Most of the talk in MSU’s locker room this week centered around the team’s impending series against Miami (Ohio). But a close second in conversation material has been Olympic hockey, which started its medal round Wednesday.
Many Spartan players are rooting for a United States versus Canada matchup, which won’t happen until Sunday’s gold or bronze medal games - if at all. With 17 American players and 10 Canadians on the MSU roster, national pride would be on the line, should the star-studded U.S. and Canadian teams tangle.
Freshman center Jim Slater said he hopes the neighboring republics square off at some point before the 19th Winter Games conclude - partially because of his rivalry with Canadian roommate Duncan Keith. Slater is from Lapeer and Keith, a freshman defenseman, is from Penticton, British Columbia.
“We have little bets here and there, there’s a lot of fun stuff that goes on,” said Slater, who donned a U.S. jersey at the World Junior Championships about two months ago. “Hopefully, we’ll get to see the U.S. against Canada because that would be a game just like us and Michigan.”
The U.S. team, which beat Germany 5-0 on Wednesday, faces Russia in Friday’s semifinals. Canada met Finland late Wednesday night, and the winner of that game plays Belarus on Friday in the other semifinal. The losers of the semifinal contests play Sunday in the bronze medal game.
Former Spartan standout Mike York is a forward on the U.S. team, becoming the 10th MSU skater to play ice hockey in the Olympics. Other notable Spartans include Rod Brind’Amour (Canada) in 1998 and Kevin Miller, current junior goaltender Ryan Miller’s cousin, who played for the United States in 1988.
Longtime MSU head coach Ron Mason coached all three of those players. He said he picked the host Americans to win the gold before the games started, but doesn’t have a favorite between the United States and Canada. He’s still a Canadian citizen, after being born in Blyth, Ontario, but has lived in the United States since the 1960s.
“I just want a North American team to win it,” Mason said. “If Canada wins it, great. If the U.S. wins, that’s great. I picked the U.S. because a lot of them are college hockey players, but both teams have great players and it will be great hockey.”
Spartan junior defenseman John-Michael Liles, from Zionsville, Ind., played for the red, white and blue while with the Under-18 U.S. National Development Team before coming to MSU. On Wednesday afternoon, he said he wouldn’t miss the United States versus Germany game for the world.
“I think (the Americans) are right where they want to be,” Liles said. “Obviously, I’m rooting for the U.S., but you’d like to see Canada get to the final game as well. It would give the Canadian guys on the team something to root for and it would be kind of neat to have some battles.”
Even with all the rivalry talk, some MSU players, such as senior left wing Joe Goodenow, haven’t even had a chance to check out the international action.
“I’ve been too busy with school and everything,” he said.
But Goodenow has dilemmas other than just trying to find time to watch the games - his loyalties are torn because he has dual citizenship in the United States and Canada. He was born in Detroit, grew up in Toronto, and played juniors for the U.S. Development Team.
“I’m split, I’m evenly divided,” Goodenow said. “I’d vote for a tie.”
Junior forward Troy Ferguson is in the same boat. He, too, has dual citizenship with Canada and the United States and also played for the U.S. Development Team. He is originally from Kitchener, Ontario.
“I’ve got a little partiality toward the U.S. because I played in the development program,” Ferguson said. “The guys are always calling me a traitor and telling me to pick a side, but whoever wins, I’ll root for them.
“I’ll just sit right in the middle and cheer for whoever is winning. The guys will get mad at me, but if either team wins, I win.”
