So maybe two years from now, on some NHL rink if the World Cup of Hockey is, as has been threatened and/or promised for a decade, revived.
Or maybe four years from now, on the international ice surface in Pyeongchang, South Korea, if NHL players continue to participate in the Olympics.
But whether the chance comes sooner or later for the USA hockey team to gain both vengeance and its first best-on-best championship since 1996, it will have to wait, for the time was not now; not Friday in Sochi, Russia, in the Olympic semifinals.
When it comes to the USA and Canada, Canada remains the gold standard, even if these Games’ gold medal match against Sweden and Henrik Lundqvist is still ahead on Sunday.
Just as in 2010 in Vancouver and just as in 2002 in Salt Lake City, the Americans’ quest for Olympic gold was ended by their brothers across the northern border.
And just as it has always been except for that one brief shining moment in September 1996, the Americans were eclipsed by their hockey big brothers.
It was 1-0 in Sochi, with one goal again separating the nations the way it had in 2010, but with Canada clearly having been the superior team in this confrontation — even if not identifiably the superior team at all in the four-game preliminaries to the showdown.
This was up-tempo, well-played hockey dictated pretty much throughout by Canada, which has scored two goals or fewer in winning three straight one-goal games while surrendering a sum of three goals in five games over the Olympics.
Carey Price was flawless in turning Jamie Benn’s goal at 1:41 of the second into the ultimate difference-maker, but the Montreal goaltender was protected throughout the match by his teammates, who put on a display of essentially spotless defensive-zone work.
The Americans’ speed in open ice and tenacity in tight quarters and the rink’s dirty areas were tournament-long strengths Canada negated most of the way. The Canadians were impeccable in their own end, beating their opponents to pucks and clearing the zone in unison. They were disciplined without the puck in the offensive and neutral zones.
The US rarely if ever was able to mount a successful forecheck, sustain possession down low or create an attack able to generate second chances against Price. Canada was able to keep the Yanks on the perimeter, which you should know after 10 days of watching this tournament on the larger ice surface, is a perimeter from which one often needs to hail a taxi in order to get to the net.
The Americans will face Finland in Saturday’s bronze medal game (10 a.m., NBCSN). A victory would allow the Yanks to earn a medal in consecutive games for the first time since the run of silver-silver-gold in 1952-1956-1960. So even if gold were the mission, even if taking out Canada were the mission, this tournament cannot be graded as a failure.
The team’s inability to win gold and beat Canada in a knockout showdown cannot be blamed on the omission of any single individual from the final roster. This Canada 1, USA 0 day is not a result of Bobby Ryan, Kyle Okposo, Brandon Dubinsky, Jack Johnson or Keith Yandle having been left at home.
The US needs to apologize to no one. The US just somehow needs to get a little bit better … or perhaps to add a killer instinct against Canada.
There was ’96 in the World Cup. That’s it. That’s the sum and substance of United States best-on-best hockey victories over Canada with it all on the line. There was ’96 and still only ’96 after a day on which the lads could not score against Canada that came a day after the lassies could not protect a 2-0 lead against Canada.
Big brothers to the north. Big sisters, too.
And time to wait until the Americans get their next shot at overturning the natural order.