Hate is a very strong word, but the USA-Canada hockey rivalry is certainly no hug fest.
And the world will find that out on Sunday night as both teams prepare to square off in a heavyweight bout at Vancouver's Olympic Games.
It's no surprise that hockey fans — some of the most passionate in the sports world — truly despise their enemies' followers. But do the players have a hatred towards their counterparts?
"I hate them," American Ryan Kesler told Yahoo. "It's a big rivalry. I wouldn't say I hate them; you have respect for the other team, Canadians expect to win the gold and anything less is not good enough. It's going to be fun to try and knock them off."
"Absolutely," defenseman Jack Johnson said when asked if Americans disliked Canadians.
In fact, Johnson, who plays for the Los Angeles Kings, offered to fly out his three Team USA teammates to the Opening Ceremonies but didn't extend the same offer to teammate Drew Doughty who is on Team Canada.
"It was a small plane. There was only room for a few," explained Johnson.
Americans are underdogs in the tourney and upsetting the host Canadians on their own Vancouver ice would be the ultimate victory. But these experienced Canadians aren't going to take this game lightly — they may even play the hate card themselves.
"It's a big word. I don't hate people," said Team Canada goalie Martin Brodeur with a chuckle. "I think it's hockey. They're going to want to take something away from us, and we have to have that attitude to be ready for it and match what they're going to bring and then surpass it. If we know that they're hating us, we need to hate back, I guess."
