The United States of Hockey

Beyond a thrilling first 10 minutes of the first period and some infrequent flashes throughout the game, the U.S. was barely in it and lost to Canada 1-0 in the semifinals at the Olympics.

After a really sound first four games to the tournament, coming up short by one goal again has to sting. But what should sting more is that the U.S. was not really much of a threat for a good portion of that game. Thanks to a sound Canadian system predicated on aggressive defense, a strong forecheck and strong positional play.

When it gets to this stage of the Olympics, you only get one shot and the U.S. did not have its best game today. Against a team that sound defensively, Team USA needed its absolute best. Now they are left to ponder a lost opportunity after a rather forgettable performance.

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We’re now just hours away from the highly-anticipated matchup between the U.S. and Canada at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Team USA will take on their North American rivals at noon ET on NBC Sports Network with live streaming on NBCOlympics.com. The full United States of Hockey preview of the game is here.

The big news out of the U.S. delegation today is that defenseman Paul Martin, who has been the third most utilized on Team USA’s blue line, will not be available for today’s game.  There are conflicting reports as to why, as NBC’s Dave Strader said it was illness, while other reporters said Martin was in a cast yesterday.

Justin Faulk will slot into the lineup for the first time at the Olympics in his place.  That really jumbles things up for Team USA on the back end.

Martin was expected to be paired with Penguins teammate Brooks Orpik and that unit likely would have been Team USA’s second shutdown pairing. Now Orpik slots in with John Carlson, which could be an interesting duo. Both guys see top matchups all the time in the NHL, as does Faulk, so it will be interesting to see how their utilization progresses in this game.

Jonathan Quick gets the start, as announced Thursday. Carey Price is going in net for Canada. Team USA’s full confirmed lineup after the jump with some notes. Continue reading →

It had to happen sooner or later. The rematch of 2010’s thrilling Olympic gold-medal game will be held in the semifinals in Sochi. The U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team will take on Canada at noon ET on NBC Sports Network Friday, with the game streamed live in the U.S. on NBCOlympics.com. The winner will play either Sweden or Finland for gold, while the loser will have to settle for playing for bronze.

The gold-medal game may be when the stakes are highest, but these two North American rivals meet with the chance to assure one of them doesn’t get to play for gold. Some may say it’s an anti-climactic time to meet. Hardly. A loss for either team would be considered an even more bitter disappointment than silver.

Both the U.S. and Canada have made it through Olympic play unscathed to this point, with each collecting three regulation wins, Canada earning one overtime win and USA claiming a shootout victory. Now with the stakes at their highest yet in the tournament, this clash of the titans couldn’t be set up more beautifully.

Border battles on each side of the bracket for the men’s hockey tournament are more than a little compelling. But all the eyes of North America will be on one game.

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The U.S. downed the Czech Republic 5-2 in a quarterfinal matchup to earn a date against Canada in the semifinals.

Team USA got goals from James van Riemsdyk, Dustin Brown, David Backes, Zach Parise and Phil Kessel, while Jonathan Quick made 21 saves to earn the win.

Canada meanwhile squeaked out a 2-1 win over Latvia in a game that appeared more tense than it should have been. Either way, it’s an All-American semifinal and everything else that came before it is irrelevant.

Five thoughts on Team USA’s game after the jump. Continue reading →

Things get real at the Olympics Wednesday. One bad day is all it takes to end a team’s tournament and all of that excitement generated in the preliminary round is for nothing. The U.S. will meet the Czech Republic, a skilled and experienced team in the Quarterfinal.

You can check out a more in-depth preview here. The game airs at noon ET on USA Network and live streams on NBCOlympics.com.

The U.S. is going back to Jonathan Quick in net. He has been strong in his first two international experiences, but the pressure raises a bit in single-elimination. He should get challenged by the Czech forward group, but he has a very good defense in front of him and should get some goal support.

Here’s a look at the lineup for today’s game as confirmed by USA Hockey.

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Ahead of the Olympics, United States of Hockey called for your best hockey related, super-American Photoshops and many of you delivered. Here’s a look at all of the submissions. A winner will be selected prior to the end of the Olympics and your feedback will be included in the decision process.

So feel free to leave your vote for your top three in the comments, on Twitter (@chrismpeters) or on United States of Hockey’s Facebook page.

Here’s the best of what America had to offer (click on each for full size). Continue reading →

The U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team will meet the Czech Republic in the quarterfinal Wednesday at noon ET on USA Network. The game will also stream live on NBCOlympic.com, so if you’re at work and you have a cool boss, you have hockey.

This is going to be an interesting quarterfinal match-up as the Czechs have just enough skill to cause some concern defensively for Team USA. On the other hand, this also seems like the kind of game the U.S. forward crop should be able to generate quite a bit of quality chances.

In watching the Czechs against Slovakia, they played a far more open style than even the Russians did, which they may have to alter slightly considering the speed factor for the U.S. However, it is unlikely to see the Czechs employ a true trap-style defense. That means more time and space for the American forwards and a better opportunity to get pucks into the offensive zone and create some sustained pressure. Continue reading →