USA 6, Canada 5

If you followed my tweets of last night's game, you noticed that there was something about this team that I didn't like. I couldn't quite put my thumb on it beforehand, but the way that the Canadian Junior Team conducted itself turned me off. As the game progressed, I understood what annoyed me: There was an arrogance to this group and they played like a team that felt it could win on talent alone.

Understand that this was a very talented team. It wouldn't surprise me if it produced multiple NHL All-Stars. But it wasn't nearly as talented as the team in 2005. With the NHL lockout in effect, every available junior prospect played. The result was a team featuring Sidney Crosby, Dion Phaneuf, Ryan Getzlaf, Patrice Bergeron, Jeff Carter, Cam Barker and Corey Perry that rolled through the tournament winning every game by at least two goals, culminating with a 6-1 win over Russia - the Russian team featured Ovechkin and Malkin and neither scored in the final. This team had just one plan: Attack, attack, attack. They didn't a Plan B because they didn't need one.

Conversely, this team didn't face the adversity of the '07 or '08 editions. The boys in '07 survived the agonizing shootout with the Americans in the semi-final which featured the famously weird shootout rules (any shooter was able to reshoot after the first three had shot and could reshoot again provided there was a one player gap) only finishing after Jonathan Toews' third goal. That team went on from the brink of disaster to a 4-2 win over Russia, storming in front 4-0 before packing it in.

The '08 team actually lost a preliminary game, the first Canada regained the gold in '05. In a back and forth contest against Sweden, the Swedes scored with just seven seconds to play to upset the three-time defending champions. Rather than fall to pieces, Canada went on to win every game remaining including an overtime rematch with Sweden in final.

Even last year's team had to come from behind the in semi-final, with Eberle scoring late to force overtime against the Russians. They ultimately won in a shootout and followed it up with a dominant 5-1 win over Sweden in the final.

In comparison, this year's team only faced adversity in the group stage game against the Americans. The New Year's Eve clash saw Canada completely outplayed for most of the game, surrender two shorthanded goals (though it was effective three) and only wake up with minutes to play in the third period when they were down two. In no other game were the Canadians even close to being challenged, with all the the hockey powers on the other side of the draw.

Having not been challenged, Canada was never forced to make in-game changes. This was reinforced last night after Alex Pietrangelo was assessed a ten minute hitting from behind major and Jordan Caron was later sent to the box for slashing. Neither play was particularly flagrant from an NHL/CHL standard but the referees last night weren't calling a game by our standards; it was called based on IIHF rules. Rather than adjust their style of play, the Canadians continued as they always had. Rather then changing goaltenders after the third goal (like the Americans) or even the fourth, Head Coach Willie Desjardins waited until his team was down 5-3 with less than 15 minutes to play to remove the shell-shocked Jake Allen. And most egregious, rather than remembering that the Americans had scored numerous times on the odd-man rush Canada continued to put themselves into situations that would result in one, which in the end cost them the game.

What annoyed most me was the arrogance that Canada brought to the rink last night and practically every night of this tournament. Not once did this supremely talented team bring its A-Game. Not once did they truly play 60 minutes as a team. And not once did they respect their opponents (specifically the Americans) enough into game-planning for them. Rather they played the same, individual based game every night. It seemed to me that these players and this coaching staff was so assured in victory that they forgot to have a Plan B. Only in the two outings against the United States when Canada was already down two goals did they play as a team. On New Year's they were able to score a miraculous short-handed goal late and then hold Team USA to just one shot in overtime. Last night, Jordan Eberle put the team on his back in the third period only to beat by the counter-attacking that had done them in both games.

As a Canadian, I wanted Canada to win last night. But as a hockey fan I would have been disappointed had they won with the effort that they gave. The Duke of Wellington once said of his famous victory at Waterloo, "The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton." To extend this analogy, the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championship was lost at the Team Canada Training Camp. The whole team, from the top down, was so assured in their triumph that they failed to make any adjustments even when absolutely necessary.