouver…
Teammates and Large Shadows
As teammates on the Penguins, Brooks Orpik knows both Sidney Crosby and Marc-André Fleury well. Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner share Devils uniforms with Martin Brodeur. With so many players from each team’s roster sharing uniforms with one another, there is a lot of familiarity. What the games will come down to though is who is willing to compete the hardest, step up and play like the Olympics are the Stanley Cup finals not the NHL All-Star Game, and put ego aside for the good of the team and pride of their nation.
Without doubt, Team Canada is the team to beat and favorite for gold. Sweden, Russia, Finland, and Czechoslovakia all have real opportunities for medals as well. The hill Team USA must climb for gold is as steep and high as any they’ve faced before. In particular, because this is Canada’s game being played on their ice in front of their people. They will have the entire nation behind them, fans so loud I may very well be able to hear the roar of Canadian pride from my home in Sumas as my neighbors in Abbotsford, British Columbia cheer from their living rooms.
I believe the outcome for USA gold lies with Patrick Kane stepping out from under the shadow of Sidney Crosby. He has an opportunity to carry Team USA and has one hell of a sniper in Parise to pass to. Both Ryan Miller and Tim Thomas can play big in goal, utilizing the crowd-silencing Gerber Effect, and shutting down the immensely powerful Canadian offense. What has been done before can be repeated. Orpik can be a wrecking ball on the ice, knocking all the stars out of alignment, and displacing Team Canada’s chemistry.
Good luck Team USA! We’ll do our best to cheer you on louder than our friends and neighbors on the opposite side of the border.
