I don’t make many posts about international hockey, and I’ll admit, I know a lot more about the NHL. I did a little research on it back in September, when I considered to make it a part of my blog. I decided that it was too difficult to write international posts, and NHL posts, so I chose NHL.

However, I may have to change that habit a little bit for the Olympics next month, especially during the two week Olympic break.

I’m sure by now you have heard about Junior Team USA’s victory in the World Junior Classic over Canada. They won 6-5 in overtime. Also, that was one of the best international games I’ve seen in a while. I’m sure that you, like me, enjoy watching high scoring games. I may talk about defense being the key to winning, but there’s nothing more enjoyable to a fan than a bunch of goals.

Here are the extended highlights of the game. Check them out if you have the time.

Before the game, the United States was considered the underdog, however, that wasn’t an underdog effort. They never had to be up against the ropes the way that Canada did. They pretty much dominated that game offensively until the last two minutes.

They also did a great job keeping the crowd quiet until the last two minutes. It’s very difficult to silence an entire Canadian crowd the way that this team did.

I have to admit, I was a little shocked when I saw that the United States had won. I didn’t watch the game, I don’t pay much attention to the juniors. I knew that the Olympic Team USA needed younger players, but I didn’t think that they were playing now.

The current Team USA that’s playing in the Olympics in Vancouver is not a solid international hockey squad when you compare it to the other teams. They don’t have the kind of talent that Russia has put in its roster, or the Canadians have on theirs. They did a terrible job of finding young players a couple years ago that could fill in for the retiring players.

That’s something that we’re paying for now. We have been forced into a youth movement, and from what I’ve read, we will have a slim chance of medaling in the Olympics. The Team USA front office is more concerned about the 2014 Olympics than they are the 2010.

One thing’s certain. If these kids that played juniors are playing in the 2014 Olympics, the United States is going to have a strong team. There are some very strong prospects that will be seeing plenty of ice time in the NHL.

I don’t know enough about international hockey to make any predictions, however, I did see somewhere (sorry, can’t remember where) that Team USA was predicted to come in sixth in Vancouver. I remember Russia being favored to win the gold, Canada the silver, and Sweden the bronze. But, that’s not something I know enough about to comment on. As always, feel free to leave comments of your own and enlighten all of us.

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