And so, the march to World Domination is on….
Unfortunately, it's the wrong country that seems to be taking over these days.
The United States of America last night put an end to any Canadian hopes of a record sixth straight gold medal in the World Junior Hockey Championship when the fleet, sometimes panicking young Americans pulled off an upset 6-5 overtime victory over the defending champions and pre-tournament favourites.
The win dampened an incredible Canadian comeback late in the third that saw Jordan Eberle, the clutch hero of last year's gold medal victory in Ottawa, score twice to force the overtime.
“That guy's amazing,” said U.S. goaltender Jack Campbell, who let in both of Eberle's goals and had taken the loss in Canada's 5-4 shootout win on New Year's Eve during the preliminary round.
“I had to step up tonight,” Campbell said, and he did – just in time. He held his ground in overtime and, at 4:21, his American teammates broke up ice on a three-on-one and defenceman John Carlson scored on a hard shot that beat Canadian goaltender Martin Jones.
“It's huge,” said an ecstatic Jerry D'Amigo, who scored the fourth goal for Team U.S.A. “To come out with a win here is great for us, for the U.S.”
“Everyone's kind of bummed out a bit,” said Canadian defenceman Ryan Ellis, who was on the gold-medal-winning team last year in Ottawa.
The unexpected loss – the Swedes were supposed to be the threat, not the Americans – follows a year in which the women's hockey team surrendered their world championship to the American women, and a week in which the Americans won the world under-17 hockey tournament in Timmins, Ont.
Nothing – not American Idol , not contempt for medicare, not even distant memories of the War of 1812 – bothers Canadians so much as an American victory in the Canadian game.
“Most young Canadians,” Lester Pearson told a London audience 70 years ago, “are born with skates on their feet rather than with silver spoons in their mouth.”
Last night, however, they were left with only silver – in the only sport where silver is considered an affront to Canadian sensibilities.
The only small comfort might lie in the fact that the game was far from a work of art. If it will be remembered for anything, it will be for weak goaltending at both ends of the ice. The Canadians scored on the first shot of the game, by Luke Adam, the Americans moved ahead on two seemingly harmless wrist shots, the Canadians evened matters on only their fifth shot – and when they tied the game again, 3-3 early in the second period, it sent U.S. goaltender Mike Lee to the bench in favour of Jack Campbell, who had played so well through most of the New Year's Eve classic between these same two teams, won 5-4 by Canada in a shootout.
Campbell played far better, holding off the Canadian threats until his teammates scored twice in the third period – one on a horrible rebound – that led Canadian coach Willie Desjardins to pull starter Jake Allen in favour of Martin Jones.
Jones did his job, and the Canadians fought back ferociously, the Americans barely hanging on until Eberle managed to get his two shots in behind Campbell, who let a regular-time victory slip away from Team USA once again.
Only this time, the bounces went the other direction. The gold medal was America's.
“We played Canadian hockey. We played gritty. We blocked shots. We learned from the best,” said U.S. coach Dean Blais.
With this popular tournament that began on Boxing Day now settled until Boxing Day 2011 in Buffalo, N.Y., it gives an opportunity to take a closer look at this annual event that has become the Grey Cup of Hockey to so many Canadians.
