10 Reasons to Watch the World Cup of Hockey

9. The Redemption of Team USA

In both the 2002 Salt Lake City and 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games Team USA was beaten by Canada in the gold medal game. The team didn’t even place in the most recent games in 2014 in Sochi, Russia. It’s frustrating being an American hockey fan. It’s past time for the country to make a name for themselves in the sport and this World Cup could be a chance for them to do it.

The team this year surprised everyone when they won their first game against Canada 4-2. It helps that the Americans have some of the strongest goalies in Quick, Bishop, and Schneider. However, the victory was short lived when Canada took game two 5-2 in a very physical match. USA faced a number of penalties in which left them shorthanded against a strong Canadian attack. It will be interesting to watch and see if the US can keep their composure long enough to stay on the ice and challenge Canada evenly. 

Despite all the unfortunate penalties, watching the rivalry only grow between the two teams makes for some fun hockey. Ryan Kesler of the Anaheim Ducks was a target for Canada in game two after his rough hit on Shea Weber of the Montreal Canadiens in game one got him thrown from the game. And all this happened in games that don’t even count. Look for both teams to be out for blood once the points really matter.

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