Ice hockey-Canada eye legacy, United States seek revenge in gold-medal clash for the ages

MILAN, Feb 21 : Canada and the United States open a fresh chapter in their epic Olympic rivalry in Milan on Sunday, facing off in a heaven-sent gold-medal game that North American fans were praying for in the men's ice hockey tournament.

The National Hockey League could scarcely have written a better script when they agreed to send their players back to the Games for the first time in 12 years, with the world's foremost ice hockey powerhouse nations facing off with their all-NHL rosters.

For Canada, the final represents a chance to underline their legacy and bring home a 10th gold to the country that originated the sport and regards it as a national religion. 

For the United States, it offers a chance at revenge, 16 years after Canada denied them the top of the podium in overtime heartbreak and 46 years since they last claimed Olympic gold.

"NHL players have not had the ability to play in the Olympics since 2014, that's 12 years. Some of these kids were in diapers then," Canada coach Jon Cooper said, referring to the Sochi Games.

“They’ve never been part of this. There is so much pride. The hockey has been so great and so close. That’s why the Olympics are unique. There is nothing like it in the world."

GOLD MEDAL IS 'EVERYTHING' IN HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT

Both teams confidently marched through the group stage, providing little intrigue in what at first appeared to be an inevitable trip to the championship game.

That narrative got obliterated in the quarter-finals, where each team faced a major overtime test that nearly derailed their respective campaigns, as Canada clawed back from a deficit against the Czech Republic and the United States kept their cool after Sweden netted the equaliser with just 91 seconds in regulation.

Their paths