Read: Words from Team USA & Canada
With quite possibly one of the most hyped games in several decades to be played in Canadian soil, the North American match-up certainly has the hockey world buzzing. While I’m sure the players and coaches would rather keep quiet, the news media has pressed the issue, and a piece on NHL.com has various quotes from the USA and Canadian participants.
Team USA GM Brian Burke had this to say about the significance of this game:
“Hockey is not a sport in Canada; it’s a cult, it’s a religion. It’s why I love living and working in the NHL in a Canadian city. I love the pressure that’s on the players and the coach and the GM. And I didn’t feel that pressure in Hartford. It wasn’t the same. We had to create that pressure. And so the Canadians view this as their game and they view this game as planting a flag on a peak. So it’s huge. If you guys believe they’re the underdogs you should put on some knee high boots because the manure is piling up in here.”
And Chris Drury had some thoughts on Ryan Miller:
“It’s maturity. In any situation it just seems he can handle a lot of different shots from a lot of different angles, screens. Just his overall game seems a little more mature. Even back (when I played with him in Buffalo) I just remember staying out of his way. (Henrik) Lundqvist is the same way. I’ve played with goalies who it just wouldn’t matter, but with Miller, especially, you’d just see him in the morning, say ‘Good morning’ and then move on.”
…Some really great quotes in there, I’d definitely recommend reading it. Some of them are funny, others are heartfelt. Either way, it’s cool to see what these athletes are thinking about leading up to the biggest game of their lives.
