With half a period to play and their team leading by three goals over Slovakia in the Olympic semi-final Friday night, Canadian fans chanted "We Want U.S.A.!'' as if the game in front of them was already decided and it was time to play the next one.
Slovakia shut them up for a few minutes by scoring twice and almost tying the score in the final seconds before Canada survived with a 3-2 victory to qualify for Sunday's gold-medal game against the United States.
Canada will probably win -- it has the better players and a home-ice advantage. And it also has a swaggering sense of entitlement as if its very soil has harvested hockey's master race. It's an attitude that has always grated on its international rivals.
For goodness sake. Canada lost a preliminary game to the U.S. in this tournament and needed a shootout to get past Switzerland before barely beating Slovakia.
And yet its fans and journalists (and some of its players) combine the self-regard of Notre Dame supporters in football with the imperial air of the Yankees in baseball.
The theatrics late in Friday night's second game made up for a disappointing day that began with the U.S. winning, 6-1, over Finland in a one-sided match that was over in the first few minutes.
The Americans might have one slight advantage Sunday in that they had an easy game early Friday while Canada had a difficult game late.
The U.S. victory over Canada last Sunday will probably be inconsequential in predicting the result this time around because Canada since then has learned to play with cohesion and confidence.
In an interview with NBC Sports after the game, Sidney Crosby of Canada said ``We've improved and come together as a team.'' As for Sunday, he said ``It's going to be emotional. It's going to be intense.''
A better omen of Sunday's game could come from the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City when the Americans played the Canadians well but Canada won the gold medal with a strong third period.
But the U.S. also has some historical mojo on its side.
It won its only two gold medals in 1960 and 1980. The decades are in line here in 2010 for another American victory. The game will be seen on NBC, live, at 3 p.m. Eastern and viewers can only hope NBC continues its professional camera work and commentary.
About the only view they failed to provide Friday was a good replay of the shot by Slovakia's Pavol Demitra that went wide of the net in the final seconds.
Did it hit the goalie, Roberto Luongo? Did it hit the crossbar? Did it just miss? NBC had plenty of time to find a definitive replay but offered only a view from behind the net that showed nothing clearly.
The only other annoying aspect of the telecast was the habit of color analyst Eddie Olczyk to talk and talk and talk when shorter comments would let his play-by-play man jump back into the rhythm of the action. Sometimes, less is more.
But Sunday could provide a great conclusion to a good tournament. Olympic hockey has raised the profile of the best players of a sport that is often overlooked, especially in recent years following the destructive lockout of Commissioner Gary Bettman that canceled the season of 2004-05.
With a good finish Sunday, the gold-medal championship match could be a sparkling conclusion to an entertaining Vancouver Olympics.
And if Canada happens to win it on the soil of its home and native land, well, that won't be all bad either. It is, after all, a great sport and a great nation. Let's hope they remember to say something gracious about all their vanquished visitors.
Follow Joe Lapointe on Twitter: www.twitter.com/joelapointe
well played USA....great game..
yah Crosby....
You're only down 2-0 with less than half a game to go against the best hockey nation on the face of the earth... how hard could it be?
Ain't gonna happen.
The canadian fans were chanting "we want the USA" because their team was leading by three goals and just before they had won 8-2 against the Russians . On top of that, the women had won the gold medal.
Wouldn't you feel confident ?
I have traveled there often (daughter's was an Irish dancer) and would love to retire there. They have a GREAT helath care system and GREAT cities. I love curling, and wish them luck tomorrow. If they win, they wil have beaten the best team in the world and will have earned the right to brag!
BTW, they will replace the USA as the number one western economy in the world by 2030.
If we need any more excitement about tomorrow's game if Canada wins they will set an all time record for most gold medals by a country in the winter Olympics. This is going to be a good one.
Compare sports fans in the US to those in Canada and honestly tell me the US fans have more class.
I was impressed by the curling fans...I'm beginning to become one myself. When the fans learned that their cheering was disruptive to the women curlers of other nations who don't throw stones in front of large (or any) crowds, they graciously turned it down a couple of notches (for the most part) until the final when both teams loved the crowd support.
Canada's men curlers kick butt, too. The home team will always enjoy the fan support.
There's a certain chauvinism to many sports in many locales.
I've noticed it all my life with hockey and Canada.
Sometimes, it's touching there because it is so heartfelt.
But it can annoy when heart-thumping turns into chest-beating.
my god..Canada has lived to the U ..S...of A for over 200 plus years and you think we haven't noticed that chest thumping can be annoying??
So if thought is that we should be sorry for chest thumping...in our own darn country..because it's annoying... hahahahahah..eh!
hope it's a great game today regardless the outcome
Canada has just as much a right to compete passionately and support their athletes passionately, as any other country. We should know how to do it by now, we've been watching our friends south of the border do it for years.
Before you start pointing fingers, maybe you should look in your own house.
Do you recall the Canadians leading the "USA, USA, USA" chant as the American women received their medals. That's not cocky. That's the true Canadian spirit. As a people we are proud, but we're also generous with our support.
But it's always funny to see how Americans act when they learn that patriotism exists outside their borders. if other people are proud of their own country, many see it as affront to the USA. It's just not the case.
Suck it up, cockiness and strutting are part of sports; the Olympics were originally started as competitions to prove who were the better warriors in ancient Greece. Sports in general were started as exhibitions of martial skills in peacetime.
Don't like the enemy's attitude: Take 'em down or train harder to take 'em down next time.
The Canadian attitude is a challenge to the US: Do it twice. The American chanting of "USA! USA! USA!" is a challenge to them: Reclaim the spot.
That's where it's at, and complaining like a spoiled kid won't avail. Put up or shut up time.