USA vs. Canada: an Olympic men’s hockey gold-medal game for the ages

MILAN — Canada and the United States meet Sunday in a men’s hockey game that has been played in the hearts and minds of the two countries for decades.

Played out in the lounge of the Empire Hotel and the Barn Hockey Bar in Chicago.

Played out on indoor rinks from North Vancouver to Scottsdale to Newmarket and suburban Boston, on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis and outdoor rinks like the one in Cranbrook, B.C., built by firefighters from the fire station next door, anything frozen enough to support a kid chasing a puck and a dream.