The weekend full of men’s hockey has finally concluded and the bracket for the Olympic Elimination Round has been set. Both Canada and USA finished undefeated, the only two teams to do so, and none of their games were really ever in doubt.

The most interesting part of this entire tournament will come on Wednesday as it seems almost certain that the American’s will need to get through Sweden in the quarterfinals. Now look, there was no way for Canada/USA to matchup in the gold-medal game without going through Finland and Sweden, but for the USA needing to do it in the quarters seems worrisome. The USA have not had a true scare through the preliminary round, but unlike Canada they also haven’t looked as dominate as people would expect. On Sunday we saw Matthews start to come alive which is something the states desperately need. On the flip side, Sweden is in this spot because they have been very unimpressive. They lost to Finland, and it wasn’t close, they struggled to score against Italy too. Coming into this tournament, Sweden was rightly billed as the third best team, just barely below the Canada/USA tier. However, as the tournament has progressed, Sweden has not performed even close to the level everyone thought they would. Still, if I am rooting for the Americans, I am very worried about the prospect of playing Sweden. Sweden has enough NHL talent to score with the US. They are also the only team that boasts a blue-line comparable to the United States. Karlsson, Dahlin, and Hedman on the right side is hard to match up against. At the end of the day, the United States should win that game, but it is looking like the only game that will cause a scare into everyone’s dream gold medal matchup.

As for Canada, their path would see them play Czechia in the quarters and Finland in the semi’s. This of course is pending there are no upsets. No one really seems to be in the same ballpark as Canada, so it likely doesn’t matter who they end up playing until the final game of the tournament. For Canadian fans, that doesn’t mean there isn’t reason to worry. Outside of potentially playing Finland, there is a chance that Canada is never truly tested until they meet the United States in the finals. If that’s the case, you could argue that United States will be more ready to play the Canadians by having a challenging matchup against the Swede’s. If Canada takes a period to get up to speed against the States, could that derail their chances to capture gold? Whichever way this thing happens to unfold, it is going to be incredible to watch.

Now, I have pointed out the one potential chink in the Canadian’s armor. That one “issue” stems from them being too good. So good that they may never face a real challenge until the finals. If that’s the case, it is conceivable that they won’t be ready at puck drop in the gold medal game. There is a gigantic caveat in that entire thought process though. Team Canada’s captain is the all-time leading NHL scorer in the Olympic games. Not only that, but he is a habitual winner. I can’t guarantee McDavid will be ready for a gold medal game; history tells us that he almost certainly won’t be. Macklin Celebrini is 19 years old, he too could not be ready at the start of the game. Crosby on the other hand? Everyone knows that not only will he be ready, but he will also likely step on the throats of any team in his way at a third gold medal.

Through the preliminary rounds, Crosby has six points in three games. He has registered a point in all three games. He has also not been on the ice for a goal against. He is 38 years old. What he does on a daily basis is simply not normal. He’s tied for second in points for the entire tournament. Unlike the leading scoring of the tournament, McDavid, Crosby is not playing with Celebrini nor is his line getting loaded up with MacKinnon at times. Crosby doesn’t need his line to get a boost because he provides that boost all on his own. Mark Stone may very well be the slowest player on the ice, but Crosby is making it work. His other linemate Mitch Marner is more known for his passing, leaving the entire line completely devoid of a natural finisher yet Crosby makes it work. McDavid requires other generational talents surrounding him to produce, Crosby would figure out how to get it done if you handed him the kids from the Mighty Ducks.

The American’s have no one that can match the intangible’s that Sidney Crosby can bestow upon his team. Matthews may be coming to life, but he certainly isn’t known for showing up in big games. The closest American version of Crosby is his former protege, Jake Guentzel. Jake may have learned from Sid, and regularly shines when the lights are the brightest, but he is no Sidney Crosby. The captain for Canada is the entire reason that Canada will likely dispose of the American’s this coming Sunday, let’s just hope the American’s don’t falter beforehand. Imagine the scenes if Crosby recreates history and scores another golden goal.