For much of the 2010 Winter Olympics, there has been a North-America-against-the-world vibe.

Canadian fans have carried "Go North America" signs to venues, cheered wildly when Americans were in medal contention and have started or joined in chants of "U-S-A! U-S-A!"

U.S. athletes have called Vancouver their "home away from home."

"I think the Americans and Canadians were rooting for each other's teams a little bit, and that's a special memory for me," said Billy Demong, the first American to win a medal in the Nordic combined.

The North American love has produced some tender moments.

That ends today when Canada and the United States face off for the gold medal in men's hockey.

Canadians, who almost seem embarrassed to show national pride, don't mess around when it comes to their national sport.

As Michael J. Fox says in a Winter Olympics commercial, "For Canadians, hockey isn't just a game, it's our game."

Here, every kid wants to be Sid the Kid.

"Hockey is not a sport in Canada; it's a cult, it's a religion," U.S. general manager Brian Burke said.

The North American brothers and sisters can go back to holding hands Monday.

"Canada's been looking forward to this for what, eight years, since they announced that the Olympics would be on their home soil?" U.S. goalie Ryan Miller said after Saturday's practice. "Whatever happens is going to be remembered here for a long time."

Canada entered this tournament with a decisive 10-2-3 edge on the United States in Olympic hockey games.

There is much talk about payback for the U.S. loss to Canada in the gold-medal game in Salt Lake City in 2002. Sell it all you want, but it's just not that important to most of the United States. It is everything to Canadians.

This is the most anticipated event in Canadian sports history, with Nos. 2 and 3 on the list being Canada's games against the United States and Russia earlier in these Games.

"Here's an opportunity of a lifetime and you want to make good on it," Canada coach Mike Babcock said. "That's what everyone came to these Olympics for."

Like most of the players, Babcock compared today's game to a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. He has coached in three of those, and says the pressure is a good thing. His players feel it.

"People are saying it's more intense, it's more emotional, but if you take away all those things, it's the same game," Sid the Kid Crosby said.

What?

Take away the intensity and the emotion, and you've got just another hockey game? Well, that we won't have today, because of where we are.

This U.S. team, the youngest in the tournament at an average age of 26 1/2, isn't stocked with unknowns like the 1980 squad. This team has 23 established NHL players.

They aren't afraid of the moment, as they showed in a 5-3 win over the Canadians in round robin play. And better yet, they have the best playing goalie in Miller, who has allowed five goals in five games (108 shots).

"For a lot of our young guys, it's a chance to make their mark in history," U.S. defenseman Brian Rafalski said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

With most of the pressure on their formerly friendly hosts.

Pressure can be a good thing. It didn't help Canada when the teams played last week, but after what they describe as a wake-up call, the Canadians are playing a far more physical game than they did then.

"They tried to skill us to death," U.S. forward David Backes said.

Said U.S. coach Ron Wilson: "We're not going to be retreating." He said the team relied too much on Miller in that game, but not today.

With years of anticipation building to this moment, Canada will fight if it has to.

Today's game

Who: U.S. vs. Canada

What: Gold-medal game

When: Noon

TV/Radio: Channel: 11 Channel: 3 Channel: 8 /1050