9802170076
DETROIT FREE PRESS
980217
Tuesday, February 17, 1998
METRO FINAL
1
MITCH ALBOM
WINTER OLYMPICS
Copyright (c) 1998, Detroit Free Press
THERE'S NOT MUCH TO WUV ABOUT U.S. HOCKEY TEAM
NAGANO, Japan -- Oh yeah? Well, our gas is cheaper.
And our taxes are lower. And our money is worth more. And our radio stations
don't have to play Gordon Lightfoot once an hour ...
Keep telling yourself all the advantages America has over Canada, and pretty
soon you won't even mind that when it comes to Olympic hockey, The Great White
North owns The Little Black Puck.
Oh, for a while there, we tried to kid ourselves. For about five minutes, we
wrapped our doubts in red, white and blue, tried to act as if we really
believed that Jeremy Roenick, Adam Deadmarsh and Mike Richter are as good as
Eric Lindros, Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy. After all, we told ourselves, they're
all in the NHL, right?
Sure. And Robert Duvall and Tom Arnold are both in the movie business. That
doesn't mean they play the same parts.
And neither do our hockey teams. This was painfully apparent Monday, not long
after the puck was dropped in The Showdown For North American Bragging Rights.
Following consecutive penalties, Canada suddenly found itself with three men
to the U.S.'s five.
A two-man disadvantage? Danger! Fear! Chaos! Right?
Wrong. The Canadians held off the American barrage with the ease of Superman
catching bullets in his teeth. No matter how many tee shots Brett Hull tried,
they went off Roy, around Roy, or above Roy.
Then, to make matters worse, as soon as the Canucks returned to full strength,
they raced down the ice and scored a gorgeous goal themselves. Wayne Gretzky
-- remember him? He's Canadian? -- faked a slap shot, shot a pass, and Rob
Zamuner directed it in for a goal.
That was the game, folks, if you really want to be honest.
Unfortunately, there were still 2 1/2 periods left.
Tonya's chances are better
The final score was a lopsided 4-1. What a shame. Because this showdown began
with such fanfare and hype. There were Canadian flags and American flags.
There were cheers and banners. There were partisan signs -- including one,
obviously written by someone who does not speak English, that said, "Paul
Kariya, you are with us in heat!"
Well. Let's hope not.
There was even Don Cherry, of "Hockey Night In Canada" fame, barking into a
CBC camera, telling the world how these two teams "hated each other's guts,"
ever since the U.S. upset Canada in the World Cup in 1996. And Cherry had his
arm around a Japanese man dressed like a samurai, complete with swords and
wearing a big maple leaf on his forehead.
"This is my new enforcer!" Cherry said. "I love this guy! Say hello, Maury!"
"I wuv Ca-na-da!" Maury yelled.
(By the way, I doubt the guy's name was "Maury" since "Maury" is not exactly
Japanese. Knowing Cherry, the guy probably said his name, and it was something
like Maorarai, and Cherry said, "OK, Maury, just smile when I tell you to
smile.")
Anyhow, you had all this hype, all this buildup, you had rumors about
Americans being out drinking instead of sleeping, and rumors that Canadian
players were still angry over the World Cup, where American players supposedly
made remarks about Gretzky -- you had all this noise and nastiness, this huge
Continental Divide, and then the game started, and the truth sank in quickly.
The Canadians are more talented, better organized, and more in sync with the
Olympic style.
And the United States is in trouble.
If you're handicapping, and you've watched the tournament so far, here's the
way you see it. Canada will most likely win the gold. If not Canada, then
Sweden. If not Sweden, then Russia in a stunner. And if not Russia, then the
Czech Republic, riding Dominik Hasek in goal.
And if not the Czechs -- well, then the U.S. has a shot at the title.
This is like saying Tonya Harding has a shot at an Oscar.
Forget it; root for the Captain, Shanny
Now, having said that, I don't think Americans should fret too much. For one
thing, this inaugural Olympic Dream Team Tournament is not like the NBA
version back in Barcelona. It's not really divided by national borders.
Detroit fans, for example, find themselves rooting for America, since it is
where they live, but also for Canada, because Steve Yzerman and Brendan
Shanahan are on the roster. And they might not mind a little Swedish success,
since Nick Lidstrom is a favorite son.
Fans are rooting for personalities as much as they are for flags. If you like
Hasek and Jaromir Jagr, you'll cheer for the Czechs, even if you've never been
anywhere near the Czech Republic. If you miss Sergei Fedorov, Russia may be
your team of choice.
As for national bragging rights? Based on postgame comments, it seems like
Canada and America are aiming at two different targets. Almost every Canadian
player I spoke to said this was really just Game 3 in a six-game tournament,
that beating the U.S. was nice, but no better than beating Sweden and -- if
truth be told -- even less impressive.
"We feel pressure to win the gold medal, not to beat the U.S.," Shanahan said.
Meanwhile, the U.S. players were sounding like Titanic passengers.
"Anytime you have a five-on-three you have to score, I don't care who's out
there," said Keith Tkachuk.
"We have to put aside selfishness, put our heads down, and not allow
two-on-ones and three-on-ones," said Brett Hull.
"We need some tinkering," admitted coach Ron Wilson.
Better bring a big wrench, Ron.
From this point forward, one loss and you're out. The U.S. already has lost
two of three. The Canadians are perfect, having shut out Belarus, nearly shut
out the U.S., and outlasted Sweden, whom many consider the most well-oiled
team here. When you look at Canada's roster, they really should win. With
backup lines like Shanahan-Gretzky-Yzerman, and defensemen like Scott Stevens
and Ray Bourque, is it any surprise they're doing what they're doing?
Not here. Maybe it's as Tkachuk said, "I think this game was bigger for Canada
than it was for us. They wanted to prove they could handle us."
Consider it proven. Now could they get their foot off our throats?
Or do we need to remind them about the exchange rate?
To leave a message for Mitch Albom, call 1-313-223-4581.
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