1. "Theme from Dukes of Hazzard" by Waylon Jennings (just because)

2. "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood ('cause there ain't no doubt I love this land)

3. "Bodies" by Drowning Pool (just because there's NOTHING wrong with me)

4. "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" by Toby Keith (because putting a metaphorical boot in Canada's ass IS the American way)

I just hoped they would do well and gain experience for the future, but they came together quicker than I thought they could and I became more emotionally invested than I thought I'd be at the beginning of the tournament.

On the CTV broadcast of the game the announcers were talking about the incredible history and experience of the Finnish team and how in the future they would look very different, with younger players like Filppula and Mikko Koivu leading, and their assessment was that the Finns waited too long to make the transition while the Americans did not.

It can't have been an easy choice for the US staff to make, but it turned out to be the correct one.

I love how this team has been charging ahead like crazy every game – several of the Finnish players said after the game they knew the US team would come out hard, but they never thought they would come out THAT fast and were overwhelmed early. A couple of US players afterwards when asked about relaxing with a big lead claimed that they didn't think about that for long, because they wanted to be sure to keep playing well and keep getting better so they wouldn't have a drop off for the next game.

As soon as the Slovaks scored, I thought that the Canadians did not do a smart thing in letting up – because if anyone knows about blowing two and three goal leads, it's the Red Wings management. 😀

And go Finland for the bronze – but beware the offensive power of Kopecky, striking when least expected.

Moreso, I want the Americans to win because they've had the right workmanlike attitude since the start of the tournament. They came together as a team and, even in the first two games when they didn't look particularly in synch, they haven't forgotten that it's a team sport and none of them are bigger than the whole.

I'm sorry and I know this is at least partially a reflection on Babcock, but when things weren't going well for the Canadians, at any given time they'd have a group of five individuals out there all trying to carry his team at once. Last night was a much better team game for them, but there was a fair bit of energy missing. If the Canadians come out against the Americans like they did against the Slovaks, they're going to get killed.

GO USA!