A Promising American Beginning

VANCOUVER

Not a bad game with which to kick off the 2010 Winter Olympic men's hockey tournament, and not a bad beginning at all for Team USA.

Looking like a club that had been together for a lot longer than one day of practice and a few days in Chicago last August, the U.S. controlled the game from the start and earned a 3-1 victory on goals by Bobby Ryan, David Backes and Ryan Malone while holding the Swiss to only 15 shots on Ryan Miller.

Given the disastrous eighth place finish by Team USA four years ago in Turin in which the Americans won only one game, it was a promising start for a team cobbled together by Brian Burke.

Gone, interestingly, is the chippy, easily irritated style of U.S. teams from the era that included players like Chris Chelios, Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin, among others. Instead, just like the American team that beat Canada in January at the world juniors, the Americans delivered a workmanlike, diligent effort with only two minor penalties.

Maple Leaf winger Phil Kessel, skating on a line for most of the game with centre Joe Pavelski of the San Jose Sharks and Malone, wasn't much of a threat or a factor in his Olympic debut at Canada Hockey House. By the final minutes of the third period, Chris Drury was taking Kessel's place on a few shifts as the Americans sought to protect the lead.

Kessel had no shots in only 11:43 of playing time for Ron Wilson's Americans. It was a chance to see Kessel in a different setting alongside some talented linemates after toiling for much of the season as the lone major scoring threat on the Leafs.

The U.S. looked particularly solid on the back end despite losing Mike Komisarek and Paul Martin to injuries before the Olympics. Their replacements, Tim Gleason and Ryan Whitney, looked solid.

The U.S plays Latvia on Thursday before taking on the host Canadians on Sunday.

Miller seemed unbothered by an IOC ruling that forced him to cover up two sayings on his Olympic helmet. The first read "Miller Time" and the other "Matt Man," a tribute to his late cousin's battle with cancer. For the Swiss game, both were covered up with a large Team USA sticker.

The other two U.S. goalies have also run afoul of Olympic regulations with respect to their masks. Jonathan Quick was told he had to cover his "Support Our Troops" message, while Tim Thomas covered up letters that he said were the initials of his children.

 

Comments

[doug johnson]

Phil Kessel is the man

[Thunder Blood]

Baby sitting Kessel in the Olympics should aid in Wilson's dismissal. You can't have you star player not getting along with the coach, someone has to go. Burke's loyal to a fault, but even Burke has stop loss point. Burke will be gracious in allowing Wilson to finish the year, then it's adios to the bud's ineffective coach.

[Mather Z]

This is ridiculous, Cox. Way to take a story about the USA team at the Olympics and make it all about your vendetta against the Leafs.

[Chris]

Looking at the scoresheet Patrick Kane and Zack Parise were also quiet. So were Joe Pavelski and Paul Stastny. Btw before the St.Louis game Kessel had 10 pts in 5 games and could quite possibly score 30 goals this year despite missing the first month of the season. This kid is the real deal. Just because he didn't bury a goal in game 1 of the tournament doesn't change that. If you think it does then you must also think the same about Kane, Parise and Stastny.

[Dave]

As usual Cox is catering to his main fanbase - hab fans, sen fans, and western canadians. First game of the tournament and kessel automatically becomes the goat lol. Wow man.

[Sam]

All Cox is saying is it was a quiet game for Kessel. Some of you are overreacting. In no way was he saying Kessel was playing terribly. He's singling out Kessel in this case because he plays for Toronto and he's giving Toronto fans some info regarding one of its players on the team. Sheeesh .. don't get so defensive guys.

[Kyle]

I agree with Sam. Since when is stating facts about Kessel's ice time and shots making him the goat? Should he have lied and said Kessel we the most important player on the ice? Made up shot totals?
Cox didn't even give a strong opinion on the matter, just facts, and when he did it was followed up by supporting evidence of Kessel being bumped from his line late in the game. You don't get sat if you are having an effective game.
Work on your reading comprehension.

[nick]

I wonder why the goalies have to cover up the initials? I get the support the troops thing. But letters?

[Chris]

My reading comprehension is fine. Using facts and figures to support an argument or point is fine but deliberately omitting facts and being selective in criticism is a form of bias. Cox's language was ambiguous. The implication was that Kessel was a non-factor despite playing with better players and that his spot was taken by Chris Drury on some shifts later in the game. Why? Do you see Cox explicitely giving reasons why? I don't. As a hockey fan I know the reason why is that with a 3-1 lead you want a veteran Chris Drury on the ice as he's more defensively responsible than 22 year old Phil Kessel but Cox doesn't explicitely write that. My comprehension is fine. I just expect a report without omissions such as the lack of production from Kane and Parise when singling out the lack of production from Kessel for whatever reason.

[Arthur Bailey]

How dare Miller and Thomas honour members of their families at the Olympics. What an outrage. the IOC should have had them booted from the games, and had the channels showing Olympics coverage blocked from the homes of those family members. Disgusting.