The United States is the only team in history to win Olympic gold on home ice (in 1960 at Squaw Valley and in 1980 at Lake Placid). They didn't win a gold in Salt Lake City in 2002 largely because they ran into an improving Canadian team in the final, after an inspired run through the tournament.
The Americans would love nothing better than to turn the tables on Canada eight years later and mine gold in Vancouver. The U.S. was the last country to unveil its Olympic team - on New Year's Day in Boston at the Winter Classic - and when they passed over the likes of Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta in favour of a younger, grittier squad, it spoke volumes about their newfound depth and how they plan to play.
The U.S. team, selected by Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, has an average age of just 26.5 and will feature only three returning Olympians from Turin: Chris Drury (New York Rangers), Jamie Langenbrunner (New Jersey Devils) and Brian Rafalski (Detroit Red Wings).
"In a short tournament, it's really not about having the 20 best guys, but the 20 right guys," U.S. forward Dustin Brown said. "We're younger than a lot of the big teams going in and we don't have the names that Team Canada has, but we have some pretty good players.
"[Ryan]Miller [of the Buffalo Sabres]is probably the best goalie in the league right now. In a short tournament, if you have a hot goalie, you never know what can happen. Especially with the tournament being in Canada, we're pretty comfortable sliding under the radar."
Brown is captain of the vastly improved Los Angeles Kings, and annually is a leader in the NHL in hits by forwards. He is the sort of truculent, in-your-face sort of player Burke covets for the Leafs, someone who is developing into a front-line power forward.
Brown was the 13th player selected overall in the star-studded 2003 entry draft, which also produced five other U.S. Olympians (Ryan Suter, Zach Parise, Ryan Kesler, David Backes and Joe Pavelski) plus eight players for Canada's 2010 Olympic team.
They are all of an age and have all played internationally against one another.
Brown is looking forward to a renewal of hostilities on Canadian soil.
"For the Canadians and Americans, having it in North America is always a lot more fun," Brown said.