Gold Medal Game: Canada vs. USA

Well it all comes down to this… is this a rematch of 2002? How about February 21, 2010? However you want to look at it, this is the Gold Medal Game of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and it is shaping up to be a beauty!

I know this is going to be a lot to ask, but what I do want is for everyone to be civilized today and cut down on the ‘cocky’ comments until after the game… if that’s possible? I doubt it though as ever since Sunday when Team USA beat Team Canada in the round robin, insults have been flying back and forth in all shapes and sizes. Why would they stop now?

Ok, in all seriousness, this game has the potential to be legendary. The only Canadian loss of the tournament was at the hands of the unbeaten Americans. The Canadians had a tougher route to the gold medal game by far. There is no debate that the Americans road to the final was paved nicer by going unbeaten in the round robin, and the Canadians had the tougher games. Ask anyone in the tournament who they’d rather play, Russia and Slovakia, or Switzerland and Finland, and it would be a resounding vote for option two. Sorry Switzerland, you put up some good fights, but you’re no Russia.

Now, onto today’s game. What do I predict? Last Sunday I predicted Canada would beat the Americans 66 billion – 0… this week I’ll throw in a more modest prediction of 6-3 Canada. Fair? Too low? Too far apart? Knee jerk? Yeah kinda as I’m rushed writing this before I head out to the bar to get my drink, hoot and holler on. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than watching the best pro hockey we’re going to see for a while? No matter the result this afternoon, both teams deserve to be in this game, and I look forward to the trash talking afterward… yeah, even from you yanks if you win