Here in Vancouver, where hockey memories such as Team Canada's 1972 triumph over the Soviets remain cherished and vivid, the squares, streets, bars, and, of course, Canada Hockey Place will be transformed into a red sea of reawakened pride.
"The people here are so jacked up to be Canadian," Canada coach Mike Babcock said yesterday.
Even before goalie Roberto Luongo's highlight-reel deflection of Pavol Demitra's last-minute shot preserved Canada's 3-2 semifinal win over Slovakia on Friday night, the prospect of another memorable meeting with the United States had assumed enormous cultural, sociological, and psychological importance for Canadians.
Minutes before Slovakia launched its third-period comeback, the Canada Hockey Place crowd had been lustily chanting, "We want the U-S-A!" followed soon by "We want gold!"
Away from the ice, a Canadian victory over the United States would reverse, for a moment at least, the national roles of top dog and underdog. And on the ice, it would restore those roles to exactly the order Canadians believe they should be in forever.
"Canada believes this is their game," said Brian Burke, the general manager for the U.S. team. "And they're flying that flag from a peak."
All that was visible in the determined looks, if not the cautious words, of the Canadian players after they fought off that fierce Slovakian rally. Their 5-3 loss to the U.S. team was less than a week ago, and it was clear they hadn't forgotten.
"It doesn't matter who's the better team," Canadian defenseman Scott Niedermayer said when asked whether he thought Canada had a talent edge over the unbeaten Americans. "What matters is who's going to win."
Sidney Crosby said motivation "is not going to be a concern."
