The heart-breaking loss against Canada in the semifinals demoralized a young Team USA squad eyeing a gold medal. However, the Americans still had a game to play against Finland, to decide the recipient of the bronze medal. The roster that captivated the tournament’s attention with a passionate shootout win over Russia and a dominating victory against the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals was out of sorts in an embarrassing 5-0 loss to the Fins.

Four Feathers: Kane Ready and Willing, Team USA not Able

Disappointing, frustrating, you name it. The performance of this United States team at Sochi will be remembered as such. They cruised through preliminary play undefeated; prompting many to believe they would lead a promising run to capture their first gold medal since the “Miracle on Ice” group in 1980. Unfortunately, a star-studded Canadian lineup and a united one in Finland knocked USA off their game completely, crushing their hopes of returning back to the United States with a medal.

However, there was one player that shouldn’t earn the blame for his performance, and that is Chicago Blackhawks forward and Buffalo native, Patrick Kane.

A symbol of USA Hockey, Kane was expected to take charge of the offense and put pucks in the back of the net. Instead, the 25-year-old did not register a goal in six Olympic contests. His lack of goal-scoring does not mean that he deserves to take the blame for an atrocious TEAM effort that baffled Americans around the country.

Kane was one of the best players on the roster each and every game, regardless of what the score sheet said. He managed to put up four assists, but I agree he should have produced more offensively. His statistics were not a result of a lack of effort, however.

Night after night, #88 utilized his quickness and versatility to create an abundance of scoring chances. He gave his teammates a chance to finish on the terrific passing attempts he threw at them, but to little avail. Kane flew through the offensive zone and played with the puck like magician, but all everybody cares about is the big “0” that is under his name in the goal category. He was visibly upset after the loss against Canada, but that did not stop him from playing his heart out for a bronze. His play was filled with passion and intensity, something David Poile, Dan Bylsma, Brian Burke and the USA Hockey braintrust wanted to see from their players.

Sure he was undisciplined at times, but there is no reason why Patrick Kane should take the full brunt of USA’s outing. I don’t see Canadian captain Sidney Crosby being constantly criticized for his flat play statistically (One Goal, Two assists).

I can understand why Kane could be viewed as a scapegoat for the USA’s struggles. He missed not only one, but two penalty shots in the loss against Finland. But did he receive those penalty shot opportunities from sluggishly skating up the ice for 60 minutes like the rest of his team? Where was Team USA when it mattered most?

Take Phil Kessel, James Van Riemsdyk, and Zach Parise (to name a few): skilled and offensive-minded players placed on the roster due to their ability to finish came up empty in the final two games. They couldn’t “piss a drop” as goaltender Jonathan Quick would say, who played phenomenal throughout the tournament and almost single-handedly brought his country to the finals.

The lack of offense should not be attributed to one guy, but the whole organization. Team USA did put up 20 goals in the first four games, but against lackluster defense and goaltending (with the exception of Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky). Once highly touted defensive teams like Canada and Finland shut down Kessel, JVR, and Kane, the entire offense was neutralized.

Was this a result of poor selection by the committee? Bobby Ryan and Kyle Okposo were shockingly snubbed off the roster when it was announced on January 1st at the Winter Classic. Could they have provided a spark that could have earned the United States a better finish, no one knows for sure. In the end, the criticism will most likely be directed at the coaching staff.

With Dan Bylsma at the helm, the Americans did not make the sufficient adjustments throughout the tournament required to defeat Canada and Finland. It was not Patrick Kane that eventually made the United States finish 4th. The non-existent offense and uninspired play of the Americans is what brought them down. On paper, this team deserved to medal in the tournament.

The United States proved that you still have to play the game.

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