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| Dan Bylsma will be coaching the U.S. Olympic hockey team next year in Sochi, Russia. Courtesy of wikipedia.com |
It's an interesting choice in that Bylsma has no experience beyond the North American professional ranks. He certainly has done a good job with the Penguins, having guided them to one Stanley Cup title and this year's Eastern Conference Finals. But, can he replicate that level of success in a situation where he will only have short, disconnected amounts of time to work with the best American players before being plopped down in Russia for two weeks of intense hockey?
What will also be interesting is if the U.S. plays against Canada or Russia at the Olympics, given that Bylsma's best players from the Penguins are Sydney Crosby (Canada) and Evgeni Malkin (Russia). Bylsma must know their strengths and weaknesses, but Crosby and Malkin must also know what Bylsma's strengths and weaknesses are. The chess match between Bylsma and the players he coaches in Pittsburgh will be fascinating.
Of course, there is the possibility we won't see that chess match play out. The NHL still hasn't officially announced that it will allow its players to participate in next year's Olympics, although you'd have to believe the league would be crazy not to allow it. To deny hockey fans the opportunity to see Crosby, Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane and other top-of-the-line NHL players compete for national glory would be a horrendous choice for a league that had its most recent regular season cut in half by an unnecessary lockout.
Regardless of who he gets to work with, Bylsma must prepare his U.S. players well in order to medal in Sochi. America hasn't won an Olympic men's hockey medal outside of North America since 1972. Maybe the U.S. can build off its silver medal from Vancouver in 2010, but it won't be easy with Canada, Russia, Sweden and Finland in the mix.
Good luck, Dan Bylsma.
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