Team Canada vs. Team USA for World Junior Gold

Tuesday night Saskatoon will play host to the Gold Medal Game of the 2010 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships. The game will feature Team Canada facing Team USA. It will be a barn-burner. Team USA is the only team at the tournament that gave Team Canada any challenge. To be fair the Canadians didn't play against the Russians or the Swedes, who are two of the better teams in the tournament. The Swedes have only lost one game, unfortunately that loss will keep them out of the Gold Medal Game. Sometimes it matters more when you lose than how often you lose.

The game on New Year's Eve was exciting, and tense. If you add in a Gold Medal, it will be obvious that this will be one for the ages. The Americans are a good team, they have a lot of speed and are excellent at blocking shots. They want to win and are walking with a swagger. They gave the Canadians a run for their money. The Canadians were just a wee bit better that night.

The Canadians have abandoned the 3-1-1 on the power play. It worked well against weaker teams but the speed of the Americans left them exposed to short handed break-aways. With the change to a more traditional power play they probably have neutralized that weakness, which was clearly the biggest in the game on New Year's Eve.

To win the Canadians will have to be focused. They will have to block out all the hype and distractions. They will also have to enjoy themselves while they play. They need to be loose. They need to stick to the system and be be aggressive.

It will be an incredible feat to win six straight championships in this tournament. To win six straight championships at a world level in any sport is an amazing accomplishment. It will be fun to watch an fun to see if they can do it. If they are successful, it will speak volumes to hockey development in Canada. That's what this tournament is really all about.