Sunday, the Americans served up the biggest upset Canadians have seen this Olympic season, as Team U.S.A. took Team Canada 5-3 in hockey. Being the home team, Canada was the clear favourite going into the 2010 Winter Games. The loss was a huge blow to the all-star Canadian team, and saddened a nation of hockey fanatics. This was supposed to be Canada’s shining moment, to win the sport that they consider their own on home soil.
A day later, supporters have begun to piece together a comeback plan. Team Canada has definitely carved out a much harder route to the finals, but not an impossible one. Coming back from this would make a medal even sweeter, especially if that medal is gold.
One of the problems for Team Canada is that the players do not appear cohesive. Some critics claim that the extra play time will actually help them come together as a team.
Canada will also go into the coming games with a different lineup, as they give Robert Luongo the start over Martin Brodeur. As the star goalie for the Vancouver Canucks, this is Luongo’s home arena, which should serve as an advantage. The underlying concern is how Luongo will respond to the pressure. He has been known in the past to crumble in big games, and with the world watching, there is no doubt that this is a huge game.
The USA earned the top seed after Sunday’s match with Canada, and are able to relax through today’s games with a bye. Canada is now the sixth seed, and will face Germany today. The competitions today will make or break a lot of teams. If you lose at this point, that’s it.
If Canada wins today, they will go on to play Russia, the defending world champion, in the quarterfinals.
The quarterfinals start tomorrow with the following games:
1. USA vs. Winner of Switzerland/Belarus
2. Sweden vs. Winner of Slovakia/Norway
3. Russia vs. Winner of Canada/Germany
4. Finland vs. Winner of Czech Republic/Latvia
The semifinals take place on Friday, the winners of which will compete for gold on Sunday.
If you thought last Sunday’s game was entertaining, the level of play should only increase in the coming days. As solid teams begin to be eliminated, we will see the players put it all on the ice. We are in for some great hockey.
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