Friday, February 22, 2002
Brockville? Pretty place, nice water
By BRUCE GARRIOCH -- Ottawa Sun
SALT LAKE CITY -- Andrei Mezin didn't have much time to talk about Brockville yesterday, but he's got a message for all the good folks there: He hasn't forgotten you.
One minute you're a hero and the next you're a goat, but the Belarus goaltender was enjoying every minute he had in the sun after being surrounded by Canadian media following an off-ice workout at the E Center.
The 27-year-old one-time member of the CJHL's Brockville Braves under Mac MacLean was giving the guys with notepads all the time in the world.
"I remember Brockville," he said. "Nice place, we had a lot of fun there. We had six guys on that team who were Russian, so we spoke a lot of Russian all the time. I went back there the next year and I was the only one, so I had to learn English. Pretty place. Nice water."
While he's now the starting goalie for the Berlin Capitals making a cool $125,000 (all terms US) in the German Elite League, Mezin hasn't forgotten MacLean, but he hasn't talked to him in awhile either.
"I remember Mac. I haven't spoken to him since I was in Flint, but I can't remember when that was."
With a big victory over the Swedes in the quarter-final, Mezin was focused on getting ready to face the likes of Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic and Paul Kariya. If anybody in Brockville wants to retire his number, give him a call.
THE MEDAL PLAZA:
Ran into a few of the Canadian lads with their families at a downtown restaurant following the big win Wednesday. Defenceman Eric Brewer and winger Ryan Smyth both dropped by the Red Rock to grab something to eat and also stopped at the table to say hello to colleague Terry Jones from Edmonton ... Being Canadian is cool at these Games, according to my new-found American friends. A bunch of locals from Salt Lake, led by Ottawa-Carleton regional policeman Brian Wise, were dressed up in their best Canadian garb for the big Finland-Canada game ... The word around Utah is if you really want to party, go to Park City. Apparently, they're not as stuck up about the insane drinking laws ... It must be getting late in these Games: A guy on the bus hassled the driver because he wasn't driving fast enough ... Ronny Ackerman, a German Nordic skier, credits his silver medal performance at the Olympics to a self-imposed sex ban. "One year is enough," said Ackerman. "After the Olympics, I will look for a girlfriend. Until then, the only thing I'll be caressing is my medal."
AROUND THE RINGS:
Nice to hear the Senators will be back on the ice today preparing to play Montreal next Tuesday. With the exception of coach Jacques Martin, who will be behind Canada's bench in the semi-final against Belarus, they should all be on hand. Sweden's Magnus Arvedson and Daniel Alfredsson, Finland's Jani Hurme and Sami Salo and the Czech Republic's Martin Havlat were sent packing Thursday, so there are no Senators left ... The best game for your money today: Russia vs. the USA in the semi-final, exactly 22 years after the Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid ... If Canada loses to Belarus today, is there going to be an investigation into what's wrong with hockey in our country? ... Sports Illustrated has been publishing daily during the Olympics, but you have to get to the newsstands early to get a copy ... There's a fake Swedish postage stamp with puck going off goalie Tommy Salo's head already being distributed on the Internet. Only in America.
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2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
