OLYMPIC ICE HOCKEY

I got up at 5.00am this morning to watch the Canada-U.S.A. round-robin tie. Big brother versus little brother in one of the few settings in which Canada is big brother. 18,000 Canadians roaring the home side on. Some of the world's best players in action.

What a match! The game was played at 100mph, with some brutal, albeit fair, checking. And the underdog Americans won 5-3, deservedly in my view. It helps if you score after only 41 seconds. But although the Canadians had the more shots, they didn't hustle quite as much, and their big guns didn't seem to work together as well. Canada's superstar Sid "the Kid" Crosby had a quiet game, despite scoring a goal.

In the end, the main difference was between the goaltenders. Canada's 37-year old Martin Brodeur, gold-medal winner in Salt Lake City and also the goalie in Torino, had an off night by his normal standards. The U.S.A.'s Ryan Miller, on the other hand, played out of his skin.

With Russia and unfancied defending champions Sweden also automatically through to the quarter finals, the tournament is beginning to hot up. Any one of five or six teams could win it.

Walter Blotscher