Friday, February 15, 2002
It's showtime!
By BRUCE GARRIOCH -- Ottawa Sun
SALT LAKE CITY -- Brendan Shanahan, the last man who had a chance to save Team Canada at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, was the first one on the ice yesterday.
Not long after, the final shooter on Czech goalie Dominik Hasek four years ago, was followed by the rest of the players and coaching staff who will begin a new chase for gold today against Team Sweden at the E Center.
It's been 50 years since Canada last won Olympic gold in men's hockey. And while this game could prove to be meaningless by the time the tournament ends Feb. 24, the players were having a tough time containing their excitement about being here.
"I know that we've been saying for the last little while that we haven't been thinking about this, but this has always been in the back of our minds. We've been looking forward to this day," said San Jose winger Owen Nolan.
"We wanted to get here and we wanted to get going. I can't wait for this to start. It's a focused group, ready to play and ready to win the gold. There was a buzz on that ice that you could just feel. We know there's going to be pressure, but we all came here to win gold."
The initial workout at a suburban arena lasted only 35 minutes. While it was their first time together, they looked like they'd been on the same ice for years. Passes were tape-to-tape and most of the practice was crisp.
Showing his line combinations for the first time, coach Pat Quinn surprised nobody by inserting Mario Lemieux between Joe Sakic and Paul Kariya. Steve Yzerman had Jarome Iginla and Shanahan on his wings.
GAGNE SITS OUT
Michael Peca will centre a line with Theoren Fleury and Joe Nieuwendyk, while Eric Lindros will likely play with Ryan Smyth and Nolan. Simon Gagne is expected to sit for the first game, and possibly defenceman Ed Jovanovski.
Quinn would have liked more time to tinker, but he has no choice.
"As a coach, you're always concerned that you haven't got enough time to get your team ready," said Quinn. "But in considering the circumstances, it's the same for all the clubs and not just the Canadians.
"We're pragmatic in the sense that we're going to go. I don't know if we're fully prepared, but we're going to be ready to go and we're going to have to go."
Clearly, the team that is going to be the most successful in this tournament is the one that comes together quickly. With six games in 10 days, a hot goaltender or player with a good scoring touch can be the difference.
The biggest adjustment for Canada will be the larger ice and no red line.
"You have to make adjustments, there is bigger ice and it's wider," said blueliner Adam Foote. "We might not be able to chase around as much, but we have to feel things out and make adjustments.
"The coaches have made us aware of it and guys who have played at this level before have experience with it."
After all the hype, everybody just wants to get this thing started.
"There hasn't been a day in the last month I haven't thought about this," said Foote. "This is an honour to be on a team like this. It's nice that it's finally here."
2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
