Invaluable experience for Toews, Kane

One by one, the young men stepped forward and reluctantly accepted their silver medals.

And the faces of the U.S. hockey players said it all.

They were paid precisely nothing to go to Vancouver, but they paid a price with their hearts and they were in pain Sunday after losing to Canada.

Many looked like they wanted to cry, and some did.

An amazing athletic moment to be remembered and cherished.

You have to love these guys, and you have to love the NHL in the Olympics.

There are arguments against sending the NHL to Sochi, Russia, in 2014, and there's no answer for the time-zone issue.

And I don't care.

These are the best games you'll ever see, and to think the NHL boss Gary Bettman would stop these tournaments from going forward is unimaginable.

To think we might not have seen Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in these Winter Games, well, it's unthinkable.

Among so many all-stars and Hall of Famers, Toews and Kane stood tall.

Their development as players was a gift, one which they should not be denied in Olympic competition.

There have been grand predictions about what this fervent fortnight does for the NHL, and grandiose statements about what it means for a league always searching to find its place in North America.

Whether or not it's a great advertisement for the NHL - and many GMs think that idea is ridiculously overblown - it's a hockey fan's dream to see the best of the best facing off, and in this case for nothing more than national pride.

For the love of Ted Bulley and all that's holy, what a tournament it was in Vancouver.

As difficult an ending as it was for the Americans, it was appropriate to see the Canadian players, arm in arm, bellowing their national anthem after winning in front of their home fans.

Enemies a few weeks ago, players hugged each other like brothers, perhaps wishing their NHL season did not begin again so soon, when enemies they will be again.

It was fitting that Sidney Crosby, who entered the tourney as the best of the Canadian great ones, got the Olympic winner.

For all the lightning-fast speed and violent collisions, what makes hockey so great is often the subtlety, and after all the end-to-end action and mind-blowing plays, it was a simple dish from Jarome Iginla while getting drilled in traffic that set the stage.

Crosby called for the puck, slipped into a small opening, and before Ryan Miller could set himself, before Crosby even lifted his head, he was firing the puck home for the gold.

A sweet victory in Canada, a bitter defeat in America, and the end of a spectacular tournament.

In the process, the world learned some things about a few Blackhawks, while Kane may have learned something about himself.

Kane used his speed to become not just an offensive factor in Vancouver but also a great defensive forward, and he was a big reason the U.S. got to the final game and nearly won it.

Imagine if he had been deprived of this invaluable lesson, learning that he could win games with his head and legs, even when the opposition takes away his offense - wisdom that benefits the Hawks immensely and immediately.

Kane was terrific, he has no reason to be ashamed, and he will be a better player for this experience.

Duncan Keith logged heavy minutes and probably set the stage for a heavy Norris Trophy campaign, and Toews, well, his performance should surprise no one.

While Kane grew exponentially as a player the last 14 days, adding two years of genius in two weeks, the legend of Toews grew exponentially as well.

As good a two-way forward as there is in the game, he was as good as any Canadian in the tourney, maybe the best of them all.

He did what he always does, sacrificing personal glory for the team, doing the dirty work, going into the difficult areas, saving his team when others wouldn't.

He opened eyes not just around the NHL, but also in Chicago, where too often he is overshadowed by his flashier teammates.

Rest assured, by the way, that it matters not a bit to Toews that this is the case.

As for Team USA, it was just that, a team, less talented than Canada, but possessing great heart and great goaltending.

Canada somehow managed to overcome the opposite, a ton of talent that had trouble meshing, and weak goaltending, making it possible for the U.S. to sniff gold.

It was just that close for the Americans, who will not get over this defeat any time soon, the mark of true hockey players who think of the jersey above all else.

I will remember the forlorn looks on the faces of the young Americans as they got their medals.

And I will hope the NHL gives them a chance four years from now to smile.

brozner@dailyherald.com