In fact, all of team USA’s players fall into two categories; looked bad or not noticeable.
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Although the USA dominated the medal count at the Rio Olympics – winning golds in everything from basketball to boxing to BMX – it still can’t compete with Canada when it comes to hockey.
Minutes after Team USA was embarrassingly eliminated by Canada in just their second World Cup of Hockey preliminary game on Tuesday, Phil Kessel torched the squad for choosing to leave him off the roster. The Americans, who will play their final group game, against thee Czech Republic on Thursday, became the first team officially eliminated before the knockout round.
For the Americans – who came into the best-on-best tournament trumpeting the slogan, “It’s time” – it was an embarrassing, demoralizing, dismal performance.
Canada, meanwhile, appear on track for one more title, after sweeping the last two Olympics and World Championships. “It’s just wonderful. It’s insane the way hockey is”, he said.
This event was considered a significant opportunity – for the network and for the league – to showcase the changes and improvements in the NHL product, since ESPN last broadcast hockey.
Why this chapter in US hockey didn’t meet expectations will be up for debate in the dead weeks leading into the NHL season, then quickly forgotten.
“Obviously yeah, minutes-wise, we’re the fourth line”, Duchene said after his two goals Tuesday night fueled Canada’s dominating 4-2 win over Team USA.
Team USA willingly chose to leave off Kessel, and Tyler Johnson and Justin Faulk and Kevin Shattenkirk and Kyle Okposo and Keith Yandle in favor of some of the less talented players they did choose to bring, and now they are going to face the backlash of the disappointing results that they got on the ice. Patrick Kane will be back in time for Blackhawks camp. The net effect was they couldn’t score almost enough to stay with the Canadians.
The Americans had the edge early in the second. That will likely be small comfort when they cue the Royal Commission – or whatever the USA equivalent of a Royal Commission is. What kind of hockey do the Americans want to play? And why on earth was this team put together the way it was?
The Americans tried to talk up their edge in the grit department.
T.J. Oshie added a consolation goal for the United States of America, but it was too little too late. If you’re team US what do you have to do different in the future?
Abby got a partial break that he turned into a backhanded shot which was stopped by Carey Price.
“Tortorella is just one of the most passionate guys I’ve ever seen about hockey”, Kane said. Duchene, anticipating the carom off the boards, deftly tucked a backhander in.
Fourteen seconds after that Logan Couture lifted a backhand pass across the crease that went off Quick’s stick, hit Corey Perry, and bounced into the net.
Things got worse for the USA as Corey Perry netted on the rebound just 14 seconds after that and Duchene added his second with 12 minutes played, after beating keeper Jonathan Quick through his pads. The speedy Duchene scored twice in the opening period while Thornton chipped in with an assist. That’s the part of the Canadian equation that’s so hard to defence, the skill from the top of the line-up to the bottom. There were 10 different Canadians with at least one point on the night. The next, it’s the Ryan O’Reilly’s.
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First thing’s first gotta tip your hat to Canada they are clearly the better team. It’s a tough showing for the Finns after they dominated the global scene in 2016.
