I‘ve been trying to catch up with members of the United States Olympic team as they’ve swung through D.C. over the last couple of weeks. Missed Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan last Wednesday. But I did talk with Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Malone when his team took an extra day of practice at Kettler Iceplex on Monday – the day after a 3-2 loss to the Caps.
Malone, a former Penguin, has come into his own. He has 21 goals and 20 assists in 55 games for Tampa Bay and has a good shot at surpassing career highs in goals (27) and points (51). He was far from a lock to make the final roster for Vancouver – until he posted eight goals in Tampa’s first 10 games of the season. That caught the attention of general manager Brian Burke and his staff. By New Year’s Day Malone was a lock to be in Vancouver. At 6-foot-4, 224 pounds he is the kind of net-crashing power forward the Americans need. They just can’t match the overall firepower Canada, Russia and Sweden possess.
“I was at the summer orientation camp in Chicago so I was at least on the radar,” Malone said. “But then I’m usually a slower starter. It just happened that this season I ended up getting some bounces and scoring a couple goals in October and November. Obviously, that helped my profile. But even then I still knew that so many guys could get even hotter than I was and take a spot. I was a bubble guy for a long time.”
Malone has tried not to look to far ahead. The Lightning, after all, have six games left before the Olympic break kicks in. And as we’ve already seen with Team USA defensemen Mike Komisarek (shoulder surgery) and Paul Martin (broken arm), even when you have a spot you don’t have a spot. Malone gave a wry smile and knocked on the wooden bench he was sitting on for luck in the visiting locker room at Kettler. At this point, one wrong move on the ice could leave a guy watching the Olympics from home.
Malone kind of epitomizes Team USA’s approach under Burke. It’s a gritty bunch on the third and fourth lines with some pretty good skill up top. But maybe not enough of it. If the third and fourth liners don’t contribute offensively it could be a quick appearance for the Americans, who experts peg as outside contenders for a medal. But they are far from favored and few expect them to beat Canada, Russia or Sweden.
“There’s always a chip on your shoulder when you get up there against the Canadians,” Malone said. “You want to prove yourself to everyone. We like being the underdog. My whole life I’ve loved proving people wrong. So it’d be a great place to do it. It’s more of a team concept with us. I think everyone believes in that. I think every one knows what it takes to win.”
