They've got a World Cup title to defend, and that's their big problem. By taking it to Canada in the first-ever World Cup of Hockey in 1996, Team USA is supposed to win the gold at Nagano.

So there's little surprise that most of the players named to the U.S. Olympic team played on the World Cup squad.

"We're not reinventing anything here," said Darryl Seibel, spokesman for USA Hockey. "Right now what we're doing is fine-tuning, finding ways to take a successful team and make it even better. But clearly our success in the World Cup means other teams will be shooting for us."

So

After hoisting the World Cup in September 1996, Derian Hatcher hopes to be draped in gold next February. (Reuters)

why aren't the Americans the easy favorites? Consider the humiliation factor.

AT A TIME WHEN WINNIPEG and Quebec have lost NHL teams to the United States, don't underestimate the magnitude of the 1996 World Cup victory. Team Canada arrives at Nagano not only with a World Cup humiliation to avenge, but a national sport to reclaim.

Look at it this way: If a Canadian Football League team defeated an elite team of NFL stars, Americans would consider their national game disgraced.

That's essentially what happened in Canada, where the American win was no fluke -- Team USA defeated the Canadians in two out of three games, both by scores of 5-2.

In short, Team USA's secret is out of the bag.

"WE'RE OUT OF THE miracle business," Seibel said, referring to Team USA's miraculous gold-medal win in 1980. "We've gotten to the point with our international programs where winning a championship or winning a medal isn't a miracle.

"That's not to take away from the 1980 team, but with the growth of the sport and the work of many people, we shouldn't view our success in international hockey as miraculous ... it's been important from a USA Hockey perspective to eliminate the word 'miracle' from our vocabulary."

But there's no comparing the World Cup to the emotion, exposure and pressure of the Olympics. For example, Herb Brooks is still revered as the coach of the gold medal team in 1980. But how many know that Ron Wilson coached home the World Cup gold in 1996?

EVEN WILSON'S HOME TEAM wasn't impressed, as he was released at season's end by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. He now coaches the Washington Capitals.

"The Olympics stand to be the greatest international hockey tournament ever staged," Seibel said. "Any one of six teams has a legitimate shot at claiming a medal. When you take athletes at this level of hockey and provide them with the opportunity to represent their home countries and federations in international competition, the intensity is evident."