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Sunday, February 17, 2002

From wire dispatches

It took the typically rabid Canadian media all of one game to upbraid their gold-medal favorites in this Olympic tournament.

Here is a sampling of the reaction from across the north to Canada's 5-2 loss Friday to Sweden:

	Viewer's Guide Matchup: Sweden vs. Czech Republic, 6 p.m., The Peaks Ice Arena, Provo, Utah. TV: CNBC. Probable goaltenders: Tommy Salo for Sweden, Dominik Hasek for Czech Republic. What to watch: Swedes' robotically efficient passing has drawn comparisons to great Soviet teams of 1970s. ... C Mats Sundin had two goals, one assist in opener vs. Canada. ... Czech line of C Robert Lang, RW Jaromir Jagr, LW Jan Hrdina combined for seven points, eight shots in opener vs. Germany. Matchup: Canada vs. Germany, 9 p.m., The Peaks Ice Arena, Provo, Utah. TV: CNBC. Probable goaltenders: Martin Brodeur for Canada, Marc Seliger for Germany. What to watch: Canadians looked disjointed for nearly all of opening loss to Sweden, particularly inability to adjust to bigger rink. ... Germany C Leonard Soccio has three goals, three assists in four games.

Bob McKenzie, TSN: "One of Canada's most embarrassing international hockey moments of all time."

George Johnson, Calgary Herald: "Just a question: Any way we can we hang this one on the French judge?"

Paul Hunter, Toronto Star: "It wasn't so much that Canada lost. The real concern for a nation of anxious hockey fanatics today is that their hockey heroes also looked lost. Totally lost."

Roy MacGregor, National Post: "Canada's great question must concern the play of the man expected to lead Team Canada to gold. Team captain Mario Lemieux looked lost and slow on the large ice surface, ineffectual against the swift and quick-checking Swedes."

Wayne Scanlan, Ottawa Citizen: "Can there be no peace for Canada at these Olympic Games? On the same day the figure skating crisis subsides, the nation lapses into a hockey crisis."

Eric Duhatschek, Toronto Globe and Mail: "Midway through the second period, the JumboTron at the E Center showed a glum Wayne Gretzky, the frown on his face telling you all you needed to know about Canada's opening game."

Most of the individual criticism was reserved for goaltender Curtis Joseph, who stopped only 20 of 25 shots and will be replaced by Martin Brodeur today against Germany.

Headline in the Toronto Star: "Say it ain't so, Cujo!"

Black and gold

Update on the Penguins at the Olympics:

Belarus right winger Konstantin Koltsov, the Penguins' first-round pick in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, missed his third consecutive game last night because of a concussion. He might be out for the tournament. It had been thought originally that he had injured a shoulder while crashing into the boards in Belarus' second game of the preliminary round, but his head absorbed the brunt of the blow. He had no points in the two games he played but was an effective -- if somewhat reckless -- forechecker.

Look for Johan Hedberg to make his first start of the Olympics tomorrow against Germany. That will allow Sweden to keep Tommy Salo from playing on back-to-back days and give Hedberg a chance to get warm if he is needed in the medal round.

In the news

Although U.S. center Jeremy Roenick has stated publicly he doesn't believe the NHL will participate in the Olympics again, the International Ice Hockey Federation is making a concerted push to get the NHL to the 2006 Games in Italy.

The IIHL is appealing to the NHL's Europeans, who make up roughly a third of the league's players, to push NHL Players Association chief Bob Goodenow and get an agreement done.

"I will do my best," IIHF President Rene Fasel of Switzerland said. "We want to play in front of our people."

Face in the crowd

Think the Washington Capitals weren't bugged to see Jaromir Jagr buzzing about the rink Friday in the Czech Republic's 8-2 rout of Germany? He had two goals, two assists and displayed a fire that has been glaringly absent from his game in the NHL nearly all season.

What got into him?

He acknowledged that playing on his 30th birthday made a difference.

"Everybody says when you have a birthday, it should be the easiest day to play with all that positive energy. I feel pretty good."

Game inside the Games

The term "home run" might carve a permanent place in the hockey vernacular after this tournament.

On ice, it means connecting on a long pass, usually one which springs a teammate loose for a breakaway. And the passes at the Olympics can be longer than those in the NHL because the Olympics are not using the rule that prohibits two-line passes.

That creates far more excitement for the viewer, but it also tends to create headaches for defensemen.

The United States, in its 6-0 opening rout of Finland, benefited from having watched Sweden embarrass Canada with long passes earlier Friday. After a sluggish first period, the Americans' many offensive defensemen were crisp and accurate in headmanning the puck to forwards with three-line passes. That allowed the talented U.S. forwards to control play throughout the game.

Quoting 'em

Darius Kasparaitis, Russia defenseman, on whether his team's highly skilled forwards will have the mind-set to help out in their own zone once in a while: "If not, we've got to make sure they want to because we're not going to have success if we don't play better defense than this."