Angela stands tall

Soon to be four-time Olympian Angela Ruggiero is the defensive stalwart on a Team USA that has just lost their 5th straight game to arch rival Canada, and she is postively brimming. Canada and the U.S., the women's hockey superpowers reminiscent of the Canada-Soviet rivalry of the 1970's and 80's, are playing their once-every-four years game of cat and mouse, possum, or rope-a-dope, depending on your viewpoint. History tells us that you don't want to be the favorite going into the Winter Games, and that burden has gone to Canada. Hence, Angela's joy. We caught up with the author/pioneer/Apprentice at Team USA's recent tour stop Hamden, CT, two days after their shootout loss to Canada in Ottawa.

"I couldn’t be in a happier position for these Games. I mean, we are poised in every sense of the word. We have such good talent. We haven’t been winning, but to be honest, we’ve gotten better every game. We’ve generated a lot of momentum. We have a lot of confidence in ourselves, and so the fact that we’re not winning, just puts all that pressure right back on Canada’s shoulders. And they were starting to say that they we're the underdogs back in September, but not anymore, they’re the favorites now. That coupled with the fact that they’re hosting, it’s their national sport, they’re defending Olympic gold medallists, I can just keep going on and on."

TR "It sounds like you're describing yourself in 2002"

Angela: "It’s tough, I was in those shoes, I remember it. You got to that middle of the (gold medal) game and you start sensing it ‘ We have to win this game.’ And when your thinking mentally ‘you have to win’ which inevitably they’re going to be thinking, I know that, it’s tough just to play. So that’s the challenge, and they know that. Obviously we just have to concentrate on ourselves at this point. I’m excited for the next month and a half because we have to fight and hit our peak, and we’re going to hit it in February, I just know it."

Prior to the 2002 Winter Games, USA had beaten Canada 8 times in a row, and Canada's hockey media was beside itself. Up stepped Hayley Wickenheiser, fearless and unblinking before the hot lights. She never faltered in her comments that all the pressure was on the U.S. hosts, and that those eight losses were merely exhibitions. Ruggiero is channeling Wick from 8 years prior, and based on the quote from Hamden, doing a powerful job.

The next time womens hockey fans get to see the exquisite battle of Wickenheiser and Ruggiero will be in the 2010 Gold medal game at GM place. Even casual fans should enjoy that showdown.