Here We Go Again... | 
With an 8-2 thrashing of the Germans Tuesday night, Canada and Russia will meet Wednesday in what will be their fifth meeting all time since the 1980’s games in Lake Placid.
The Canadians will be looking for redemption once again in this tournament, having lost to the Russians in the Quarterfinals at the Torino games in 2006.
It will be much more than a Sidney Crosby/Alex Ovechkin battle. The two NHL superstars will be the main focus, however, it will be the supporting casts that will determine which team moves on to the semi-finals Friday afternoon.
With the battle set, it’s time to look back at some of the history between the Canadians and the Russians since the 80’s Olympics.
1980
Russia: Won the Silver
Canada: Finished 6th
Notes: Canada and Russia met in the preliminary round with Russia winning. Canada missed out on final round by tie-breaking rule to Finland. Soviets were upset by USA but rebounded to beat Sweden in final game to take silver.
1984
Russia: Won the Gold
Canada: Finished 4th
Notes: In the round robin, Canada was shutout by the Russians in the final game. The Canadians were then shutout two games in a row; once in the semi-final game and then again in the bronze medal game.
1988
Russia: Won the Gold
Canada: Finished 4th
Notes: The Russians continued their dominanace on the International stage, with the KLM line combining for 39 points in 8 games. Russia beat Canada in the last game of the round-robin.
1992
Soviet Union/Russian Unified Team: Gold – beat the Canadians 3-1 in the final
Canada: Won Silver
Notes: Joe Juneau and Eric Lindros stood out for the Canadians, scoring 15 and 11 points respectively. Andrei Khomutov tied two other players for the scoring lead in the tournament with seven goals.
2006:
Canada: Finished 7th. Lost 2-0 to Russia in quarterfinals
Russia: Finished 4th. Won 2-0 over Canada in quarterfinals, lost to Czech Republic in bronze medal game
Notes: Alexander Ovechkin scored the game-winner against Canada. It was the first time Canada failed to reach semifinals since full participation of NHL players began in 1998.
Overall, every game that the Russians and Canadians have played in in the Olympics has lived up to the hype.
With Canadian ambassador Wayne Gretzky predicting the Canadians victorious over the Russians in a potential Gold medal game, tied in with playing on home soil, the pressure is even higher now for the them to win.
But, with Ovechkin and co. looking to break up the party once again, it remains to be seen what will unfold Wednesday.
The only thing for certain is that the puck will drop at 4:30 PST/7:30 EST time at Canada Hockey Place.
I suggest you cuddle up beside a TV because it should be another unforgettable game.
Topics: Alex Ovechkin, NHL, Olympic Winter Games, Sidney Crosby, Team Canada, Team Russia, Vancouver Olympics
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