Awaiting the Gold Showdown!

The smack-talking has already begun. Supremacy in the world of men's hockey will yet again be decided by a North American team. Some quotes from my insiders: (After the Slov/Canada game over the PA): "Thank you for watching tonight's game. Please remember to pick up your belongings and clean up if you shat on your seat." Scott Niedermier: "Everything about this game has a game 7 feel to it." Robyn Regehr: "If the Americans win, they'll probably make another stupid movie about it - so we cant let that happen." Mike Babcock (Canada coach) said, "I like Robs way of thinking." Patrick Kane: "To beat Luongo, you have got to get him moving side to side." Jonathan Toews, Patricks wooby blanket, sent him a text message and quipped, "good luck with that". A presumably intoxicated Jeremy Roenik (color commentator for NBC) was mingling with other hockey heads in a high class gin mill - drink in hand, wobbling he yelled at someone, "Zach (Parise) is a fucking monster! He's a fucking animal! Dynamite with a fucking laser-beam!" Babcock said he was "scared to death" when the crowd started chanting, "WE WANT USA!!" So I must admit, although it has taken awhile the tail end of Olympic hockey is exciting. I attribute much of that to the games being held in Canada, but I digress... IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS FOR THIS GAME (written in bullets for my friends with Attention Deficit Disorder): --The US won home ice for their performance in the tourny. They have got to make smart line changes. That means trying to keep the integrity of their current lines and breaking up the new found dominance and chemistry of Iginla and Crosby. Canada's lack of chemistry and their broken defence were their Achilles heel in the last game against the states. They seemed to have fixed both of those. --If Canada can stay out of the box (unlike the first game vs US), get ahead in the first and get good goaltending from Luongo the US will have to avoid doing what Russia did - fall into the pit of despair too early. They should have the friggen team shrinks on the bench because the stick-griping anxiety (like the US girls team) or going into full panic mode will render a player useless or a big fat liability. --Special teams will be a factor but in this level of competition, they are the life-raft for a team down by one or more. Whoever takes the lead first, the first power play after that will be huge in terms of momentum if its killed or capitalized. --The US is disciplined, not only in that they have the fewest penalties in the games but just their style. They give little away and defensively they have become a brick wall in front of Ryan Miller. They need to maintain that discipline but do it in the loose style they have with the free-wheeling opportunistic scoring from guys like Parise and Kessel coming out of the blue - hauling ass through the neutral zone like a MiG-29 fighter jet drastically changing its speed. They have to hit Luongo hard and fast and back-check through the middle like a Christmas Eve welfare line! --The US has to forget about the first game against Canada. The tapes will be useless since Canada has changed their style, changed their goaltender and changed their lines. The offense now has way more confidence and the puck control and cycling of Canada's first three lines have proved fatal. This aught to be a dandy folks! Put a fire in the fireplace, chill the beer, uncover the grill and fire up a hot dog or a sloppy steaming poutine!