U.S. Hockey Team Upsets Canada

Last night in a huge upset, the young United States Men’s Hockey team defeated the heavily favored Canadian team 5-3. This marks only the second time that the U.S. team has beat the Canadian team – the last time was in 1960. The United States came out wearing the throwback 1960’s sweaters, an homage to that last victorious team.

Now, as the United States heads into the 12-team tournament as the #1 seed, they have set the standard for what is to come from the young team.

Coached by Ron Wilson (head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs), the Americans took the lead early in the first period with a goal from Brian Rafalski (of the Detroit Red Wings) within the first minute of play.

That goal would then be answered by Ryan Getzlaf (of the Anaheim Ducks) on the Canadian team, which would then be followed by another goal from Rafalski.

The player of the game, however, was certainly Ryan Miller, the goalie for the United States. Miller stopped 42 of 45 shots from the Canadians, an impressive game from the Buffalo Sabre.

Next on the agenda for the U.S. team is the winner of the Switzerland-Belarus qualifying game set for Tuesday. The Americans beat Switzerland last week 3-1, but the victory did not come easy. If the United States is to play Switzerland, who is the favorite, expect the Swiss to come out with a vengeance.

The United States is not alone in receiving a bye into the quarterfinals. They are joined by Russia, Sweden, and Finland in that qualification. Other teams that will have to fight it out for a position in the quarter finals are the fifth-seeded Czech Republic vs. No. 12 Lativa, Canada (No. 6) vs. Germany (No. 11), Slovakia (No. 7) vs. Norway (No. 10), and Switzerland (No. 8) vs. Belarus (No. 9).

If you’ll be one of the millions watching Men’s Hockey in the Olympics, pay attention the footwork involved in the game. Think of how hard it is do move quickly in shoes, now try that on the ice. That should give you an appreciation of the difficulty of the sport. Many professional hockey players, including the Olympians, opt for functional orthoses to be put into their skates. This helps them get optimal function out of the foot-skate interface, allowing for quick stops and pivots. It will be quick footwork that wins the game – stay tuned for more updates on the 2010 Winter Olympics from Vancouver!

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