Put your hockey where your mouth is

If only Team USA played as good a game as it talks

By Keith Gave, Dallas Morning News

Posted: Tue February 17, 1998 at 2:16 AM ET

Darien Hatcher (right) and the U.S. found themselves outmatched and outplayed by Joe Sakic and the Canadians   AP

NAGANO, Japan (KRT) -- If American troops had fought World War II the way Team USA is competing for a medal in these Olympic games, we'd all be eating sushi and sauerkraut today.

Somebody ought to tell these guys the parade comes after the victory, not before the battles.

The Americans lost again Sunday, 4-1 to Canada, their second defeat in three games they preferred to call exhibitions. That set up a worst-case scenario heading into the quarterfinals. The gang that can't shoot straight now has to face The Dominator, Czech Republic goaltender Dominik Hasek, who can win a game single-handedly -- and nearly did in Sunday's nightcap, a 2-1 loss to Russia.

A loss would send the Yanks home without a medal.

And they said they'd be disappointed if they didn't win the gold. Forward Jeremy Roenick boldly predicted the Americans would win.

Heading into the medal round, however, they're just trying to convince themselves and anyone else that their play is improving, that they're finally getting accustomed to the bigger ice surface. They insist they're ready now, finally, in a do-or-die elimination round they begin as the fifth seed among eight teams.

If only they played as good a game as they talk.

The Americans lost Sunday because Team Canada imposed its will. A team under immense pressure back home to win the gold and re-establish its tenuous dominance in the sport would not let the Americans score even when it was two men short for 1:40, when Team USA set up a firing range around the Canadian goal and might as well have been firing blanks.

Twice, sniper Brett Hull rang shots off the post. A goal that would have put the Americans ahead 1-0 in the first period might have changed the game. At least that's how they like to think. Hull finally dented goalie Patrick Roy's armor with a goal late in the game, after Canada had taken a 4-0 lead.

"We played our best game and still got outscored 4-1," American forward Keith Tkachuk said. "That tells you how good Canada is."

To win, Team USA's big guns have to readjust their sights and score more goals, which is going to get tougher as the tournament progresses. More important, they've got to get better defensively. Especially Kevin Hatcher, who couldn't get out of his own way Sunday. He was on the ice but out of position on the first three Canadian goals.

But now America's best hope for a medal is to beat Canada in the semifinals, should both teams win when the quarterfinals are played Thursday. Canada should dominate Kazakstan. But if the Canadians have their way with Team USA like they did Sunday, the Americans will lose this war without a medal.

"Obviously, we know the path to the gold medal goes through Canada," said Wilson, who chastised fans and the media for making too much of the game. "Sure, we're disappointed we didn't win. But our focus was to improve and get ready for the medal round."

Even Canadian coach Marc Crawford understated the victory.

With Hasek and the Czechs up next, the U.S. may not even get a chance at a medal   AP

"The biggest significance was that it was played in the afternoon here and that allowed the people back home to stay up and see it," he said. "And that was probably great business for all the bars."

Team Canada jokes. Team USA hopes.

Everything's fine, they keep saying.

"Our attitude is great. We're very positive and we loved how we played today," American forward Doug Weight said. "We realize now what kind of game we have to play, and we're confident we have the manpower to do it."

Are the troops whistling past the graveyard?

Who knows? But this much is certain: The time has arrived to stop waving the flag -- and plant it. Like Americans do when it counts.

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