As much as they may not want to hear about it now, as much as this loss will sting as no other before it, Team USA returned American Hockey to its rightful place among the best teams in the world.
For the Canadians & Americans, the NHL-sized rink is a major advantage. Against each other, the game will look very much like an NHL All-Star game, separated into Canada vs. United States, and played like the 7th Game of the Stanley Cup Finals. Should be exciting.
In 2002 at Salt Lake City, American skater Apolo Ohno threw up his hands and drew a blocking foul that disqualified his Korean competition. The Korean DQ landed Ohno the 1,500 meter Short Track Gold… and earned him the ire of an entire nation.
