SOCHI, Russia — They go back to their day jobs now, to NHL points across North America, an Olympic tournament that began with such a flourish suddenly going flatter than old soda.
Two days ago, the U.S. men’s hockey team was undefeated and flying high, an offensive juggernaut that seemed to score almost whenever it wanted. Now?
Now, the Americans head home with barely a whimper, with plenty of time en route to reflect on the colossal embarrassment they suffered here Saturday in a 5-0 loss to Finland in the bronze medal game.
That fizzle you heard coming out of the west coast of Russia wasn’t a rehearsal for closing ceremonies. It was the U.S. men — every one of them an NHL player and most NHL stars — going 120 minutes without a goal after scoring 20 times in its first four games.
Finland is, undeniably, a strong team, with a phenomenal goaltender in Tuukka Rask. But you would’ve thought they were Soviets in their Olympic heyday, the way this unfolded.
“To leave on this note is pretty ugly,” U.S. captain Zach Parise said. “Our last two games we were just flat, we had nothing. It’s kind of embarrassing . . . We’re going home empty- handed (after) some pretty high expectations and high hopes.
“It’s very disappointing the way the game shook out, with a medal on the line. To get blown out 5-0, that’s not acceptable at this stage of the tournament.”
Petr David Josek/AP
USA forward Patrick Kane can’t convert on two penalty shot attempts during blowout loss to Finland.
Said U.S. goaltender Jonathan Quick, “They wanted it more than us. We got outworked, and that’s what happens.”
The U.S. players spoke beforehand about not wanting to leave empty-handed, to fight hard against any emotional hangover from the crushing 1-0 defeat to Canada in the semifinals Friday night. The talk may have been earnest, but the words were not met with action, coach Dan Bylsma admitted.
“The game last night against the Canadians was the game we wanted,” Bylsma said. (It) took a lot out of us. We weren’t able to get back and respond and come back in this game.”
For the Finns, who have now medaled five times in the last six Games — more than any other country — the game amounted to a storybook sendoff for their iconic forward, Teemu Selanne, 43, who scored two goals and earned his fourth Olympic medal, in his final game for the Suomi.
“I’ve been carrying this jersey with a lot of love and pride and winning this last game like this was a dream come true,” said Selanne, an Anaheim Duck in his stateside life.
Rask, who missed the semifinal loss to Sweden because he was sick with the flu, made 27 saves, and was stellar throughout, one of the best coming when the Americans were awarded the first of their two penalty shots 13:40 into the game, after Kimmo Timonen shot a stick on the ice toward Ryan Kesler, an infraction in international rules.
Patrick Kane tried to beat Rask on the backhand, Rask making a deft skate save near the right post.
GRIGORY DUKOR/REUTERS
Team USA’s goalie Jonathan Quick watches as Finland celebrates another goal.
The scoreless first period was even, but just 87 seconds into the second, Selanne squeezed an artful backhander just inside the near post, and 11 seconds later, the U.S. asleep in the neutral zone, Jori Lehtera slid a centering pass to Jussi Jokinen, who ripped it into a half-open net.
Any will the Americans had seemed to wither in that moment, even more so almost five minutes later, when Kane had a breakaway and his stick was slashed in two by Finn Leo Komarov. Kane had his second penalty shot.
This one beat Rask but hit the right post, popped in the air, into Kane’s right glove. He swatted it away. “You think you’d score at least once,” Kane said.
With the U.S. trailing 2-0 going into the third, its unraveling became complete. There were four mindless penalties, two of them by Kane. Just as the box door was opening, Kane saw Juuso Hietanen beat Quick (24 saves) with a screened blast from the point just over six minutes in, and then after another dumb penalty (T.J. Oshie for interference), Selanne buried No. 2 on a one-timer off a great feed from Mikael Grandlund, who wasn’t born when Selanne started playing for Finland.
Goal No. 5 came from Olli Maatta, a fine young defenseman for Bylsma’s Penguins, on yet another power play, Ryan Suter off for high-sticking. Maatta was alone in front and fired it past a defenseless Quick. He barely celebrated, maybe to spare Bylsma any more angst.
Four years after losing an epic gold-medal game in overtime to the Canadians, Team USA went from steamroller to steamrolled, as a country with 430,000 registered hockey players lost to a country with 60,000 registered hockey players. It was, as Parise said, an ugly comedown after a promising start.
U.S. center Paul Statsny put it well.
“It feels like we played this tournament for nothing,” Statsny said.
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