But USA hockey team, even as medal contender, is an underdog for gold
Olympic miracles are reserved for college kids toppling hockey legends. They belong to a certain time and a specific place.
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It’s been 30 years now since the United States stunned the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. The Americans went on to win the gold medal in hockey that year — something that hasn’t happened since. But don’t expect any miracles next month at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. No, the United States still isn’t favored to win a gold medal in hockey. In that respect the Americans are still underdogs. But with a roster stacked with young talent they are most certainly a medal candidate — one that the powerhouses from Canada, Russian and Sweden can’t afford to overlook.
“A little bit different situation [than 1980] in my opinion,” said United States team captain Jamie Langenbrunner, a forward with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. “As much as Canada deserves all the credit that they’re getting for the players they have, the 23 players named to the [United States] team play in the same league as those guys and we feel quite comfortable playing against them on a nightly basis. We feel we belong on the same ice.”
That’s a far cry from goalie Jim Craig and the 1980 team. United States coach Herb Brooks had to convince that group of college all-stars that it could compete with the grown men the Soviet Union sent to the Olympics. Since 1998, the NHL has allowed its players to compete at the Winter Olympics. So this group of Americans is baffled by the notion that they would be intimidated by any of the major hockey powers. Told of stories in the Canadian press that listed him as the only American capable of making the loaded Team Canada roster, forward Zach Parise chuckled.
“I think that’s kind of a bold statement,” said Parise, also a New Jersey Devils forward. “I don’t think there’s going to be too many people that would agree with that.”
The average age of Team USA is just 26. Parise is virtually a veteran among the forwards at 25. He will play on the top line along with Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane — a 21-year-old already in his third full NHL season who ranks eighth in the league in scoring (57 points). Colorado Avalanche forward Paul Stastny, 24, will center that line. Forwards Phil Kessel, 22, Bobby Ryan, Dustin Brown, 26, Ryan Kesler, 24, and Joe Pavelski, 25, will all be key contributors — at this Olympics and beyond. This group is, on average, five years younger (26.7 years) than the 2006 squad in Turino that finished a disappointing eighth (31.6 years).
“We have turned the page generationally for USA Hockey” said general manager Brian Burke, who holds that same position with the Toronto Maple Leafs. “And that was not done without a great deal of agonizing thought on behalf of the committee that put this group together.”
Such a young team presents problems, of course. Only Langenbrunner, 34, forward Chris Drury, 33, and defensemen Brian Rafalski, 36, have previous Olympic experience. In that case it helps to have one of the world’s best goaltenders — and the United States does in Ryan Miller. The 29-year-old plays for the Buffalo Sabres and leads the NHL in save percentage (.933) and is second with a 2.08 goals-against average. The Michigan native is the early favorite for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie. It’s a breakthrough year for a player who has been Buffalo’s starter full time since 2006, but until this season hadn’t quite put together the consistency needed to become a clear-cut elite goalie. He showed signs at the end of last season before an ankle sprain cost him a month during the playoff stretch. This year he’s experienced no such problems and blossomed into a star.
“I’m able to make better reads. I can commit to my reads. I think a lot of it comes down to challenging the shooter,” Miller said about his steadier play. “I’ve worked a lot on my footwork and my positioning, just trying to simplify the game so I can commit to something and execute the save. There’s not a lot of wasted movement.”
That’s what international stars will face when they see the 6-foot-2, 175-pounder in goal in Vancouver. As for the blueline in front of him? That’s more of a mixed bag. Burke and the committee chose to go with seven defensemen — swift-skating veterans like Rafalski and Paul Martin, the rugged Brooks Orpik and Mike Komisarek and youngsters Erik and Jack Johnson, who at 21 and 23 respectively would fit in fine with the forwards. Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Suter, 24, came up through the United States developmental system in Ann Arbor, Mich. with the Johnsons and might be the closest thing this group has to a star player. In other words — there really isn’t one.
“We’re trying to blend skill and size and guys that can log top-four minutes,” Burke said. “Obviously, short tournament and dramatic impact of results we tried to identify people that can consistently contribute at high levels and big minutes in our top four and then round it out with guys who can chew up minutes in other situations.”
Burke and Wilson have emphasized that theme time and again since the roster was finalized on Jan. 1. They identified players who could handle specific tasks and are not necessarily bringing all the most talented American players to Vancouver. That may leave the United States thin offensively on the third and fourth lines. But the theory is it should also make it a harder team to play against and better on special teams.
“Everybody’s not going to be able to play on the power play and everybody’s not going to be able to play 20 minutes a night,” Langenbrunner said. “If guys go with that attitude that we’re here for two weeks, there’s no ego and everybody’s doing what’s asked of them then there’s no limit to what this team can do. I understand you look at paper and some of these teams have a lot of talent — but so do we.”
