Sunday, February 24, 2002
Bitter bronze for Russians
By AL STRACHAN -- Team Sun
SALT LAKE CITY -- The team that got drubbed was happy and the team that romped to victory was not. But that's sometimes the case in Olympic hockey.
By beating Belarus 7-2 yesterday, Russia won the men's bronze medal. However, like Canadians, the Russians see anything less than gold as a failure.
But for Belarus a fourth-place finish was cause for a national celebration.
"We finished third, so obviously it's a disappointment" Russian captain Igor Larionov said. "We have so much talent ... I thought we had a good team and found our game."
When coach Slava Fetisov arrived on the scene, the two men, who have been through so much together over the years, embraced.
Then an unrepentant Fetisov repeated his criticism of the developments here.
The day before, he had virtually suggested the Canada-USA final was the result of a fix, and yesterday, International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel issued a rebuttal saying, "Everyone who had seen the games must agree that the officiating in this tournament has been of the highest possible level. The referee's decision were not the reason Russia lost."
When asked to comment on Fasel's statement, Fetisov said, "I said this before. The NHL referees are professional people. They live here. They make their money here.
"For referees, for teams who participate, it's too much pressure."
After all the sour grapes, it was left to Belarus coach Vladimir Krikunov to provide a more positive aspect to the proceedings.
"We really made the people of Belarus happy after we beat Sweden and I'm sure they are still celebrating."
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2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
