USA-Canada hockey game must-see TV for Hawk fans
It won't happen until Sunday when the United States plays Canada in a preliminary round game.
Then it's Blackhawk against Blackhawk at the Olympics.
Patrick Kane has been talking for weeks about trying to beat Duncan Keith 1-on-1, but Brent Seabrook is the guy Kane might need to worry about most.
What if Seabrook has his Hawks teammate lined up for a hit?
"Seabrook is always telling me keep my head up," Kane said.
Maybe the check wouldn't be bone-jarring, but Seabrook promised he would hit Kane if the situation called for it.
Keith said he would do the same thing, although Keith, always the man of common sense, admitted he wouldn't hit Kane the way he might Henrik Zetterberg.
"Obviously everybody has to play hard," Keith said. "You can't be taking anything lightly out there, but at the same time I've got to realize he's on our team and you don't want to see anybody get hurt.
"Hockey is a fast game, the puck moves fast, the pace is fast and things happen out there, but having said that you're still pretty in control and aware of what's going on."
With Kane expected to skate on the Americans' top line and Keith and Seabrook likely to be Canada coach Mike Babcock's shutdown defensive pair, there is a good chance they will be on the ice together for most shifts.
"Keith is one of those guys, you can't beat him," Kane said. "He knows all my moves and he knows exactly what I'm going to do on the ice. Hopefully I have a few tricks up my sleeve I can use against them."
"He's got too many moves to memorize," Keith said. "He's pretty skilled so I have to be on my toes."
Kane has been doing most of the chirping leading up to the Olympic Games, obviously knowing the Canadians are heavily favored to win the gold medal.
"Kane likes to run his mouth a little bit, but we'll see what happens," Seabrook said.
Hawks coach Joel Quenneville and those players not going to the Olympics plan to be watching wherever they are spending the break.
"I'll root for all our players and maybe be a little biased towards Canada," said Quenneville, a Canadian. "You've got to like the Canadians' chances. They're strong and deep and they're in their homeland. There's a lot at stake, maybe a little more pressure than most years, but you've got to love their team."
Troy Brouwer, a Blackhawk from British Columbia, left no doubt about which team he will be rooting for.
"I'm a proud Canadian and I'm going to be cheering for Canada, but I have friends on different teams and I'm going to cheer for them individually," Brouwer said. "There's quite a bit of pressure on Canada, but they're all professionals and they've all had to deal with it in the past. They'll be fine."
Adam Burish, who will be rehabbing his knee over the break back home in Madison, Wis., will be watching the tournament through his red, white and blue glasses.
"I'll watch it, but I won't cheer for the Canadians though," Burish joked. "I think the U.S. has a shot (to medal)."