It is the dream rematch the 4 nations face-off.
“This is great for the game, regardless of which country you come from,” Team USA General Manager Bill Guerin told Athletics On Monday after the Matchup championship against Canada was set. “This has the inputs for another incredible game.”
And we go here on a limb and suggest that we will see a Hanson Brothers again on Thursday evening at the start of the game, in what a rocking TD garden should be in Boston.
No, expect a tightly controlling affair in which open ice is hard to find. Neither of the teams want to play too risky. There is too much on the line to open it. Driving too much to miss discipline.
What’s at stake?
Team USA has the chance to complete the job this time, unlike the Olympic Games of Vancouver 15 years ago, when the Americans defeated Canada in Round-Robin, but lost the game that mattered for gold.
Former team of Team Canada Chris Pronger had an interesting comment last week when I asked him which of his Olympic gold medal extremes meant the most.
“Probably 2010, because they defeated us in De Ronde Robin and there might be a lot of heads by their side, thinking that they would walk roughly over us while we found our solid foot and discover how to play and come together as a unit , “said the Hockey Hall of Fame defender, also an Olympic champion in 2002 in Salt Lake City. “I thought we were for the most part that dominated a gold medal game and had the opportunities.”
There was a lot of exuberance under Team USA players on Saturday evening when they spoke with reporters after beating Canada. There was a real sense of achievement in the end of Canada’s 17-game Win Streak in best-on-best matchups, which dated 15 years old. That is understandable. You cannot blame this generation of our stars that they feel that what happened on Saturday evening was important. Matthew Tkachuk called it the biggest moment in his career in addition to the game 7 win last June in the Stanley Cup final.
All good. But the American players have to park it now.
If Team USA does not win for a home crowd on Thursday evening, the only thing we will remember from the 15 February Round-Robin Matchup years from now on are the three fights in nine seconds. Because the last word will be: “Yes, but Canada came back to win the big ones. Again. “That is really at stake on Thursday evening.
Canada Captain Sidney Crosby has the chance to continue his remarkable era of Dominance with a fourth best-to-best title (Olympic Games of 2010, 2014 Olympic Games, 2016 World Cup Hockey, 4 Nations), not to mention the fact that No. 87 can add to his already legendary reputation by having played this event with one good arm.
It is just as important that a victory for Canada would go a long way to calm a religious intense hockey country of which the national pride is affected with back-to-back quarterfinals losing in the World Junior Championship.
Not to mention the current world events and political tensions between the US and Canada. A victory on Thursday evening would be extremely sweet for many Canadians at a number of levels.
On the other hand, after winning back-to-back world juniors titles for the first time in its history, USA Hockey can make a good explanation with a victory on Thursday evening and announce itself as the King of the Hockey Hill 12 months before the Olympic Games in Italy.
The Miracle on Ice in 1980 is unparalleled as a moment, and the World Cup of 1996 of Hockey -Sendor Win was a milestone, and both events will clearly remain larger than what happens this week. But a victory on Thursday evening to claim the best-to-best 4 countries, given the recent junior dominance of the Americans, this would demonstrably give the feeling that the first time in the history of Hockey is real number 1 in the men’s sport.
No doubt, the Olympic Games will be more important in that story, but until then Team USA would wear a well -deserved Swagger as the best in the world.
The other winners, regardless of the result of Thursday evening, are the NHL and Hockey itself. There were many people who mocked the 4 nations when it was announced. As colleague Chris Johnston wrote on Sunday, the event is already a home run, which probably has a lot to do with finally having the best best for the first time in eight and half a year. But it is also because of the buy-in of the players.
It does not matter that many hockey fans have the best desired generation of NHL-Stars begged for it.
“It is one of those things that escapes me during my career,” said Team USA -star -goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck last week. “I had a few world championships, but the NHL did not go to the last Olympic Games, so we missed that chance. And then you never know; Are you going to get another shot? You have to stay in your prime before when that chance comes.
“Being able to set up that sweater now, it’s one of those things that almost felt like it would never happen. Now that it is, it is quite surreal. “
He speaks for every player in the 4 nations. They wanted this so badly.
Now a championship game awaits. Two intense rivals give us a best-to-best title fight.
Can’t wait.
(Photo of Canada’s Jordan Binnington and Sidney Crosby: Chase Agnello-Dean / 4NFO / World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)