Canada vs. USA Rivalry Documentary Review
by Chris Morris
Engraved on a Nation: On the Line 2019
*”Engraved on a Nation” is TSN’s version of “30 for 30”
*about the rivalry between Team Canada and Team USA in Women’s Hockey, mostly at the Olympics, from 1998 to 2018
*I remember when this rivalry started, Canada was dominant for years and people doubted if Women’s Hockey should be in the Olympics if there was really only one good team, then USA won in 1998 Nagano and everything changed after that…
*I remember watching that Gold medal game, if I remember correctly I had to get up at 3am or something like that to watch it then being heartbroken when Canada lost…I was hooked on Women’s Hockey though and have been watching all those other games since…
*Team USA had their “Wolf pack” mantra…Team Canada had “B*tches never win” mantra…
*anyway, like they said in the doc, it was actually the best thing that could have happened to Women’s Hockey for the US to win as it gave the game tons of exposure they wouldn’t have gotten if Canada had won…
*again, as they say in the doc, Americans don’t celebrate losers, only winners…
*but then Canada goes to to win the next few Olympics (after the teams go back and forth with the IIHF World Championships every year), then USA wins the latest round in 2018, the 20 year anniversary of Nagano…
*I was today years old when I learned that the whole “Team USA walked over the Canadian flag in their dressing room” story was made up…had no idea…but it worked as motivation didn’t it?
*was curious why they brought up 9/11 but then it makes sense…also cool that it turns out the Canadians reached out to the Americans after even though they “hated each other” and also that the Americans appreciated it…
*great seeing them talk to Caroline Oullette, Cassie Campbell then later telling the story of Marie-Philip Poulin’s rise to being Canada’s next captain…
*had no idea Team USA had twins…I knew they were sisters but didn’t know they were twins…I don’t pay much attention to Team USA apparently…they are the enemy after all…
*great doc but I would have loved a longer piece, even a TV series, about this subject…watching this just as the 2021 Women’s IIHF World Championships are getting going so I’m pumped for the game tonight (Canada vs. Russia, er, ROC)
*Go Canada Go!