Yes, Team USA has more on the line come Tuesday, but they’d be foolish to expect an indifferent opponent in Canada.
Nope, after that nasty first exhibition game, Jonathan Toews indicated that Canada will bring plenty of passion to Tuesday’s contest as well.
“I think there’s going to be some bad blood out there, for sure,” Toews said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Lazerus. “We can expect that.”
Mike Babcock believes Canada will face a hungry U.S. team and anticipates a game that will be “a lot of fun.” (Granted, that could end up being a rather twisted definition for what you’d consider “fun.”)
“We expect their best,” Logan Couture said, via ESPN’s Joe MacDonald.
While Canada drew at least some measure of revenge in beating the United States a day after that especially nasty warm-up happened, players such as Sidney Crosby didn’t suit up in that second game. This game - with more key players in the lineup and far more on the line - is the real opportunity for Canada to get revenge for some of the borderline hits that happened before.
Toews believes that there will be bad blood, and considering the hostilities between the two sides, there also might be literal blood spilled on the ice.
For some fans and players, that could indeed be a good time.