TORINO, Italy -- I was fortunate enough to be around several members of the Canadian media during the Canada-Russia hockey game last night. It was quite an experience.

As the seconds ticked down, the slightly chaotic mood of the office shifted to complete and utter panic. People coming and going, going up and coming down. The noise was loud, people were stunned, and I'm pretty sure that someone was scouring through the office kitchen looking for a pie to break down and assess blame.

Of course I never saw any of this happening. Our office is downstairs - we moved the Canadians upstairs thinking they’d be more at home that way.

It took about six hours for both North American "superpowers" to be knocked out of the 2006 Olympic Hockey Tournament. Despite the abundance of NHL talent on both rosters, neither team deserved to make a semi-final. Both teams looked fairly weak on the defensive end, both couldn't stay out of the penalty box and neither team could take advantage of the various chances that often determine winners and losers.

It's quite a difference from Salt Lake, eh?

While both teams will be considered great disappointments, it will be for far different reasons. The Americans won a single game, tied the Latvians and lost to the Russians, Swedes and Slovaks. All of which were one-goal games. To sum up the Americans in Torino; When they weren't looking completely flat like they did during Wednesday's first period, they were a team that just couldn't get a lucky break or a big goal. It happens, especially in a tournament where eight teams have medal potential.

The Canadians not only lost to the Swiss, but were outplayed by the Fins and Czechs as well (Despite winning 3-2). Heck, the biggest Canadian mistake may have been winning the aforementioned Czech game, forcing the Canadians into a quarterfinal with the Russians instead of the weaker Slovaks.

Despite 18 NHL All Stars, the Canadians were as flawed a bunch as any in this tournament. It was completely obvious that Rob Blake isn't the same player that he was four years ago, and a guy like Brian McCabe couldn't stay out of the sin bin. Teams were able to pressure the Canadians and their fairly weak defensemen, making forwards like Sakic, Iginla, Thornton and St. Louis less of a factor, if at all.

But unlike many Americans who seem content with saying, "We just suck," and moving on, Canadians will spend the next four years overanalyzing every reason why they didn't win a gold medal here in Torino. Wayne Gretzky, Pat Quinn, Todd Bertuzzi, McCabe, Joe Sakic and Marty Brodeur will all share pieces of the blame pie over the coming days and weeks. People will question the influence of the gambling ring and its impact. They'll talk about the blizzard, plane tickets and time changes. When the expectations are gold or bust, I'm fairly certain "We just got beat by a better team," won't be considered acceptable.

When the Canadian women's hockey team visited our office yesterday to talk to a Canadian TV station they were asked about the struggles of the men's team. One of the girls mentioned they thought star power played a factor. "Everybody on that team is used to being the star," she pointed out. But when the Canadians lost to the Czechs in Nagano, people chastised Hockey Canada for trying to build a team with a focus on role players instead of superstars.  

Whatever the reasoning is for the Canadian struggles in Torino, one thing is for certain: This loss marks the beginning of a grueling next four years for Hockey Canada. There's always pressure for a Canadian team loaded with NHL All Stars to win Olympic gold. But the next Olympics are on home soil in Vancouver. The expectations have never been higher, and the pressure has never been greater. Everyone from the offices of Hockey Canada, to coaches, players and fans understand this. They know that a gold medal in Vancouver completely erases what happened in Torino, and may God help them all if they don't pull it off.

Jake Duhaime is a regular contributor to Atomic Sports Meida and is currently covering the Winter Olympics from Torino, Italy. Since 1972, he has spent more time with Lord Stanley's Cup than have his beloved Bruins. When he isn't convincing people the NHL Playoffs are riveting television, he can be found going sober for months at a time, saving up petty cash to go to the Super Bowl, Final Four, World Series or any other major sporting event out there. He can be reached at jake.duhaime@atomicsportsmedia.com.