TORONTO - Some of the 937 days of the calendar is removed from the gold-drenched day in Sochi in 2014, but on a Saturday night, it was as if none of them took place at all, as these Olympics.
It Was Sidney Crosby, zooming in on a breakaway in the opening minute of the game, and again checking to prevent another.
Was Carey Price, running his shutout streak to 224 minutes and 19 seconds in the international competition for the best of the best from this nail-biting quarterfinal victory over Latvia.
Was the Canadian team, the Czech team pounding into submission with wave after wave of attacks. For Team Canada Hockey Jersey, near flawless 6-0 win to open the World Cup 2016 hockey over the overmatched Czechs simply picking up right where they left off in 2014.
There was not even a hint of nervous energy inside the Air Canada Centre.
Total world domination? Ho-hum. Nothing to see here, move along.
Michal Neuvirth made a staggering 44 saves and the Czechs still lost a touchdown. Canada's 50 shots on net are the second most by any team in a single game in the history of the world cup of hockey.
"I think that we were ready to play," she said Czech assistant coach Vinny slept. "But after the first goal, it almost felt like we stopped playing and began to make bad plays, and they filled our network."
They filled a network of tour de force from Crosby, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, who packed three goals and seven points in a little more than 12 minutes of work. This setting is the line of each of Canada's first four goals, paving the way for the defeat.
Their performance under the guidance of one foreign language reporter to read the stat line after the game, Crosby before gushingly Crosby ask: "Are you sure that you are a man"
Crosby played superhuman at times, batting the puck out of the air space, creating a play out of nothing. When Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup freshly etched his name was not enough, the knife on Saturday night made it clear that all previous reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated.
"He's the best player in the world, and he dominated today," said Brent Burns. "This line was great, they honk, they worked. Not only offensively, but defensively, too."
Canada is made up to the last detail, with Babcock and his coaching staff manipulating matches at the end of the first period, to squeeze every last drop of buzzing Crosby attacks. Crosby led there, its length shift is shorter than any other player.
Babcock said Team Canada noted that the third line in the Czech Republic has remained on the ice just a little too long. This allowed Bergeron found the top corner with just 0.7 seconds remaining before intermission.
"We managed to double in the third block there twice, and both times we scored (against the line)," said Babcock. "It worked out well for us."
General skills left many, including former US standout Modan, who stood a chance against Canada. Other American alum Brett Hull and Jeremy Roenick went on traditional and social media, to cut the US Team in "awkward" walk.
Modano wrote on Twitter that the organizers should simply convey Canada World Cup now and allow NHL players still get a full training camp. Even the Czech contingent left scratching their heads about what it would take to defeat Canada.
"I think it would be a good start to the goal," Czech striker Voracek said, shaking his head.
Team Canada did not allow the goal against almost four international games.
Despite all the talk about a possible lifting of the US team to even paid with Hockey Canada, in stark juxtaposition Saturday just a few hours of each other on the same rink served as a reminder of the Gulf which remains.
Do not tell that Babcock.
"You know, I was in a number of these events, and the team that loses today, as a rule, it is better tomorrow and the team that wins today, as a rule, gets a little fatter tomorrow," Babcock said. "The most important thing to do is just to live scared and a better tomorrow."
It is a scary thought for the US team to win or go home showdown on Tuesday.
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