Daughters of Title IX

Angelic Assassins

It is the best rivalry in women's team sports, by far.  Thanks to Title IX, the NCAA and the Olympic Winter Games, Canada and USA women's hockey national teams blows the doors off any other team rivalry.  In the history of women's hockey there have 21 combined Gold Medal Games at the World Championships and Olympic tournaments. 20 have been fought as USA - Canada border wars. The competitive balance is razor thin:  there have been 10 World Championships contested since 2000; Canada and the U.S. have each won each won 5 golds and 5 silvers.  They are on a crash course for yet another Gold Medal showdown at the Sochi Olympics next February.

What makes elevates this rivalry is that the two teams are mirror images of each other.  Nearly every player on both squads attended NCAA schools, and many of these rivals were college teammates, some have been roommates.  It's almost reminiscent of Civil War lore in which family members and West Point classmates found themselves battling against each other. These hockey women appear to be in a warring state when they play: pounding bodies into the boards, flying down the ice and slamming pucks toward each other at breakneck speed.  In the classroom these Daughters of Title IX might be chasing post graduate degrees at the best universities in America, but on the ice they are warriors. The only drawback of this rivalry is that it is only recognized once every four years.  Their brilliant World Championship and 4-Nations matches remain a well-kept secret to all except for a tiny group of fans.

One of the casualties of the unfortunate National Hockey League work stoppage this season was the absence of the wildly popular outdoor game, the Winter Classic, and the accompanying HBO TV series that precedes it, "24-7."  Many hockey viewers enjoy the masterful story-telling in 24-7 as much as the live game broadcast.  The time is right for a 24-7 type of program to focus on the Canada-USA women's hockey rivalry leading up to the Sochi.  Their 6 preliminary games, 3 in each country, would be perfect filming opportunities as their rivalry heats up to a fevered pitch with the Olympics in sight.

USA takes Gold on Canadian soil, ratcheting up the Olympic tension

There's never been a better time to get women's team sports in the spotlight than this time prior to the Olympic Games, and there's never been a better vehicle than 24-7.  

History in Ottawa

It's hard to imagine that there's any new ground to cover in with USA-Canada women's hockey.  What's to know? They show up every year in the World Championship GMG (Gold Medal Game), they are the only nations to have won Olympic gold, and both teams are spawned through high octane national programs and NCAA scholarships.  But there are historic firsts to report:

1) USA defeated Team Canada Tuesday for their fourth World Championship in five years, their FIRST on Canadian soil.  If you don't think that's a big deal, you didn't see the puddle of tears at the ScotiaBank Centre in Ottawa at the home team's blue line as the Star Spangled Banner played during the ceremonial hoisting of the victorious nation's team flags.  Never before have American hockey women celebrated gold in Canada, and it hurt. A lot.

Bitter Pill

2) Although Team USA has participated in the Winter Games since the 1990's, Sochi 2014 will see the first women's Olympic hockey coach for the Yanks.  It took them 16 years, but Katey Stone will be the first.  Judging from her team's performance in Ottawa, she is the right choice. Harvard's varsity coach for last 19 seasons has just taken a 5-ring sabbatical, turning her program over to assistant Maura Crowell.  USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean has always been a beacon of enlightened thinking when it comes to the often chauvinistic thinking that envelopes the hockey world.  He has been advocating for women's hockey since hosting the 1994 World Championships in Lake Placid, and he played a major role in the hiring of Stone.  He shared a lot of hugs in Ottawa Tuesday night as he handed out gold medals and bouquets, but his longest and most resonant hug was saved for coach Stone. She is the last Pioneer in this sport, and he is her facilitator.  Together, along with Team USA, they have passed their first test with flying colors.  They are now the favorites to win their second gold in their history in Sochi.  Watching Stone walk down the victorious post-game blue line and warmly hug each player with a helping helping of maternal love is something unique for the Yanks, and can only be deemed positive.

The Last Pioneer

3) The best women's player in the World, torch passed. It's official, for anyone within shouting distance of the Scotia Bank Center Tuesday night, Amanda Kessel has wrested the torch of greatest women's player from Hayley Wickenheiser.  With the game tied 2-2 early in the third period, Kessel stormed down the right wing and WIRED a wrist shot past Canada's superb goalie Shannon Szabados.  The lightning bolt proved to be the GWG in the GMG, an cherry on the sundae that includes an undefeated NCAA season for her Minnesota Gophers, a national scoring title, an NCAA gold and the Kazmaier award as the U.S. college player of the year.  And unlike big brother Phil, she is delightful.
Wickenheiser got plenty of ice time during crunchtime, but was largely ineffective.  She generated several shots, but all from poor angles and rarely threatening.  She looked positively miserable accepting the Silver medal IIHF trophy, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  The passion still burns bright, but the eyes are hollow.

 

Kessel (#28) Number ONE with a Bullet

Russia beats Finland to win the bronze.  For the team hosting the Winter Games, this will clearly spark interest. Remember this name: Nadezhda Alexandrova.  She is the Russian goalie who out-dueled superstar counterpart Nora Raty of Finland 2-0 to capture their first WC medal since their 2001 bronze. Alexandrova got the Directorate award as the top goalie in the WC, ahead of 3 amazing goalies: Raty, Szabados and US's Jesse Vetter.  The Russian team is managed by household name Alexie Yashin, and their squad is positively brimming 10 months prior to Sochi.  Having Russia on the medal podium can only spell good things for women's hockey.

Alexandrova Foils the Finns

A refreshed batch of story lines for a sport that might need some juice if it is to endure as an Olympic sport.  Having Russian fans fill the 7000 seats in the Shayba Arena next February will go a long way to preserving women's hockey as an Olympic sport.