USA, Canada women collide for gold

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - This women's hockey game shouldn't need a mercy rule.

If you sat through all those blowouts by the United States and Canada, here's your reward: The sport's twin Goliaths will play for the gold medal today (5:30 p.m. MSNBC) to end a tournament they've robbed of all suspense until now.

"I think it is one of the best rivalries in sport, male or female," Canada coach Melody Davidson said.

It's a great rivalry in part because there are no others in this sport. Canada and the United States have won all 3 gold medals in Olympic women's hockey and all 12 world championships. There might not be another event at the Vancouver Games with a bigger gap between silver and bronze.

Figure skating is an established Olympic sport with a wide following, and perhaps women's hockey would be too if every game were like U.S.-Canada. But that's not the case. This year's tournament has been rife with tedious routs, and the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation had to reassure fans the sport would still be around in four years for the Sochi Games. He also suggested there might be a mercy rule then for games that are too one-sided.

There isn't a rule like that this year, so Canada beat Slovakia 18-0. In all, Canada has outscored its four opponents 46-2, and the U.S. has won by a combined 40-2. That dominance fueled talk women's hockey might be in danger of going the way of softball, which was voted out of the Summer Games by the International Olympic Committee in 2005 when it appeared the U.S. had little competition in the sport.

The U.S. didn't even make the gold-medal game in women's hockey at the 2006 Games. The Americans were stunned by Sweden in the semifinals, although when they played in the same round this year, the U.S. won 9-1.

The Americans and Canadians can look forward to their matchup as the perfect showcase for their sport. You won't see it at a higher level than what will be on display today in front of what figures to be a spirited crowd. The U.S. and Canada have split their last eight games against each other at world championships, with two decided by shootouts.

"It is the Stanley Cup Final over and over again," Davidson said. "I think it is great."