GANGNEUNG, South Korea — It was a game for Cold War nostalgia and present-day geopolitical angst, for feisty, post-whistle scraps in the corners and for cheap jokes on Twitter. It was a game drenched in history at the start and simmering with ill feeling at the end. It was a game for wild flag-waving and raucous chanting.
It was even a game for competitive hockey, even if the scoreboard suggested a beatdown. The American men were fast, physical and relentless. They outshot the Olympic athletes from Russia 29-26. But they are a band of college kids, minor-leaguers and former NHL players.