Monday, December 10, 2001
'I'll do anything': Burke
Coyotes goalie itching to play for Team Canada
By MIKE ZEISBERGER -- Toronto Sun
Given the choice, Sean Burke prefers the Olympic rings over a Stanley Cup ring.
"For me, an Olympic gold medal would be the ultimate," Burke, 34, said in a phone interview from Montreal yesterday.
"That's not to say that winning the Cup is not a huge goal. But my sentiments about the Olympics come from someone who was part of the national team program for 31/2 years.
"With the magnitude of such a tournament, it's amazing how excited the whole country will be and how much it will be behind the team."
With Team Canada executive director Wayne Gretzky and his staff poised to announce its 23-man roster on Saturday (barring complications from the CBC labour dispute), Burke is believed to have a good shot at landing one of the three goaltending positions along with the Maple Leafs' Curtis Joseph and, perhaps, the New Jersey Devils' Martin Brodeur.
Should Burke make the team, don't immediately write him in as Canada's third goaltender. Some insiders say Burke has been the best goalie in the NHL this season and deserves the opportunity to play.
Even the naysayers are being won over by Burke, whose sparkling stats -- an 11-7-4 record, 1.88 goals-against average and .935 save percentage -- rank among the league leaders.
Burke said he was surprised at Patrick Roy's decision to not play in Salt Lake.
"I totally respect his decision. He's doing it for his own reasons. But I could never think of turning it down," Burke said.
"But there's still a week to go, so there's no use getting too excited yet. It would be neat, though. That would mean I'd be on three Olympic teams in three decades."
Burke played on the 1988 (fourth place) and 1992 (silver medal) Olympic teams. He also represented Canada at the 1985 world juniors, the 1991 Canada Cup, and the 1987, '89, '91 and '96 world championships.
"For what it's worth, I don't believe there is another Canadian goaltender who has as much international experience as I have," Burke said. "I'll do anything for the team, even if it means sitting in the stands and sharing all that experience with the other guys."
Burke will get to strut his stuff in front of Canadian coach Pat Quinn when the Coyotes meet the Leafs tomorrow at the Air Canada Centre.
CARTER COUNTRY
Anson Carter went to Team Canada's orientation camp in September as a long shot to make the team.
"I saw how the elite players carried themselves," he said of the gathering in Calgary three months ago. "I soaked everything up like a sponge."
Obviously it sunk in.
Carter's 15 goals have caused Team Canada officials, including Kevin Lowe -- who just happens to be Carter's general manager with the Edmonton Oilers -- to take notice.
Carter, a Toronto native, has a 50-50 shot to make the team. With Owen Nolan, Theo Fleury and Jarome Iginla projected to take up three of the right wing spots, Carter, 27, certainly has provided the Team Canada hierarchy with an interesting dilemma.
Carter is realistic about his chances, but says the success of the Oilers is in his favour.
"I don't think Wayne Gretzky and Kevin are going to want players on losing teams. They want players playing well on top teams," Carter said.
SALT LAKE SMYTTY?
The possibility of injured winger Ryan Smyth being named to Team Canada later this week seems to be increasing.
While his Oilers were battling Nashville to a 2-2 tie Saturday, Smyth continued rehab on his broken right ankle and is said to be ahead of schedule. In fact, Lowe is hoping Smyth will return by mid-January, which would give Canadian team officials time to evaluate him before Salt Lake in February.
Smyth, who was injured Nov. 16, already is walking around without crutches. And he's riding the exercise bike for 25 minutes a day.
Teams do not have to submit their final rosters until 24 hours before the tournament.
CENTRE DEPTH
Canada is so deep at centre that it'll be difficult finding space for the main candidates, players such as Joe Sakic, Steve Yzerman, Mario Lemieux and Michael Peca, assistant coach Jacques Martin said. So where does that leave the Boston Bruins' Joe Thornton? "He's still a candidate," Martin said. "But centre is one of the positions where we're very fortunate. We have the most depth there, so some players will probably end up playing (positions other than centre)."
Martin's comments came before Thornton's dominating two-goal performance in Boston's 4-2 victory over Buffalo Saturday ... Despite speculation that Carolina Hurricanes winger Jeff O'Neill likely will be passed over, he had a goal in a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday and continues to score regularly ... Iginla was stopped on a penalty shot against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks Saturday, leading observers on hand in Calgary to ask: Will he fare better if he gets the same opportunity during an Olympic shootout?
CROSS CHECKS
In a case of bad timing, the Nashville Predators gave away Scott Walker bobblehead dolls to the first 5,000 kids 12 and under attending Saturday's game against Edmonton. The problem? Walker was out of the lineup with a concussion ... Former Leaf Mike Johnson (sprained MCL) has been lost to the Coyotes until early January ... Another former Leaf, Todd Warriner, was a healthy scratch by the Coyotes for six of seven games before playing Saturday in Montreal.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Washington Capitals' Jaromir Jagr faces the Penguins tomorrow for the first time since being traded from Pittsburgh in July ... Daniel Alfredsson (hip pointer) and Karel Rachunek (separated shoulder) will not be in the lineup when the Ottawa Senators face former captain Alexei Yashin and the New York Islanders tomorrow ... Finnish coach Hannu Aravirta is expected to announce the remaining members of his Olympic team on Thursday. The Leafs' Aki Berg and Jyrki Lumme are candidates for the four remaining spots on defence.
2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
