"Canada lost because Marie-Philip Poulin wasn't playing."

"You don't win a gold medal in the preliminary round."

"The Canadians played two games in two nights."

Excuses. Excuses. And more excuses.

In the end, these are not the right answers to explain Canada's seventh consecutive loss to the Americans.

And not just a loss. A 5-0 shellacking. Being dominated in shots on goal and scoring chances.

The real reasons?

The American team is much stronger. And Canada didn’t bring its best team to Milan. But above all, the American team, which, by the way, also played twice in two nights and three times in four days, is stronger.

In addition to being able to rely on veterans like Hilary Knight, Alex Carpenter, and Kendall Coyne Schofield, they have a pool of young players who are simply incredible.

Abbey Murphy, Caroline Harvey, Laila Edwards, Tessa Janecke, and Kirsten Simms will be drafted at least in the top 10 of the next PWHL draft. Four of them could even be the top four picks.

Of the 14 points on the American side, nine came from these five players. And let me remind you, they’re not even playing in the PWHL yet.

There’s also Joy Dunne, who is only 20 years old and could be the first overall pick in 2027. Defence players Rory Guilday and Haley Winn are first-round picks in 2025 and two of the top rookies in the PWHL this season.

But that’s not all.Hannah Bilka is 24. Taylor Heise, Britta Curl, and Gwyneth Philips are 25. Grace Zumwinkle and Aerin Frankel are 26.

The top four point leaders in the PWHL this season – Coyne Schofield, Curl, Heise, and Kelly Pannek – are part of this team.

And finally, Lacey Eden, who will be selected among the top 10 in the next draft, and Casey O’Brien, a first-round pick in 2025 and currently the 13th leading scorer in the PWHL, weren't even selected by the U.S. team.

I'm telling you. The United States team is impressive and will dominate for years.

Canada was shut out for the very first time in its history at the Olympic Games. The first time since 1998!

Think about that.

Moreover, for the second time in three games, the United States accomplished the impossible: they got Ann-Renée Desbiens out of a game. It had happened on December 10 in the third game of the Rivalry Series. After five goals, Desbiens was replaced by Emerance Maschmeyer. The same scenario repeated on Tuesday, when Maschmeyer came late in the third period.

I heard some experts express surprise at the result and at how Canada was dominated, even humiliated in this game.

Not me.

This is exactly what I expected, even with Marie-Philip Poulin in the lineup.

Can you imagine?

Canada didn’t want to shake things up. I wrote it at the time the roster was announced.

They didn’t want to go with players who had a strong start in the PWHL, such as Kendall Cooper, Mae Batherson, or Rebecca Leslie.

They didn’t want to go with players who performed well in the league during the first two seasons, such as Jessie Eldridge, Michela Cava, or even the one who scored the golden goal at the 2024 World Championship, Danielle Serdachny.

They didn’t want to turn to the NCAA and young players like Caitlin Kraemer, Chloe Primerano, Emma Pais, or Kahlen Lamarche.

But it goes beyond that.

Troy Ryan didn’t even change his lines in the second or third period of today’s game.

That’s being stubborn, and then some!

Defender Jocelyne Larocque was one of only two Canadians to play more than 20 minutes. And yet, that game was way too fast for the 37-year-old athlete. It was tangible.

The reality is that the Americans are young, fast, and much better. In contrast, the Canadians are older and slower. Their blue line is particularly weak.

And with or without Marie-Philip Poulin, the result will be the same on February 19, when these two teams face off for the gold medal game.