The United States doesn’t have the Dream Team and that might be a good thing. While Russia and Canada possess more star power on their Olympic hockey teams, the United States is full of guys who know how to work together.
And that, perhaps, is why they’re 3-0 and in excellent position with a bye into the quarterfinals. They also won’t have to face Canada or Russia or even Sweden until the finals.
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It must be noted that the United States also has goalie Ryan Miller. And they wouldn’t have beat Canada without his heroics. You have him, you have a chance.
“He’s the best goalie in the world. He was absolutely phenomenal [Sunday],” said defenseman Jack Johnson.
Miller is the best thing for a young team.
But it helps that the United States appears to have players who can fill roles. It’s the same reason why Spain could hang with a more talented United States team in Olympic basketball.
Savvy veteran Chris Drury has scored two goals. Defenseman Brian Rafalski has scored four (the same number he has in 57 games for Detroit this season). Dustin Brown can play left wing or right wing. They do have some major talent, which is why beating Canada is not as monumental as it seems. Zach Parise, Phil Kessel, Patrick Kane … they’re highly talented (and young).
The United States has players who play physical and who also play fast. They have players who can stand in front of the net and deflect shots into the goal. The continuity Drury and New York Rangers teammate Ryan Callahan have on penalty kills is a boost.
This team is flawed, with a defense that sometimes fails to clear the zone and a lot of young players. But, for now, Miller covers those flaws.
The United States could not match the skill of the supposed top teams and maybe the Americans got lucky because they actually found a team capable of winning a gold. Given their youth, we’ll say the same thing four years from now, too.
That’s not a miracle; it’s a reality.
