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Five quotes from Canada’s 1-0 win over the U.S.

Jamie Benn

Jamie Benn of Canada celebrates his goal against the United States in second period of the men’s semifinal ice hockey game at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. Canada defeated the United States 1-0. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld)

AP

“We capitalized on that one chance. I think both goalies were definitely the stars of the game.” -- Rick Nash

Hands up if you predicted Jay Bouwmeester would start the key offensive play today. Just a perfect pass to Jamie Benn for the tip home. Jonathan Quick couldn’t be faulted on that one, and was otherwise brilliant in stopping 36 of the 37 Canadian shots. Meanwhile, Carey Price stopped all 31 shots he faced, earning a shutout in the biggest game he’s ever played.

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“I’m just trying to make my way to the dressing room here.” -- Jamie Benn

In response to a question about what was going through his mind after scoring such a huge goal. Not surprisingly, there were one or two cameras and microphones in Benn’s face once he got off the ice and entered the media gauntlet. Only 24 years old, it’s fair to assume the Dallas Stars winger has never received so much attention. Remember when he wasn’t even selected to Team Canada’s summer orientation camp?

“It wasn’t that good a game. It was a sleeper, one nothing. Couldn’t really generate anything, they couldn’t generate anything.” -- Ryan Kesler

Many will disagree, given the quality of the hockey we saw today. But, in fairness, Kesler was responding to the assertion that it was a “great” game. And let’s be honest, it wasn’t an all-timer. Besides, has anyone lost bigger games than Kesler since 2010? An Olympic gold-medal final. Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Now another disappointment. Imagine the frustration.

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“I think it was a good game. Two good teams out there that were skating well. Didn’t give up a whole lot of chances on both sides. I think that’s a sign of well-coached teams, good skaters, smart hockey players.” -- Patrick Sharp

The perspective from the winning side. Even though they didn’t fill the net (again), this was the kind of game the Canadians wanted to play. Tough defensively, fast, and with minimal mistakes. Yes, the Americans had their chances to beat Price, but you could probably count the number of those on one hand.

“It seems like we had a tough time sustaining any pressure in their end. They outnumbered us in their zone, came up with it quick and, as we expected, they were quick on transition.” -- Ryan Callahan

In a related story, Canada’s blue line is the best in the tournament. The only team that comes close to matching it is Sweden, and -- hey, wouldn’t you know it -- the Swedes are in the gold-medal game, too. Duncan Keith and Drew Doughty don’t have Stanley Cup rings and gold medals by accident. These guys are unbelievable puck movers who set the pace and rarely make mistakes. When a team’s got those two playing over 20 minutes, and it’s also got Shea Weber and Alex Pietrangelo playing over 20 minutes, well, Callahan’s quote says it all.

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