The expectations were high for the United States Men's ice hockey team. They should have been since we assembled what was supposed to be the best NHL players who hailed from our 50 states. In fact, nothing short of the gold medal would be acceptable for our hockey players. The silver or bronze would just not do. Last year, our team went to the gold medal game and lost to Canada and this has been sticking in our craw for 4 long years. An eternity for players who had their gold medal hopes shattered by a very good Canadian team in their home country on the ice in Vancouver. Going into these Olympic Games hopes were very high for a rematch against our dreaded neighbors from the north. Make no mistake, the one and only goal was to play the Canadians for the gold medal and win.
As the games started, our U.S. team looked invincible. In their first game they crushed Slovakia 7-1. Next they beat the Russian home team 3-2 in an 8 round shootout. A game for the ages. In the third game our guys beat Slovenia 5-2. Up next were the dreaded Habs. The Canadian NHL All Star Team. In a very close game, the U.S. lost 1-0. Another crushing defeat which eliminated them from the gold medal game. The dream of gold was over. Defeated by our arch rivals yet again. Canada would now move on to play Sweden for the gold medal. The U.S. team would move to the "losers" bracket to play Czechoslovakia for the bronze medal. The gold was out of reach but a medal was still within their grasp. The Americans had a chance to win back to back medals in Men's Hockey since 1956 and 1960. Some 50 years ago. The motivation to win this bronze medal game should have been there even if it was somewhat dulled a bit.
On Saturday, our team took the ice and got routed by Finland 5-0. Throughout the game the U.S. had plenty of chance to hike up their britches and win one for the good old U.S. of A. Instead, they folded up like a house of cards in a hurricane. Patrick Kane hit the right crossbar on a penalty shot and then later missed on a breakaway shot. Goalie Jonathan Quick who had been stellar during the games allowed 5 goals to the Fins on 21 shots. Two of the goals were in the third period on power plays due to U.S. penalties. It was obvious that the team was just not interested in the color bronze. I must say that after watching this game it was painfully obvious that our players had folded up camp and were mentally heading home. They were heading home to get ready for the NHL season to resume. They were heading back to their NHL teams and their big salaries.
So who is really to blame for this debacle on ice? Is it the players? Is it the U.S. Olympic Committee? Or is it the coach, Dan Bylsma? You would have to blame all of the above. First off did our Men's Hockey guru's choice the right players? I would say not since they packed it in after losing to Canada. In my opinion a bronze medal is better than no medal. Hell, you are representing your country. You can't pack it in. Maybe our people should have looked a little more toward character and a little less on talent. As for the players, shame on all of you for quitting on your country. No actual hockey fan expected this team to come out of Sochi with a gold medal. The team was not good enough. They did not have a top shelf scorer. They had good players but no great players like Canada did.
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| U.S. Coach Dan Bylsma |
As for U.S. Coach Dan Bylsma, he failed us even more. It was his job to get the team past the loss to Canada. It was his job to get the players ready to play for the bronze medal. It was an epic FAIL on his part. Simply put, Bylsma oversaw the worst 24 hours of U.S. Hockey history. A loss to Canada and then an embarrassment to Finland.
“I think the [Canada] game took a lot out of us,” said Zombie Bylsma in a low-key postgame press conference. “Took a lot out of us emotionally.”
This comment speaks volumes to how he failed to get the team prepared for Finland. At this point they had no chance to win. They were defeated before they laced up their skates. Bylsma is a players coach and these types of coaches rarely win titles. What we need is a hard nosed take all kind of coach with nothing short of a killer instinct. A coach like this will pick players with a win at all costs attitude.
So, what is the bottom line here? It's time for our Olympic Committee to take a hard look at itself. They need to clean house and put people in place that have winning attitudes. It's time to have pride in giving everything you have for your country in whatever event you participate in. Being off of the medal stand is simply not acceptable. We have great athletes, the best training facilities and the best equipment. It is now time to instill the best attitudes in our coaches and athletes for the 2018 games in South Korea.
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