The American men's Olympic hockey team is capable of winning gold at The Vancouver Olympics. Team USA might be the youngest and the smallest of any team in the Olympic hockey tournament. In order to have a chance at the gold medal, the coaches will have to make no strategic mistakes.
The coach of Team USA, Ron Wilson is carefully examining the trends of past Olympic hockey tournaments in settling on his goal tending plans for the 2010 Vancouver Games.
The American coach said he's leaning towards sticking with the hot hand, rather than alternating between net minders.
However, choosing a starting net minder won't be an easy task. He will need to pick between the Sabres star Ryan Miller, the very talented Tim Thomas of the Bruins and the excellent newcomer Jonathan Quick of the Kings. He will need to make this decision before the Vancouver Olympic hockey tournament begins on Feb. 16. Wilson has indicated that he will likely choose one man and stick with that choice throughout the Olympic hockey tournament. Wilson was quoted as saying: "Generally speaking, the teams that have, if you look in the past, won the gold medal, have played one goaltender. It's not unlike what you do in the playoffs, as well. More than likely that's what I would do but we'll see when the time comes.''
A quick review of Olympic hockey history backs up his contention. At the 1998 Olympics in Nagano Dominik Hasek played in all six games as the Czech Republic won the Olympic gold medal. This was the first year that NHLers were allowed to compete at the Olympics.
At the next Olympic hockey tournament in Salt Lake City Martin Brodeur played in five straight matches for Canada. Brodeur took over from Curtis Joseph who had backstopped an opening 5-2 humiliation to Sweden. Canada went on to win the gold medal. At the next Olympics in Turin in 2006, the talented Henrik Lundqvist played in six of Sweden's eight games on the road to Olympic gold.
Wilson went on to say: "One of our things we talked about here and with our players as well, is that we're not going to Vancouver to prepare anyone for Sochi. This is about going to Vancouver to win a gold medal.''
It's anyone's guess who will appear between the pipes when the time comes. However, the safe money is likely in Ryan Miller. Can Team USA win the hockey gold medal? It's not impossible. However, for the American hockey team to win Olympic gold at the Vancouver Olympic hockey tournament the coaches will have to play it smart.
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