What's a nice basketball guy from South Carolina doing in an ice rink in Phoenix?  Find out as the Colorado Thunderbirds give our own Blaine Brooks a crash course in hockey that he won't soon forget.

While the rest of the hockey world awaits the Olympics and the Stanley Cup playoffs, I am convinced that by the fifth day of 2010, the best hockey game of the year has already been played. And to be honest, I don’t know which was more stunning – Team USA’s overtime goal in the gold medal game against Canada last night or the fact that it was nowhere to be seen in our national sports news this morning.

To appreciate the story that unfolded last night in Saskatoon, you need to go back to its prequel.  When the two teams first met in the preliminary round on New Year’s Eve, the U.S.  gave up a 2 goal lead in the third period and held off Canada in overtime -  only to lose in the third round of the shootout.   Canada seized the automatic bye into the next round, while the US took the long road through Finland and Sweden, to earn their way back to a rematch.  

With Canada playing at home for what would have been their sixth gold medal in a row, they were the tournament’s only undefeated team and undisputed favorite.     But the beauty of watching David take down Goliath wasn’t just what the US accomplished but how they accomplished it. 

Most teams approach a game against Canada as though they’re simply trying to postpone the inevitable.  Fend off the beast as long as possible and hope that the clock runs out in your favor.   Unlike its predecessors -  both on and off the ice -  this Team USA Program managed to respect their opponent without revering them.    From the moment the puck dropped, they attacked – controlling the puck into the offensive zone and firing a relentless stream of shots on the goaltender.    No waiting for the perfect scoring opportunity – no hanging back in the neutral zone, just to be safe.  This was all-out, end-to-end hockey, with both teams playing their guts out for a combined 78 shots on goal,  in front of 15,000 screaming fans.    Even as Canada rallied back, scoring 2 goals at the end of the third period, in an eerie déjà vu from the New Year’s Eve game, the US team remained unfazed.    In a situation where most teams would have reverted to playing like underdogs, they stuck to their game and went out and played like the best U20-hockey team in the world, much to the chagrin of the six million Canadian viewers and probably 34 Americans.

Now, I am realistic about the role of hockey in our nation.  And I know that at first glance, the notion of 17 to 19 year-olds playing hockey might rank somewhere on your watch-meter between Troy versus Central Michigan and reruns of Two and a Half Men in Spanish.   But remember - these kids aren’t exactly your average teenagers.   In fact, 41 of the 44 players who faced off last night have already been drafted by an NHL franchise and are currently in the midst of their collegiate or junior careers, including DU freshman, Matt Donovan and recruit, Jason Zucker.     So, in essence – you’re watching hockey’s future as they battle for their country with an intensity, emotion, and level of play you won’t find anywhere else in hockey or all of professional sports for that matter.

Confidence - sans ego. 

Skill – minus individuality.  

As a goalie coming of age during the early Roy and Brodeur eras, I had often pondered the seemingly disproportionate success rate of Quebecois goaltenders. They definitely seemed to have that certain je ne sais quoi. Was there something in the air? The St.Lawrence River? Surely, François Allaire didn’t get around to coaching the whole entire province.

Or did he?

It wasn’t until I found myself sharing ice time in The Netherlands, no less, with a haphazard collection of Canadians, Swedes, and Fins, did I finally get my answer. After learning that the other goalie was from Montreal, I cornered him after practice.

“Why are Quebecois goalies so good”?

Without missing a beat, he exhaled in a thick accent,”Because Quebecois defensemen suck.”

I started to laugh, but quickly realized that he had a point. The westerners certainly seemed to have the physical advantage over their eastern counterparts. In fact, I’m pretty sure that guys like Chris Pronger, Rob Blake, and Jay Bouwmeester don’t walk around getting mistaken for French Canadians. After all, who would you want clearing the slot for you? A 5’8 city guy from Montreal or a 6’2 corn-fed farm boy from Manitoba?

Even Stevie Y agrees. Though his answer is actually 4 guys from British Columbia and 3 from Ontario.

Click here to view their roster.  

Photo by Hockey Canada.