An Ode To Dennis Green

I'm not sure if I was more surprised by the anger that Canadians had over the absolute beating handed to the Olympic Canadian women's hockey team by their American counterparts by the shock that some seem to express on social media about not knowing a result like we saw today was entirely in the cards. The US team has been whooping the Canadian women over the course of the calendar year, and today's exclamation point in Milan may have been a preview for a future game where gold medals are awarded. Quite honestly, the only surprise that anyone should have had was how Canada kept the US from running up the score. As Dennis Green said, "They are who we thought they were!"

I'm not here to sing the praises of the US team nor to sing the blues over Canada's uninspired, mistake-filled game, but it's hard not to notice how dominant Abbey Murphy is everything she comes over the boards. Murphy does not have an equal in this tournament when it comes to size, speed, and skill, and watching her play reminded of how Hayley Wickenheiser played when she in her early twenties. She's a force, and stopping her will be a challenge for all teams.

That being said, Canada looked overmatched in all aspects of the game. They got out-worked, out-skated, out-hustled, out-chanced, and outscored by the Americans who played the most complete sixty minutes of hockey to date at this Olympiad. What we shouldn't forget is that this has been the same story for the previous six games as well where Canada lost all six by a combined score of 30-11. The last four games against one another saw Canada lose each game by three goals or more. Cue Green's "They are who we thought they were!"

Canada selected their team by relying on experience, but that also comes at a price as the average age for the teams clocks in at 29.2 years-old. By comparison, the much faster, much hungrier Americans are sitting at 25.8 years-old. Team USA has 13 players under the age of 25 compared to the five that the Canadians brought to Milano-Cortina. On February 4, head coach Troy Ryan was having none of the talk about the age difference between the two country's rosters.

"It's a storyline that's going to unfold with the US being much younger and us being a little bit older," Ryan said. "You won't hear me at the Olympics resorting to talking about age. It's just not a factor. We have the best players we think are available to us right now."

Coach Ryan might want a mulligan on that statement after today's exhibition. The younger American players put on a dazzling show against the veteran, experienced Canadian defence, making them look like they were the inexperienced players on the ice. Hannah Bilka (24) had two goals, Abbey Murphy (23) had three helpers, Caroline Harvey (23) had a goal and two assists, and both Kirsten Simms (21) and Laila Edwards (22) had goals. If you're totalling that up, all five goals were scored by players under the age of 25.

As Dennis Green said, "They are who we thought they were!"

It is going to take a small miracle, some sort of coaching renaissance, and a complete examination of the game for the Canadians to potentially even slow down the Americans. They have steamrolled their way through four games, surrending just one goal to the Czechs in the opening game they played. I'm not sure netminder Aerin Frankel has even broken a sweat in some games, including today's game against Canada. Team USA looks like a machine right now. Hit us with the line again, Dennis: "They are who we thought they were!"

Canadian fans may rally around the fact that this was, undoubtedly, the worst game has played in these Olympics, and that superstar Marie-Philip Poulin was sidelined. There's no doubt that Canada can and has to be better, and there's still hope that Poulin will be ready for the medal round where her participation is absolutely necessary. What we shouldn't overlook, though, is that the Americans stomped Canada today on the backs of a handful of younger players, and that domination likely will continue until the medals are awarded.

It doesn't mean they aren't beatable, though. The Americans are quick to remind everyone about that game in 1980 against the Soviet Union. Canada has its own history to draw upon back in 2002 when the Americans rode an eight-game winning streak over the Canadians and a 35-game winning streak over the world before the Canadians defeated them for the gold medal. It's not unthinkable to suggest that Canada will rise to the occasion in 2026, but today's game doesn't instill a lot of confidence in that outcome happening.

No one should be surprised that the Americans slapped the Canadians around today. Dennis Green's words carry true in that anyone who ahas watched the American women's team this year knew they were deep, talented, and hungry. Even Troy Ryan knew that Canada was going to have its hands full after the Rivalry Series, calling the young US players "a special group of young college players. That class is not like many others I've seen". They are who we thought they were.

Now it comes down to Canada playing the way they believe they can play to be successful. Assuming these two squads are meet in the gold medal final, they'll need to figure themselves out over the quarterfinal and semifinal games in order to be ready for the rematch. If that happens and Canada lays another egg against the Americans, it shouldn't surprise anyone after today's severe beating because that's exactly who we thought they were: underdogs.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!