A big early blow for the Canadians. Their captain, Sidney Crosby, has been ruled out of today’s game. The 38-year-old has won two Olympics golds and three Stanley Cups, but did not play in his team’s semi-final win over Finland due to a knee injury. Canada coach Jan Cooper said on Saturday he would wait until the last minute before making a decision on Crosby’s participation.
“We will see. I watched him skate today and we will meet tonight,” said Cooper. “He won’t put himself in harm’s way, and he will not put the team in harm’s way.”
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s what the players said ahead of today’s game:
The US and Canada are prepared for a stormy men’s ice hockey final on Sunday as the long-time rivals face off for Winter Olympic gold.
This year’s Olympics mark the first time NHL players have competed at the Winter Games since 2014, meaning many of the best players in the world will face each other on Sunday. While Canada are the betting favourites – and have won the most ice hockey golds in Olympic history – the US players say they have motivation to upset their northern neighbours.
“There’s hatred there,” USA’s Brady Tkachuk told ESPN on Saturday. “I mean, they’ve been the top dog. They’ve been the best for the last bunch of years, and for us, we want to be in that position, be the best. So it’s going to be a game where I think a lot of guys could say, this is the biggest game that they’ve ever played in.”
The rivalry between the teams has sharpened recently, particularly as political tensions have risen between Canada and the United States. At last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, Canadian fans booed the US anthem and there were a number of on-ice fights.
Canada’s Connor McDavid acknowledged there is extra spice when his team play the US.
“It is the game everybody wanted and hoped for, and it will be a great game,” he said. “It now comes down to one game between two teams. It is a hockey game, and we are excited about that. Team Canada playing Team USA in a hockey game – that is what it is.
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