Vancouver Needs To Do Better Job Commemorating 2010 Olympics

It's hard to believe that has been five years since this happened



And with that Canadian home-ice gold concluded the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Maybe it's because I'm in British Columbia but it still seems like it was only a week ago. In fact the 2014 Sochi Olympics seem further away.

But if you were to walk around downtown Vancouver today, you might be surprised at the lack of commemoration of Canada's golden games. There is Jack Poole Plaza where the dreary Olympic Cauldron rests. And apparently there is a bronze statue of the Greek Goddess Nike downtown. It was a gift from the mayor of Athens. And in Whistler there is a nice tribute to fallen luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili.

Which begs the question - has Vancouver done enough to forever commemorate the 2010 Olympics?

My suggestion would be a series of statues that could draw people to them.

What Canadian would not venture down to Rogers Arena - or Canada Hockey House as it was known during the Games - to get their photo taken with a Sidney Crosby statue?

Perhaps even more popular would be a statue in the heart of Whistler of Jon Montgomery with his pitcher of beer.

How about something to remember Joannie Rochette's heart-wrenching bronze medal performance? Or Alex Bilodeau and his brother Frederic?

The Vancouver Olympics touched Canadians to the core. Let's not be afraid to celebrate it.

Celebrating 2010 Olympics One Last Time

On the eve of the 2014 Olympic men's hockey tournament, let's take one last chance to celebrate Canada's 2010 "Golden Goal."

As this amazing YouTube video proves, Crosby's gold medal winning goal that brought the nation together in a moment of pure joy:


In addition to that, check out ESPN presentation of an oral history of the 2010 gold medal game.

I also spent some time reliving all of the 2010 tournament by reading through my website archives that comprise my historical coverage of 2010. I invite you to do the same.

Watching 2010 Olympic Gold Medal Game One More Time

Four years less a month ago, as hard as it is to believe, Sidney Crosby scored the Golden Goal to cap off, for us Canadians anyway, the greatest Olympic experience of our lives.

They like to say every Canadian, all 35 million of us, watched that game. That is of course an exaggeration. I know for a fact that at least one Canadian didn't see the game. It was my dad.

My dad was doing some contract work with the CN crews in Northern British Columbia. He pretty much spent the entire Olympics at work, outside in the wet, cold winter. I can't remember exactly what he was doing, but I don't think it was a train wreck, so it wasn't a life and death task exactly. I remember being mad because the crew opted to work that Sunday and then take a week off. Why couldn't they have just taken that day off, too? The biggest hockey game in a generation was being played that day. This was not something to be missed.

My dad did miss the game. He missed a lot of hockey games over the years. He missed a lot of other far more important events, too. 

But now he is retired. And tonight I'm going to watch the 2010 Olympic gold medal game with my dad. Just like it should have been four years ago.

I promise I will do my best to not spoil the ending.

One Year Ago . . .

It's hard to believe one year ago this weekend the greatest sporting event ever to come to my part of the world kicked off. Here's some of the great hockey memories:



You can also relive the GreatestHockeyLegends.com 2010 Olympic Coverage.

Don't pass up your chance to own the 2010 Olympic DVD box set.

2010 Olympic DVD Sets Now Available

The image above is the cover shot of the newly released Hockey Gold 2010 dvd box set. This 5 disc set is the official commemorative dvd box set of the men's and women's hockey tournament from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The box set runs for about $50. It is also available on Blu-Ray for $70.

But here's the catch. For the time being these box sets are only available at HMV and CTV.

Also available ($60 or $80 for Blu-Ray) is a 5 disc box set reliving all the sports and events of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Here's the cover shot:

 It, too, is only available at HMV and CTV. You can get bundle packs with the Hockey box set at $100 and $130 for Blu-Ray.

Vancouver Olympics fans will also happy to hit their favorite bookstore or Amazon.ca, Chapters.ca
, or Amazon.com for the mother of all coffee table books: With Glowing Hearts: The Official Commemorative Book of the XXI Olympic Winter Games 

The Russian Odd Couple: Hockey And Politics

When Russia suffered a humiliating quarterfinals exit from the 2010 Olympics in a 7-3 drubbing at the hands of arch rival Canada, the coaching staff of Vyacheslav Bykov and assistant Igor Zakharkin took a lot of the blame. Their old school tactics proved to be fatally obsolete despite the team's great promise. The coaches refused to change up lines or get favorable match ups, and they failed to change their clearly ineffective game plan until it was far too late.

It was so bad that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called for the resignation of the Sports Minister and Olympic committee chairman as well as a complete organizational overhaul of all Olympic teams.

A few months later Russia looked to win their third straight world championship title, armed with many of the key figures from the Olympic team including the coaching staff. They only lost one game, but that was in the gold medal show down with the Czech Republic. They also looked less than great against weaker opponents like Belarus and Germany, twice.

I would have guessed for sure that would have been the end of coach Bykov right then and there. Instead he's getting congratulatory phone calls from Russian President Alexander Medvedev and a new contract from Vladislav Tretiak.

Hockey and politics have always been intertwined in Russia. And it looks like coach Bykov has played the right political cards to keep his job.

There have been complaints about his refusal to adopt NHL style tactics by many long time Russian NHL players. Players like Sergei Zubov have been left off national teams because they have led the charge to drop several uniquely Russian tactics from their game plan. They believe the classic Russian game plan, specifically the insistence to not break from the 5 man unit, must abolished.

These arguments are sacrilegious as far as old school Russian hockey people are concerned. For Russians, like for Canadians, hockey is a way of expressing national identity. Keeping to their fundamental schools of thought is what made them arguably the greatest hockey nation on the planet for many, many years. They literally changed the game is played around the world because of their hockey beliefs. The old guard believes that changing these beliefs would be like taking a stake to the heart of Russian hockey.

But at some point evolution must occur. The Russians forced the Canadians to evolve their game in the 1970s and 1980s, even if it was so painfully slowly and against our own will. And thank god they did. Perhaps Russian hockey, specifically Russian coaching tactics, will change in time for a grand unveiling at the 2014 Olympics.

The question might be is there enough political will to allow Russian hockey to fundamentally change? Judging by their decision to keep with coach Bykov's "satisfactory" ways, I'm guessing not yet.

Canada Wins Gold!

Canada defeats the United States 3-2 in overtime. Sidney Crosby with the winning goal! Unbelievable!


Some random shots on the 'Net:

• I have watched A LOT of hockey. I have never seen a better game than that. I'm sure if I thought about it there'd be a few in the running, namely the final game of 1972 and 1987. But this was their equal.
• That was one hell of an American team. And this is just the beginning of the new generation of American players. The rise of American hockey dominance is here.
• Full credit to Canada for getting the job done, though. Winning Olympic gold is such a hard thing to do. And on home ice! The pressure, the tension were just unreal. But Canada pulled through, against long odds.
  
• Sad thing - these players will celebrate for a couple of hours, then fly back to their day jobs and may never be back together again.
• What a chilling moment when they played the national anthem. I had many American friends tell me how amazing that was.
• I personally had a tear in my eye when the Canadian flag went up. Two other great feelings: 1) my heart raced so much for three hours that I won't have to go hiking for exercise for a week! 2) it sure is nice get out my lucky socks. I haven't changed them in a week. But since they are 4-0, I will not wash them but put them away until the next big game.
• When you are young the thought of losing never enters your mind. When you are old you brace yourself for disappointment. It is one of the tragedies of age. Before the Olympics I prepared a piece in case Canada stumbled. It was really, really good. I am happy to say I will never publish it!!
  

A final word on the Olympics on the whole:

• The Olympics got off to a rough start, but what an amazing display of nation building. Canadians everywhere have been brought together. We learned a lot about ourselves. We experienced heartbreak and elation, but more than anything else we learned, or at least were reminded, just how great it is to be Canadian. It is a feeling I hope we can all hold on to.
  

More to come....check me out on Twitter @HockeyLegends in the meantime.

Gold Medal Game: Canada vs. USA

Canada faces the United States in the gold medal game of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Puck drop is just after noon PST.

I don't know that there is a whole lot left to say. The men's hockey tournament has been great, with most games proving to exciting and very competitive. A couple have even been classic showdowns.

As for today's game, may the best team win. Anyone reading my blog knows that I am a proud Canadian. My allegiances are obvious, and there are no apologies for that.

Team USA is an amazing collection of young hockey players, and they have me greatly worried about the outcome of this game. And this is just the first wave of amazing young American players. Kids right across the country are taking to the game, and they will be a dominant force in hockey for years to come. American hockey fans, and there are millions of great American hockey fans, are in for a real treat.

I think there is sense of tension between Canadian and American hockey fans, which only heightens the rivalry. Americans think we are self-righteous about the game. Maybe we are just a touch. Forgive us.

You see, hockey in Canada is a collective experience. More than half of the country will watch the game, and probably over 90% of the country will experience the gold medal game in some way. It is impossible to escape. It is that important to Canada, to all Canadians. We live and breathe this game. Like Michael J. Fox says in the commercial below, you can't describe it, you just feel it.



So I hope I'm not being too self-righteous when I say this is why it is so important that Canada wins. Go Canada Go!

Finland Wins Bronze

Finland came from behind to knock off the impressive Slovakians 4-3 and win the bronze medal.
The game itself was a rollercoaster ride full of momentum changes. And the Finnish players really were able to share a real nice final moment together, and the crowd stayed to applaud.

It was likely the last Olympic game for many players on both sides, including Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, Pavol Dimetra and Ziggy Palffy and others. To all of them, we say thank you for all of the great moments over the years. We will not forget you, for you are truly some of the greatest hockey legends.

Golden Rematch

At the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Canada defeated the United States to win their first Olympic gold medal in hockey in 50 years. It ranks in this country as one of the three greatest hockey moments - along with the 1972 Summit Series and the 1987 Canada Cup.

I've been trying to rack my brain to remember my feelings heading into the 2002 gold medal game. Of course much of the tournament we were all up in arms as Canada struggled through the first four games, only to rally behind Wayne Gretzky's rant and catch a break that Tommy Salo could not.

After the coasting through the semi-final against the surprising Belorussians, I recall being quietly confident against the United States, who escaped the Russians in their semi matchup. With Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Martin Brodeur and most importantly as it turned out Joe Sakic, how could we lose? It was our time.

I recall being most concerned about the American goaltender. I had seen all too well what he was capable of, especially in the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs and in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. He was my biggest concern no doubt.


Fast forward 8 years late and we are eagerly anticipating the rematch. Most of the players have changed, but it does not matter. There are a lot of interesting shades of 2002 - Canada's struggles early in the tournament; Sweden's loss in the quarter-finals; the red hot American goalie, this time named Ryan Miller; and of course the all North American showdown.

Only this time around it was the US who had the easy semi-final, while Canada had the nail-biter. And this time, I'm not confident of Canadian victory at all - even though at the same time I wonder of the 2010 team is actually better than the 2002 team.

There is just something about this American team, with their rediculously hot goaltender, their plucky forwards and their over-achieving defensemen. They are very well coached and have all the confidence in the world. They match up very well with the Canadians.

Perhaps being frustrated and then downright scared by the Slovakians will be the best thing for the Canadians. They looked too relaxed at times against Slovakia, and perhaps now they will return to the urgency that they displayed in a near perfect game against Russia. If they play that way they should be fine.

But these American kids are something else, especially the goalie Miller. They won't just roll over like the Russians did. I get this bad feeling that this might be their time, just like 2002 was our time. Canada probably should win a best of seven series, but anything can happen in a one day showdown.

If Canada is going to win, they will have to play with the same determination and discipline they showed against the Russians. But if Canada is going to win on Sunday they will need to have their best games from Sidney Crosby and Roberto Luongo. It is these two that will take us to the next level. I don't think we've see the best of either yet. Sunday would be a good day to do so.

That's The Ticket

Courtesy of Erle at CanadiensMemorabilia.com, here's what the actual ticket for the gold medal game looked like:

The Noon Start

A week ago Brian Burke was telling everyone who would listen that "playing at noon sucks."

He couldn't be happier to be starting at noon today.

Of course that means he's playing in the gold medal game, which has been scheduled for noon forever. But it also may be their big advantage to getting the early jump on Canada.

USA has had to play 4 of their 5 previous Olympic games at noon. Canadian players have not played any earlier than 4:30 in the afternoon. Hockey players are creatures of habit, and as a rule they don't like afternoon games - they are night workers. Adjusting to an early start is often a wild card for many players. Just ask the Finns who came out inexplicably flat in their semi-final game and were trounced by a very prepared US team.

We've seen how crucial a fast start is in this tournament. The US has the noon start routine down pat. Canada has quite an adjustment to deal with.

Fatigue Issues?

Canada let up on the Slovakians with about 8 minutes left to play in the third period, and by doing so allowed the Slovaks to get back into the game.

Why? Were they guilty of being too confident, disrespecting their opponent by thinking the win was in the bag? Absolutely.

But I also wonder how much fatigue played a factor. That factor will be increased on Sunday, as for Canada it will be their 4th must win game in 5 and 1/2 days. With the disruption of the early start, they will have to be very disciplined on Saturday evening to get their rest. In the Olympic village how easy will that be?

The Americans meanwhile have coasted through to this game, had the benefit of the bye and have young legs. This is another case of advantage USA.

Canada Hangs On Against Slovakia

Canada defeated Slovakia 3-2 to advance the gold medal game, but barely.

After handling Slovakia much of the game, jumping out to a 2-0 lead early and upping that to a more comfortable 3-0 lead in the 2nd. They seemed to be in full control half way through the third period, and that's when it all fell apart.

Roberto Luongo let in a softy on the short side to allow Slovakia back in the game. From that moment they stormed the Canadians, taking apart the defense, eventually making it 3-2.

The final minute of play felt like an hour of mayhem, as Canada scrambled and hung on. And then with the clock almost expiring Pavol Dimetra had an amazing chance to tie it all up and force overtime. But somehow a defeated Roberto Luongo got just enough of his glove on the puck and deflected the puck out of trouble for the final few seconds of the game.

Was Canada guilty of looking past Slovakia before the game was over? With the fans chanting "We Want USA" with well over 10 minutes left, you bet they were. Were the Canadians lucky to hang on? You bet they were. They disrespected an incredible Slovakian team and almost paid for it.

Somewhere the Americans were watching all this, smiling no doubt. Their scouts and coaches watched the Canadian defensive game plan in action for half a game. Then they watched Slovakia pick it apart, making their game plan notes fairly easy.

I'm sure I'll have lots on the gold medal game in time. But I want to talk just a bit about Slovakia. They have been amazing in this tournament, knocking of Russia, Sweden and almost Canada. They played a perfect game plan against Canada, frustrating them and the crowd. Had Canada not gotten the two early deflection goals against Halak, well who knows.

They put a heck of a scare in the hearts of all Canadians. I know I will be cheering them on for the bronze. I hope they are not too let down and blow the chance to win a medal, much like Canada did in 1998. It would be a shame to see Slovakia to go home empty-handed now. At age 28 Marian Gaborik - who didn't finish the game with an apparent injury - is the youngest Slovakian forward. This generation of Slovakian players will not be back in 2014, and, despite their passion for hockey, the country is not developing a new generation of players to take over. I'd like to see them get a bronze medal.

Slovak meets Finland Saturday night for the bronze. The Finns, too, will be going through a generational change after this tournament. At least they have players up and coming. I wish them well too. We've had an amazing hockey tournament, let's have an amazing bronze medal game, too.

Canada vs. Slovakia

Believe it or not, Pavol Dimetra may be the best player in the Olympics right now. I know I've said that several times this week. I still can't believe it.

Join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends for the game. There seems to be a very confident air here in Canada that Team Canada will win this game, although I'm not so certain.

The Canadian tension has been greatly relieved, which kind of scares me tonight. Perhaps they will be too loose, too confident, looking too far ahead. The opening 10 minutes will be so important. That is Slovakia's best chance to win. If Slovakia can catch Canada in a natural letdown coming off of the big Russia game and score a couple of goals early, and then ride Halak to win.

Personally I'm hoping Roberto Luongo is ready to hold up fort until Canada can regain its urgency. I just know they will have a bit of a letdown after such a big win. It is human nature. Perhaps the Canadian fans can urge them on tonight.

Wow

Wow is about the only word need to describe USA's destruction of Finland in the first semi-final today.

They could not have gotten off to a better start. It was all over after the 3-0 goal, and then the floodgates opened. Before the 13 minute mark of the first period it was game over. The opening 10 minutes are so vitally important in games right now.

Thankfully they let up after that, because IOC president Jacques Rogge may have threatened to remove men's hockey from the Olympics due to the blowout.

Finland did score a goal late in the game, giving the Finnish fans, some of whom probably paid four digits for their ticket, something to cheer about.

For a team that complained early in the tournament that "noon starts suck," they sure have done well with them. They've played 4 noon games now, and have established a routine. Hockey players are creatures of routine. Finland was not used to the noon start, and I really believe that is a big reason as to why they came out so flat.

Oh, by the way: USA now awaits the winner of the Canada/Slovakia semi-final for Sunday. The gold medal game starts at noon.

Don't Overlook Slovakia

There is an air of confidence in Canada right now when it comes to the men's hockey team. That scares me.

Sure, we have looked invincible the last couple of games, and everything seems to be going well. But today is a different day. And just because the favored Swedes did not make it to the semi-final does not mean Canada has an easier game by any means. This is not like the Belarus team from 2002.

Canada can not afford to over to overlook Slovakia. If they do, I suspect they will get off to a rude awakening.

I suspect Slovakia will be the team off to the fast start tonight, meaning Roberto Luongo needs to earn his keep early. Canada will need to deal with the unavoidable let down from the high of the Russian game. If they get a couple of goals early, much like Canada did against Russia, that is dangerous. The Slovaks have the hottest goalie in the world and the best defenseman in the world. Coming from behind is not a great idea. Canada needs to get to Halak early.

True, the Slovaks don't have as much depth and perhaps have played above their heads, but these guys beat the Russians and the Swedes. Before the tournament began I picked Slovakia to be the surprise team of the tournament, albeit only mildy. The Russians and Swedes were upset by them.

Could they upset Canada, too? You bet they can.

Three keys to the game:

• The opening 10 minutes - Watch for the Slovaks to be dangerous and Canada to be slow. Luongo needs to come up big and hopefully the Canadians find their urgency level quickly.
• Jaroslav Halak. This guy has been playing unbelievably for weeks and even months. In a winner takes all knock out tournament like the Olympics, the team with the hottest goalie goes far. Can Slovakia go farther than they already have?
• Depth - The Canadians have tons of it. The Slovaks don't. Zdeno Chara can't play every minute. Canada has to use their speed and physicality to wear down the thinner ranks of the Slovak team.

USA vs Finland

• Everyone is anticipating a Canada-USA gold medal rematch right now. But Finland might have something to say about that. Miikka Kiprusoff is Ryan Miller's equal and the defending silver medalists are hungry. They have some good young players, but for the Selanne-Koivu generation, this is their last shot and they intend on making it happen.
• The Canada-USA matchup may very well happen but in the bronze medal game.

As always, for more thoughts, links and conversation join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends.

Hockey's Eternal Rivalry

The politics may have changed, but the cold war is back in full force.

As enjoyable as the Canada vs USA rivalry has become, for old fogies like me Russia vs Canada will always be the great rivalry.

It goes back to 1954, when the Soviet Union entered a hockey team at the World Championships and shocked the world by defeating Canada. Almost from that moment on, international hockey was their great domain, changing hockey for the greater in the process.

We wanted to get our best players, our NHL stars, to play them, so we'd show them how Canadians play hockey. Not very well, at least so it seemed after game one of the 1972 Summit Series. We'd storm back, winning the series with 34 seconds left in the final game thanks to the "shot heard around the world." Somehow what should have been an embarrassing period of Canadian hockey became its greatest moment. A moment that will live forever.

The Russians would gain revenge in the 1981 Canada Cup, handing us our worst loss ever. Mike Liut still has nightmares of Sergei Shepelev.

We get revenge at the 1984 Canada Cup. But it was the 1987 Canada Cup where the rivalry peaked. The two greatest teams each nation ever iced, battling it out to the dying moments . . . Gretzky . . . to Lemieux . . .

Political change would see the rivalry subside for much of the 1990s, with it returning to epic proportions at the junior level. But in recent years we have seen the national team rivalry heat up, with Russia eliminating Canada at the 2006 Olympics, and in the gold medal games of both the 2008 and 2009 World Hockey Championships.

Shades of '72? Maybe, but I was thinking more of 1984. That Canada Cup featured a Canada team that stumbled early in the tournament, just like now. Meanwhile Russia had dominated everything in international hockey, just like now. Canada unexpectedly ran into Russia in a playoff game rather than the final, just like now. The game was another dramatic classic, just like today's game promises to be.

In 1984 Canada pulled out a dramatic victory. Will that happen tonight? I have no idea, but I will predict another classic clash of the hockey titans.

Olympic Slap Shots - Canada vs. Russia

Time to put the puck on the 'Net:

• Canada destroyed Germany, finding some chemistry and confidence along the way, setting up the Wednesday game everyone wanted to see: Canada vs. Russia!
• At the end of the Germany game the Canadian fans chanted "We want Russia!" Be careful what you wish for.
• Normally playing the extra game rather than having a bye is a negative, and it still might prove to be one for Canada. But it actually was very much a positive for Canada, allowing them to lessen the tension on the bench, creating a positive environment, and, perhaps most importantly of all, finding linemates for Sidney Crosby.
• Predictions for the game? I really don't know. I will never bet against Canada, but that being said I am very nervous of Russia. I will predict this much though - the game will be another classic, and for the only time during these Olympics there will be no one on Robson Street from 4:30 until the end of the game! Everyone will be watching this game, in Canada and in all 11 Russian time zones.

For more thoughts and conversation, as well as some great links and retweets, join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends.

A Task Of Olympic Proportion

Note: Join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends for the Canada/Germany game

Canada starts the Olympic hockey tournament again today, complete with a new goalie, new lines and more pressure than ever.

Canada's task now is to win 4 must-win games in six days. That's a tall order for any team. Given slow progress shown in the preliminary round, this will truly be a task of Olympic proportion.

The good news is Canada has a fresh start and supposedly has an easy game to work some things out. That being said, the players better not be looking past Germany. They played a spunky game against Sweden. At times they have impressed with a surprising forecheck and aggressive attack. And in Thomas Greiss Germany has an NHL goalie who will be looking to rebound from a weak game against Belarus in what must amount to the biggest game of his life.

Oh, and assuming Canada gets by Germany, a fresh Russian team will be waiting less than 24 hours later.

Steve Yzerman had a press conference late Monday night, understating the obvious in saying "Obviously, we hope to do better," but that he still believes in his players. Honestly, so do I. They may have an impossible task ahead of them, but I really do believe in the coaching staff and players and their strategies and ability. They haven't gotten the necessary breaks needed to win a tournament like this, but it is better to get those this week than last week.

Yzerman also said "I'm not worried about my legacy," and I'm sure every player and coach on the team would say the same. But they all know winning is the only option here, and what is at stake is history's golden embrace or its unforgiving stare.

Other line changes: According to Bob McKenzie, Canada's lines for the Germany game will be Crosby with Staal and Iginla, Getzlaf with Nash and Perry, Toews with Morrow and Richards and the Sharks Line of Thornton with Heatley and Marleau. Bergeron will once again serve as a 13th forward.

There has been no word on defensive pairing breakdowns. And, yes, Martin Brodeur will be on the bench dressed as the back up. Third goalie Marc-Andre Fleury returns to the press box.

Who Wants To Be A Hero?

Henderson. Sittler. Gretzky. Lemieux. Slaney. Sakic. Hefford. Toews. Eberle. Who wants to be Canada's hero in 2010?

This isn't just a game. It's our game.

By the way, if you haven't watched Michael J. Fox's Canadian hockey promo, do yourself a favor and watch it right now.

Day One Impressions

I have been anticipating the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament since July 2nd, 2003. That was the day the International Olympic Committee awarded the XXI Olympic Games to the city of Vancouver.

Now that day one has come and gone, here's some quick thoughts:

Canada looked good against Norway. Forget the 8-0 score, it was the process that impressed me. The team showed some early cohesion, some good dedication to the game plan, and some good discipline in the midst of a frenzied crowd. There were lots of positive, many that I noted on Twitter, but ultimately this was a mean-little game against a non-hockey power. Let's not get too excited.

USA looked quite tentative against the Swiss. Cohesion did not come quickly for USA, although full credit to a spunky Swiss team that is not the easiest to play against. I thought coach Wilson was too willing to spread the ice time out equally. In contrast Canada rewarded players for strong team play, USA just rolled the lines. Nice to see Hnat Dominechelli again, although it was odd to see this former Canadian junior playing for Switzerland.

Russia walked all over a Latvia team that I think Norway would beat. The Russian juggernaut seemed determined to answer Canada' 8-0 score, and they did. They looked particularly good setting up one-strike plays in the offensive zone. But the Big Red Machine was not the most well oiled machine, letting Latvia back into the game in the 2nd period and with an at-times weak PK. It didn't matter on day one, but they will need to improve as the competition gets tougher.

For more thoughts, and a picture of Wayne Gretzky in a Soviet hockey jersey, strange memories of Vyachelav Bykov, and my KISS rants, join me on Twitter @HockeyLegends