Of course, there is no US media attention given the World Hockey Championships north of the border, but that did not stop the USA from defeating IIHF-lightweight Slovenia 5-1 tonight in Halifax, Nova Scotia (for those of you who don't know--it's a Canadian Province east of Maine).
Phil Kessel of the Boston Bruins notched a hat trick, and eleven other players scored a point. Kessel's fellow Bruin teammate Tim Thomas stopped 11 of 12 shots in goal for the Americans.
The US now faces a Canadian squad playing on home ice without that yearly distraction called the Stanley Cup Finals to worry about after the Montreal Canadiens lost in five games to the Philadelphia Flyers. Montreal was the last Canadian-based NHL franchise to win a Stanley Cup back in 1993, and The Habs lead all NHL teams with 24 Cups.
Looking Ahead to the Canucks: Canada always has an emotional edge when playing the Americans, and on their own ice with a crowd that expects no less than gold, the USA has its work cut out for them, even in a game that won't effect either team's entry to the second round. I look for Tortorella to rest Thomas in this game. How the USA responds to early adversity will tell the tale with this young team.
Most interesting Stat Line: Los Angeles Kings' Anze Kopitar, Slovenia's only NHL-er, scored a goal and was +1 for the game. Not too bad for a player that must have played a lot of different roles on a team losing by four goals.
USA Hockey is replacing gray with green at the IIHF World Hockey Championships in Halifax and Quebec City.
The Americans, with a roster filled with NHL players 25 and younger, beat a spirited Latvian crowd and team 4-0 in Halifax, Nova Scotia in each team's first game of the tournament. The annual World Championships are usually held in Europe, and this is the first time Canada has hosted the event.
Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks), Dustin Brown and Patrick O'Sullivan (Los Angeles Kings) and Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils) scored for the US. Next up for the Americans is Slovenia, then a date with a Canada squad playing on home ice in the national sport.
The National Team Advisory Group of Don Waddell, David Poile, Ray Shero and Brian Burke went with a youth movement this time around, while American stars of the past like Keith Tkachuk (St. Louis Blues), Bill Guerin (New York Islanders), Mathieu Schneider and Doug Weight (Anaheim Ducks) all sat this one out.
Now, the Green Team is hoping to come away with gold. A medal is not out of the question, but gold may be. Americans have never won a tournament without strong goaltending. Can Tim Thomas be the difference?
Selfish thoughts and commentary: It's about time USA Hockey gave John Tortorella his due. I bet many NHL fans don't even realize he has more wins than any American-born coach in NHL history. He's got the fire and confrontational style of a Herb Brooks. I think he can coach like him as well.
In the midst of USA Hockey's necessary youth movement, it is great to see future Hall-of-Famers Mike Modano and Jeremy Roenick playing so well in the NHL playoffs. Both of them were the standard-bearers for USA Hockey for 20 years, and I believe these two 500-goal scorers finally put to rest the appaling idea that Americans could not score in the NHL.
I've seen it before, but it props to USA Hockey for the National Team Development Program. Most of the US roster has gone through the system and have trained and played together at various tournaments. No more all-star teams!!
Head-scratchers: Where were Brian Gionta, Jack Johnson, Erik Johnson and Ryan Kesler in Team USA's plans?
Though I am a life-long Southerner, ice hockey is my game. I was likely the first hockey-specif ic sportswriter in the state of Louisiana when the ECHL arrived in 1995. I was a freelance hockey sportswriter for local fishwraps between 1995-2000.
Being from New Orleans, I follow the Saints, Hornets and LSU in that order. I have been from Los Angeles to New York City to watch Wayne Gretzky play, and I attended my first hockey game at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1985. The greatest hockey ever played was the 1987 Canada Cup Final between Canada and the USSR.
