Team USA Men's Hockey is no longer in a “David vs. Goliath” story at the Olympics. They are ranked #5 out of the 12 teams competing - definitely a contender. Even though they haven't won the Gold Medal in 30 years, hockey fans know that ever since “Miracle On Ice” , Team USA has been gunning for Gold.
Russian Roulette
In 1980, the American Men’s Hockey Team won their second Olympic Gold Medal when they beat the Soviet Union 4-3 in one of the most dramatic hockey games ever played. At that time, the Soviets had won Gold Medals at the previous four Olympics and had been on a 21-game-winning-streak.
Miracle On Ice
When the Americans beat them, hockey became one of the most popular sports in the country. Several documentaries were made about that game and in 2004, a blockbuster movie made by Disney called “Miracle On Ice” was released in theatres. The game was so inspiring to Americans, more and more kids are starting to play hockey.
Patrick Kane, Bobby Ryan, Paul Stastny, Phil Kessel, Zach Parise & Ryan Miller
Now at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, can the Americans pull it off without being such a big underdog? They have many all-star players on the team. Young superstars Patrick Kane, Bobby Ryan, Paul Stastny, Phil Kessel, and Zach Parise are all under 25-years-old, and amongst the top scorers in the NHL. The goaltender for Team USA is Ryan Miller, who was leading the NHL in goals against average for the majority of this season in the league.
Net Dreams
The key for the Americans to win at the Olympics will be goaltending. They have the talent to score and keep up at the same pace as any other country, so if Miller can shut down Canada, Sweden and Russia from scoring, the rankings won’t mean anything. Everyone knows that if a goalie gets hot and stays hot, powerhouse teams can easily be upset in big games.
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