Oh No!!! It’s the Big Bad Americans!!!

That title brought to you buy the Canadian media.  This isn’t going to be much of an unbias post.  No, this is going to be much more of a rant than anything.  But it doesn’t lack insight…unlike the majority of the Canadian media who see something flashy from some other country and immediately scream “Canada is doomed!!!”  In fact, as I’m writing this I’m watching “hockey analyst”….Mike Johnson say “it’s gotta be the Americans” when asked who wins the game.

He’s right in his point, the Americans have been better in this tournament….statistically.  Although Canada has a better PP, better PK, and better G.A.A.  Anyway….which teams have they both played?  Oh that’s right, nobody.  In fact, there is only one thing you can go off of to judge how these teams will matchup.  The Russians played the Fins.  Finland won 3-1, who lost to Canada (and were dominated) 2-1 in OT.  Russia beats the Americans if it isn’t for a net being off by less than inches, and then lose in an epic team on team battle between….T.J. Oshie and Ilya Kovalchuk.  Soooooooo this makes the Americans BETTER?

I remember this same story going into the 98 Olympics (man I’m talking about 98 a lot this week!)  We had to build to beat the Americans, and the Americans were SO much better than Canada.  And “look out Canada” because the Americans were about to over take us in hockey both on the men’s and women’s side.  Well we just won our 4th straight Gold in women’s hockey, and the men have 2 of the last 3 Olympic Golds and put more players in the NHL now than we did in 1998.

Didn’t the media make this horrific mistake going into the Super Bowl?  I know I did!  Seattle was going to lose to Denver, no doubt.  How can you possibly stop the Broncos?  Sure the Seahawks have a good defense, but this is Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos!  Their offense is simply incredible and nobody will ever stop them!!!  Then the Seahawks humiliated them.

Everything the Americans have going for them, the Canadians have answer in WAVES.  Not just an answer, they have multiple answers.  If Weber and Keith aren’t working against the Kessel line, Babcock can just turn to Vlasic and Doughty, or Bouwmeester and Pietrangelo, all capable and all are at least as good as the Americans top pairing of McDonagh and Suter.  The Canadians 4th line center is Bergeron, who might be the Americans 1st line center.  If Price were in LA in 2012 he would have a ring and a Conn Smythe award, and the Kings wouldn’t have needed 6 games to win the Cup that season.

But hey, why let the facts get in the way of a good story?  In 2010  it was the big, bad, Russians!  “You can’t stop the Russians offense!!!”  We did…well that’s not right…we completely curb stomped them.  And it seems like any time the Canadian media starts up with “we should be terrified of the _________’s” our boys more than hear that chatter and shut some mouths in a hurry.

Could the Americans win this game today?  Of course!  I picked Canada to win Bronze, we didn’t even medal the 2 previous times we played over seas.  But should the Americans beat us?  Hell no!  And they won’t.  Canada will shut down their “amazing” offense, and will score because the Americans won’t play not to lose against us and have 6 guys playing goal.  And this is all coming from a guy who has looked to be unbias and looked to be the voice of reason this whole time.  And I feel like I’m being this way still, I’m just more pissed off about things right now!  Canada will win this game 4-0.

Will they win gold?  I don’t know.  But they’ll win this game.  And if by some chance the Americans pull it off, well guess what?  It’s an upset, tip of the hat because they do have a good team, and we’re still miles ahead of them in hockey.  That’s not trying to piss on anything the Americans accomplish at all, but it is trying to piss on the fear mongers in the Canadian media.  Shut up already.

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