The Rings & The Rangers

Going back to NHL hockey after this outstanding Olympics will be a difficult task to be certain but it is one we must do - after all, who can wait another four years for more pucks?

Before we look forward to the last 20 games of the regular season, let's look back at the five Rangers who suited up in Vancouver. Three of the five brought back medals, not too shabby but not great considering two were for being first loser and one was for second loser.

Ryan Callahan
USA: 6 games, no goals, 1 assist, 2 PIM, 56:02 total ice time
Cally started the Olympics getting a regular shift but was bumped from the rotation by none other than Chris Drury. To his credit, the demotion didn't knock him down and he was able to contribute when called upon - primarily on penalty kills alongside Dru. Cally made several huge shot blocks in the first win over Canada and was always good for a body check. He had a great chance to score against Switzerland but pulled his best Chris Higgins and blew it; he never really got another good opportunity. Cally's lone point came on Dru's goal against Norway - his low shot was easily stopped by Dru banged in the rebound. Hopefully Cally will come back hungry to show he does indeed have a scoring touch and isn't a mostly useless extra part like he was in Vancouver.

Chris Drury
USA: 6 games, 2 goals, no assists, no PIM, 68:07 total ice time
Drury's other goal was the United States' go-ahead marker in the first match against the Canadians. With the other American forwards battling in front, Dru swooped in unmolested to tap home the puck and put the U.S. up 3-2. It was classic Drury - coming through in the clutch when the opposition was concentrating on the more dangerous players on the ice. But even with the two tallies, Dru's best work came with Cally on the kills. As was written in this space before, when you ignore the contract and the captaincy Dru makes a great third or fourth line center. Too bad the money and the honour are both so grand that they cannot be ignored. Much like the disgrace of losing to Sidney Crosby.

Marian Gaborik
Slovakia: 7 games, 4 goals, 1 assist, 6 PIM, 119:58 total ice time
Gabby's biggest moment of the Olympics was the one that he wasn't there for - with the Slovaks trying to complete a rally and force overtime against the Canadians in the semifinals, he was in the locker room with an unspecified injury. TSN's Bob McKenzie tweeted that it could be groin related but when Slovakia played two nights later, there was Gabby looking pretty good as he scored the first Slovak goal. So we have no idea just what is up with him or what kind of shape he will be in when returns to the Rangers. We do know that he got a measure of revenge against Hank for the goaltender's errant skate a few weeks back with a goal in Slovakia's elimination of the Swedes.

Olli Jokinen
Finland: 6 games, 3 goals, 1 assist, 2 PIM, 77:17 total ice time
Olli is ending his international career and returning to New York with a bronze medal around his neck. He opened the Olympics with a easy power play goal in Finland's first game (against Belarus) before going goalless over the next four games. To break the drought Ollie shaved off his mustache - and looked even creepier if that is possible - and it worked: his fortunes changed for the best with a pair of goals on Jaro Halak as the Finns beat the Slovaks to capture the bronze. It must be said that both goals were sexy - a nice snipe through traffic and a burst through the defense before sliding it five-hole on Halak. Seeing as he scored the game-winner against Pittsburgh just before the Olympic break, we know he can score some timely goals while wearing a Blueshirt as well as the Suomi ... we just have to hope he can keep it up, something he had trouble doing in Calgary when it came down to it.

Henrik Lundqvist
Sweden: 3 games, 179:05 minutes, four goals allowed on 51 shots, .927 save %, 1.34 g.a.a., 2 shutouts
Don't let the two shutouts fool you, Hank did not play particularly well in Vancouver and the Swedes were bounced in the quarterfinals. Hank barely broke a sweat against the Germans in Sweden's 2-0 win where the two biggest saves were made by the iron behind him. He took the Belarus game off but came back to shutout the listless Finns, who were a different team than the one that beat Slovakia. They only put 20 shots on Hank and hardly tested him. In the quarterfinal the Slovaks pressed the attack far more than the Finns had and touched him for four goals. Two were with the man advantage and two came as a result of Nick Lidstrom doing his best impression of Michal Rozsival. Yes, that Nick Lidstrom. I'm just as shocked and hurt to say that as I am sure Hank was to witness it. But in the end, the Rangers will get back Hank in better physical shape than he was after '06 but with an unknown mental state. Was he overconfident or just plain satisfied in '06 after winning gold? Will this defeat make him hungrier this time around or will it defeat him? Seeing as Torts will ride him the rest of the way, we have to hope for the hunger ...

Olympics Day 3: Misplaced Arrogance

I intentionally did not write last night because the post would have consisted something like this, "Canadians are annoying idiots." And that would have been it. A little bit of uncomfortable sleep has made me a bit more verbose and perhaps a little nicer.

Let me take you in the way back machine to Wednesday when the Americans played the Swiss and won 3-1 in regulation. Canadians talked trash about how their team blew out Norway and would destroy the Swiss. Advance the timeframe a bit when the U.S. 'only' beat Norge 6-1 and Canadians talked trash about how the U.S. wasn't as good as their team. After the Americans cleared off the ice, Canada took on Switzerland and beat them 3-2 in a shootout. In a shootout.

And you know what? Yep, the Canadians talked trash. Seriously? Your team needed a skills competition to defeat the Swiss and yet you can slur the Americans? Yeah, ok. As another American said to me, the Canadians are 'our bratty little brothers that barely count.' They are envious of us (look at that medal count at the Olympics held on their soil) while we really don't dislike them. I don't know about you, but even with 2002 considered, I still see the Russians as our rivals. I don't know, you tell me ...

The United States faces Canada on Sunday. Some other quick notes on yesterday:

*There was a good amount of U.S. fans in the building during the Norway game but we were outnumbered by obnoxious neighbors to the north rooting for American injuries and embarrassment. Stay classy Canada.

*Abraham Lincoln took in the game. Well, not him but a really close properly-bearded doppelganger wearing a stovepipe cap, Team USA sweater with #16 and LINCOLN on the back. Awesomeness.

*During that game Chris Drury scored. And I cheered. He is a lot less loathsome when he isn't being paid seven million bucks. Here expectations are different as he is the 13th forward. He isn't being the worst captain in the 86 year history of a proud franchise. He is the 13th forward who comes in to add energy and a penalty killing. And he is pretty decent at that. So when his contract runs out in the summer of 2012, some other team should go after him - give him a league minimum deal and he happy with the results.

*For the second straight day the Slovakians helped provide a great atmosphere inside Canada Hockey Place. There wasn't as much vitriol with the Russians as there was with the Czechs but both sides showed passion as their teams met in an incredibly exciting game. The Slovaks shockingly prevailed in extra rounds of a shootout where Alexander Ovechkin - of all people - went just one for three. Talk about shocking. And I was a bit surprised that the Slovaks only gave Marian Gaborik one opportunity but having Canuck Pavol Demitra score the winner in Vancouver was pretty impressive.

*Even with the win by the skin of their teeth, Canadians were out in force on Granville Street last night. Imagine a massive frat party filled with drunken children and you have a close idea of what it was like. Hopefully it will be much more low key Sunday night, a sad atmosphere of crestfallen kids drowning their sorrows in alcohol. Hopefully.

Well, today is my last day here in Vancouver and I have a ticket to just one game - Czech Republic vs. Latvia - but I think I will try to get myself one to see Hank one more time as the Swedes open the day against Belarus. As long as Tommy Salo doesn't show up, the Swedes should be ok. Look forward to finding out!

V2010: United States

Friday's Winter Classic experience was capped off by the announcement of the American roster for the 2010 Olympics. For all of the unrelated talk about the 30 year anniversary of the Miracle on Ice on NBC prior to the Classic game itself, the players on the 1980 squad had nothing to do with the new team's announcement despite the clear odds facing the current U.S. squad. The CBC coverage (linked above) ends with Ron MacLean saying "how they measure up versus Team Canada and Team Russia we're not sure but they feel they're in the ballpark" and a burst of laughter. Now MacLean may have been chuckling over his pun - Fenway, in the ballpark, get it? bah dum dum chhh - but it is find of funny/sad when you weigh the U.S. side against the other top nations.

The Americans don't have the offense of the Russians, the team chemistry of the Finns, the top-end talent of the Slovaks, the gold medal experience of the Swedes or the size, depth and skill of the Canadians. Feel free to vote in the poll where you think the U.S. will end up but I don't see a medal in their future. Sure they can get off to a two-win start with games against the Swiss on February 16th (I'm trying to land a ticket) and the Norwegians on the 18th (I'll be there! USA! USA!) but the game against the Canadians on the 21st will likely be a bad sign of things to come in the medal round. No one will root for them as much as me but I am certainly surprised by some of the selections.

As evidenced by the screen grab from NYR34, Brian Burke inexplicably feels that Chris Drury is a capable leader despite the fact that he has never personally led a team to victory. Chris O'Sullivan led BU when Drury won the NCAAs and Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg led Colorado. Buffalo leaned on Drury and the Sabres were bounced in five games by Ottawa in the Eastern Finals. And the Rangers ... well, we are witnessing his stellar leadership. It will take a miracle for a team led by Drury to win anything this season and, unlike the Ramones, I don't believe in miracles.

But should it come to pass, it will be through grindingly tight games featuring stellar goaltending. Tim Thomas - when not chasing after Sean Avery or Scott Hartnall - won the Vezina last year and is a top flight goaltender. Jonathan Quick has been incredible starting for the Kings - I saw him rob the Caps time after time after time yesterday - and has a very bright future. But even with those to capable netminders, it will be Ryan Miller starting. The Buffalo goaltender is top three in the NHL and has been simply stellar this season. I won't link any highlights, wouldn't want to subject you to Rick Jeanneret.

The defense isn't anything to speak of with Brooks Orpik and Brian Rafalski leading the corps. The two Johnsons made the team because of their history with the NTDP and wouldn't even make the Canadian 'D' team. Ryan Suter is solid but unspectacular, we will see who is added for the injured Paul Martin and Mike Komisarek has been disappointing Toronto fans all season.

The Maple Leafs have been thankful for Phil Kessel and, as he has to do with them, he will be counted on to provide a large chunk of the goals for the U.S. Slot Kessel with Paul Stastny and Bobby Ryan or Pat Kane and you have one talented top line. Hate to give Zach Parise credit but he is scary good and will have Devil teammate Jamie Langenbrunner riding shotgun with him. Add Ryan Malone to that pairing and you have one tough unit that will cause chaos around the goal. Ryan Kesler should get a boost from playing in front of a home crowd while Joe Pavelski has a chance to open a lot of eyes that don't really see him in San Jose. Ryan Callahan will be reunited with Guelph Storm teammate Dustin Brown and add a whole lotta sandpaper to the lineup, granted it is undersized sandpaper but the Blues David Backes should provide some bulk at 6'3, 220. I still don't understand why massive Dustin Byfuglien wasn't called to play on the NHL-sized sheet in Vancouver.

But who can guess what Brian Burke was thinking? He apparently believes it is a good idea to put John Tortorella under Ron Sutter on the coaching staffs. It is sad when I understand and agree with an Islander coach's appointment when compared to most everyone else. But, it is not our place as fans to understand but to be entertained so let us hope that this cast of kids are capable of doing that. USA! USA!

V2010: Canada

Amid great fanfare earlier this week, Hockey Canada released the roster of players that will face an insane amount of pressure in Vancouver. I didn't promptly post this report, sorry, but what is there to say?

They are who we thought they were! And that sucks because we all thought they would be really good. This team will challenge for the gold with a balanced attack, a rock solid defense and some pretty damned good goaltenders. As well as Mmmaarrrtttyyy.

Fatso should be back in net but I am still holding out hope that he will be supplanted by Roberto Luongo as the starter. Mmmaaarrrtttyyy will certainly get at least one start against one of the cupcakes and all of the Devil fans will be able to touch themselves in glee as their boy looks good on an international stage. Against some poor team, with the best defensive corps on the planet. What a star. Greatest goaltender evarrrr, amiright?? /sarcasm

Actually, and I am loathe to say it, the Day-Glo smile of Marc-Andre Fleury could very well be the one that deserves to be beaming from Vancouver as he has been the best of the three goaltenders from what I've seen so far this season. Too bad reputation will give Tubby the advantage. Much like it gave him the Vezina in 2008.

While the Russians will have a slight edge with pure scoring talent, from top to bottom the Canadians are far better. Their "grit" guys Jarome Iginla, Brenden Morrow and Mike Richards are all NHL captains and all can put the puck in the net. Four of the five guys on the Sharks power play then Getzlaf and Perry, Cindy and Nash ... the only guy I have any issue with is Patrice Bergeron. My conspiracy theory is that Hockey Canada wanted another French Canadian on the roster so the Bruin gets the call. They can play him out of position where they wouldn't do that to Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis is getting past his prime and Steve Stamkos isn't yet near his. The guy I would have picked in Bergeron's place? Shane Doan. The guy excels in all areas, is leading the upstart Coyotes to a helluva season and has already played his guts out for the red and white. Ah well.

Some of the pundits cried foul over Drew Doughty as the seventh defenseman but let's face it, the kid is there to learn, not to play. Not with Niedermayer/Pronger, Seabrook/Keith and Weber/Boyle making a near-perfect unit. One pairing of former teammates, one of current teammates and Weber - a shooter - with Boyle - a passer.

The Canadians should start off the tournament right by blowing out Norway on the 16th and Switzerland on the 18th. They close out the opening round against the Americans on the 21st but, by then, the game may not be for much more than pride. And even then, that is all the Americans will be playing for given their roster but that is for a future post. I would go so far as to say that the gold is Canada's to lose. Booooo.

V2010: Finland

Finland released their Vancouver roster and are returning 14 players from their 2006 silver-medal winning squad. That's not too shabby.

The Finns are consistently underrated because they are consistently not flashy. They work hard, they get good goaltending and have a solid stable of forwards. Leading those forwards are long-time running mates Jere Lehtinen, Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne. Saku's brother, Mikko, is actually turning into a better player than his brother ever was and will have some snipers to work with in Wild teammate Antti Miettinen and Detroit's Valtteri Filppula. The dirty Ruutu brothers return to add the sandpaper and penalty minutes while Olli Jokinen will look to do better than he has thus far this season for Calgary. Former Ranger Jarkko Immonen somehow made the roster over Carolina's Jussi Jokinen but I guess the Finns aren't planning on any shootouts.

In net Miikka Kiprusoff was named to the team, so I guess that means he got his wish and will be starting ahead of Niklas Bäckström. The star in Turin and probably the hottest of all three netminders this season, Antero Niittymäki, is the third goaltender - leaving future Finnish netminders Pekka Rinne and Tuukka Rask on the outside looking in.

Outside of the crease Kimmo Timonen heads up a quiet, solid blueline that has plenty of NHL experience in Sami Salo, Joni Pitkanen and Toni Lydman. They are more than capable of showing the ropes to Coyotes kid Sami Lepistö. NHL cast-offs Janne Niskala and Lasse Kukkonen add some depth.

Finland opens against Belarus on February 17th, play Germany on the 19th and Sveeeeden on the 21st. Barring an shocking upset, they will head into the next round 2-1 or even 3-0 if they get their vengeance for 2006 and for the Swedes losing the Finnish War to Russia back in 1809. (The Swedes lost and Russia occupied Finland until 1917 when they declared independence and had an ensuing civil war ... my old European history teacher Mr. Sinito would be so proud.) But, with the high powered Russian offense, Swedish netminding and Canadian ... everything, it will be tough for the Finns to regain their silver.

V2010: Czech Republic

You know, if Czechoslovakia had never broken up, they would have one helluva hockey team. Instead, the split left two good but not great sides. Where the Slovaks seem to slowly getting better and better, the Czechs are certainly tumbling down the hill from their 1998 Olympic gold. They released their roster today and it will be competitive but really has little chance to medal.

There have been persistent rumours that former Ranger captain Jaromir Jagr wants one last kick of the can in the NHL before calling it quits. Whether it is with Edmonton, Pittsburgh or us, Jagr can raise his stock and prospective earnings with a good showing in Vancouver. He may be getting older and slower, but he is still one of the best offensive talents in the last 20 years.

Jagr will be far from alone on offense with Marty Havlat, Patrik Elias, Martin Erat and Milan Michalek all capable of scoring off the wings. I would be remiss if I left out Tomas Fleischmann, who keeps getting better and better for the Capitals but I must say I was suprised to see him and not Florida's Frolik. The Czechs aren't that deep down the middle but Tomas Plekanec has been great this season for Montreal, Boston's David Krejci seems to have bounced back from surgery well and Josef Vasicek knows the North American game all too well.

The defensive corps also is quite familiar with the smaller NHL ice as all but one of them play in the best league on earth. Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina, Filip Kuba, Milan's bother Zbynek Michalek and Jan Hejda - if he is healthy - are all capable of competing against top talent and getting the puck up to those wingers.

The Dominator won't be behind them but even without Hasek, the Czech net will be well defended. Florida's Tomas Vokoun has a solid 2.62 gaa and .922 thus far this season despite defensive beast Jay Bouwmeester jumping ship to Calgary in the offseason. And his backup will likely be Atlanta upstart Ondrej Pavelec, who has been nothing short of exceptional at times this season. That being said, those two will have their hands full with the elite offenses coming at them.

The Czech open with the Slovaks on February 17th, face Latvia on the 19th and Russia on the 21st so they could escape the opening round 2-1 if Vokoun can stop the high-powered Slovak offense with a almost-certain win and loss in their next two games. With Gabby on the Slovaks, I would say that is a big IF.

V2010: Switzerland

Swiss. I love saying that word. Swisssssss. However, I don't think many will love watching the Swisssss hockey team play in Vancouver, at least not if they are rooting for them.

They released their roster this morning and it is pretty punchless. Just one of the 12 forwards plays in North America and overall 16 of the 23 players on the roster play in the Swiss league. Let's face it, players head to Switzerland when they are either lazy, soft or both because it is a easy-going, laid back league with little physical play. Canadian-born Hnat Domenichelli is a good example - the guy was a nothing for Hartford and has made himself quite the career in Lugano. Remarkably former Montreal Canadien Paul DiPietro was not included on the roster as was Alexander Daigle. I would have thought that Daigle would have gotten himself a Swiss passport by now. Ranger summer signing Andres Ambühl is the only other offensive 'name' outside of Domenichelli and he has yet to impress down in Hartford.

Despite the dearth up front, Switzerland boasts a decent back end (almost like Jessica Biel ... well, I guess not that nice). I hate to say it but Islander defenseman Mark Streit is underrated and he will lead a defensive corps with Flyers Ducks prospect Lucas Sbisa and Canadiens prospect Yannick Weber - and both kids have tasted NHL life before so they won't be unprepared. In net Ducks semi-starter Jonas Hiller is joined by Martin Gerber (if he heals from that scary KHL injury in time) and former Dallas backup Tobias Stephan.

The Swiss will need all the help they can get if they are to beat the Americans on the 16th (I'm trying to get a ticket, anyone care to help a brother out?) and the Canadians on the 18th. They close out the opening round against Norway on the 20th which may amount to a good, competitive game.

V2010: Germany

It's been announced today that the Germans will invade North America next month with this roster. There are plenty of WWII barbs to be made but I will refrain and keep it to pucks.

There are a few NHLers on the roster and just one in the most important position: goal. With Olaf Kolzig's retirement, there are no NHL-level starting netminders to backstop the German side but Thomas Greiss, the backup to Evgeni Nabokov in San Jose, will be called upon to take the mantle. Greiss had good showings his last two Sharks games and is still learning the ropes but he should be able to keep the Germans competitive. His old buddy from their AHL days Dimitri Pätzold is currently playing in the DEL and should back him up.

Outside of the German crease there is some NHL players but not too many. Marcel Goc plays with Nashville nowadays and has been red hot of late. He has 10 points in his last seven games and should be a nice complement to Boston's Marco Sturm. Shockingly (to me at least) Buffalo's Jochen Hecht was left off the roster - leaving Sturm and Goc as the only NHL forwards. On defense Christoph Schubert was left off but there will at least be Christian Ehrhoff and Dennis Seidenberg to help Greiss out. Goc's Nashville teammate Alexander Sulzer is also on the German blueline but despite watching six Predator games this season, I have no idea who he is. So that says something I believe.

Greiss will have to be on his toes as the Germans will have a tough road out of the opening round. They open with Sweden on February 17th, face the Finns on the 19th and end up against Belarus on the 20th. Two almost certain losses and what should be a tough battle against the Kostitsyns that I feel the Germans will lose. Like WWII. Haha.

V2010: Latvia

The Latvians are coming! The Latvians are coming! Perhaps the best fanbase in sport will head to Vancouver to support their country in February. The Latvian Ice Hockey Federation named their roster today and, frankly, it isn't all that deep. But that doesn't mean they won't be competitive.

Most of the team already plays together on Dinamo Riga. If you have never seen the Riga jerseys then you gotta check them out. Here is the team's homepage. Riga is the lone Latvian entry into the KHL and represents the nation in the Russian league. They wear the same maroon and grey colours as the national team and have a beautiful crest with lions on either side of a stylized D topped by three stars, symbolizing regional parts of Latvia: Kurzeme, Vidzeme and Latgale. There are lion shoulder patches and the Riga skyline on the bottom. One of my favourite sweaters on the planet. And, remarkably one I don't own yet. Hmmm, gotta change that.

Oh, yeah, we were talking about the Olympic team. Sure they don't have Washington Capitals goaltending coach/Latvian national hero Arthurs Irbe in net anymore but that doesn't mean that they will be trounced as badly as their juniors were at the hands of the Canadians at the WJC. While Scotty Hockey favourite Karlis Skrastins isn't likely to find the same offensive success as he against Detroit two weeks ago, he is still a rock-solid defenseman who will anchor the maroon blueline with Philadelphia Flyers rookie Oskars Bartulis. Former Ranger Sandis Ozolinsh was left off of the roster and will have to watch the Games from a bar somewhere (oh! ouch! snap!)

There are no NHLers on offense but a pair of guys from the AHL. You've never heard of them and it doesn't really matter who they are because of they score, it will be a shock. The only name you may recall is Herberts Vasiljevs, who made the North American rounds around the turn of the century and recorded all of 51 NHL games while spending time in the IHL, AHL, ECHL and Colonial Hockey League. He has been in Germany for the last six seasons and averages a point per game there but, let's face it, the German DEL is a step below the leagues in Sweden and Russia.

The Latvians open up with a really tough match against those ridiculously-stacked Russians on February 16th - the game is at 9pm Vancouver time but I think its worth staying up to watch. At least I hope so as I bought a ticket to go. Then the scheduling gods weren't kind to them as they play their other two games on back-to-back days: they face the Czechs on the 19th and the Slovaks on the 20th.

V2010: Slovakia

It must be said that Slovakia will have some outstanding firepower in an offense led by Marian Hossa and Marian Gaborik and solid defense anchored by Norris winner in Zdeno Chara. But that that doesn't mean that this roster is going to win a medal.

Slovakia will not have an easy go of it in Vancouver but certainly has a chance to survive the first round if they can open with a win in the grudge match against the Czech Republic on February 17th. You can preeeeetty much guarantee a loss against Russia on the 18th (I'll be there!) but a win over the Latvians on the 20th is very possible.

Gabby should be great playing with Hossa but you have to be holding your breath every second of every one of his shifts for who will be the Jarkko Ruutu to his Jaromir Jagr. Hossa has been nothing short of outstanding since coming back from injury for Chicago and should be bolstered by his brother Marcel. The lesser Hossa, the former Ranger, is spending his second season playing with Dinamo Riga in Latvia and - you had better sit down for this - is averaging a point per game this season. Yep, Marcel Hossa: 24 goals, 14 assists in 37 games. Our summer signing of Tyler Arnason, by the way, left Harford and is playing with Marcel on Riga and has five points in 12 games. Glad we spent money on that guy.

But I digress, back to the Slovaks: Gabby will have former Wild teammates Branko Radivojevic and Pavol Demitra, if Demitra ever gets healthy. Aside from those guys, Ziggy Palffy will get to show the world how much gas he has left, Miroslav Satan will show the NHL what they are missing (no one wanted to sign poor Miro this summer, boo hoo) and Richard Zednik will show the NHL that he doesn't miss them. All in all, the wings have some fire and some firepower but the Slovaks will be weak down the middle with Demitra (maybe), Michal Handzus, Jozef Stumpel and Martin Cibak.

The blueline won't be weak, not with Chara there. Bruins fans will likely be pissed as the Slovaks will call upon the big man to play some big minutes. He will have some help though, with Lubomir Visnovsky there to move the puck and the Andrejs - Meszaos and Sekera - to help stop it. Milan Jurcina has to be happy to hear that he was included on the team, what with Washington banishing him to Columbus yesterday in the deal for Jason Chimera. Ranger fans may remember Richard Lintner from back in the dark days of the 2002-03 season but really, he wasn't very good.

The final wall of defense will be shared by two goaltenders who have been trying but have never outright won starting jobs in the NHL - Peter Budaj and Jaro Halak. Halak, at times, is outstanding and Budaj, well, he has an outstanding mask. The third guy, Rastislav Stana, is a nobody. And all in all nobody should look past this Slovak side but it would be a bit surprising if they were to make it out of Vancouver with a medal.

V2010: Norway

Norway released their roster for the team that will go 0-3 in Vancouver. I know that is being harsh but c'mon, they face Canada on the 16th, the U.S. on the 18th (got a ticket, woo hoo!) and Switzerland on the 20th - if they win any of them it will be an upset.

Risto Pakarinen has the write-up at that link above and is far more knowledgeable than I about Scandic hockey. Taking a look myself, only six of them play in the GET-ligaen, the national league, which I guess is a good thing considering the low level of talent in that circuit. The bad thing is that two of the six are two of the team's netminders - Pål Grotnes and Ruben Smith and they rank just sixth and seventh in the league. The third goalie is Andre Lysenstøen, a 21 year old kid playing in the second tier of the Finnish league.

Former Philadelphia Flyer Patrick Thoresen will head up the offense. You may remember him from when he blocked a slap shot with his balls. Damn. After finding out that his testicles were not ruptured, Thoresen spent last season in Switzerland (63 points in 48 games with Lugano) and is currently in Russia with Ufa Salavat Yulayev, where he is averaging just over a point per game (40 in 38). He will be joined by a lot of guys who make their living in Sweden, some of whom can actually score but none of whom will be able to actually score on any of Canada's goaltenders.

Thoresen jumped ship from Philly (who would blame him) but his fellow countryman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen signed there this off-season. Tollefsen should anchor the blueline despite having sprained his knee earlier this month - his 13th injury in three seasons. This guy's body clearly can't take the mileage that he puts on it as a rough-and-tumble defensive defenseman. He will certainly have a tough time in Vancouver but if he gets hurt again, at least he can say he was hurt as an Olympian.

V2010: Sweden

The Swedes officially announced their Olympic roster today and, surprise, surprise, Henrik Lundqvist will be starting in net. Hank is one of 13 players on the roster who donned silly gold helmets and partied in the streets of Stockholm in 2006 after beating Finland in one heckuva hockey game (that YouTube is creepy with the foreign commentary and Leonard Cohen song).

The New York Times recounts that it was the amazing save by our King that ensured the gold for Sweden and he will be counted on again to play a big role for the Swedes - maybe even a bigger role than last time. Top two-way forwards Mats Sundin, Mikael Samuelsson and P.J. Axelsson are not returning. Neither are slick defensemen Niclas Havelid and Kenny Jonsson. Christian Backman was not selected for another go-around, so at least Hank has that going for him.

In all seriousness, the defensive corps in front of Hank will be much improved if they are all healthy. There will be just one Swedish-based player in that corps, Magnus Johansson - and he had a cup of coffee with Chicago - so these guys will have little trouble with the NHL-sized rink in Vancouver. Even though Nik Lidstrom sounds like he is from Michigan at this point, he is still Swedish and he is still the best defenseman to play hockey since Bobby Orr. Fellow Red Wing Nik Kronwall (KRONWALLED!) is injured but if he isn't at top speed then San Jose's Douglas Murray, he of the UberTap, will handle the physical duties. As loathesome as Johnny Oduya is as a Devil, he will also be a big help for Hank. The Swedes didn't go for youth, leaving Anton Strålman, Victor Hedman and Super Nintendo Hjalmers, Niklas Hjalmarsson, off the roster.

Sammy Pahlsson and Hank Zetterberg will be the two forwards likely to make the King's life easiest in his own zone while Tomas Holmstrom returns to make the opposing goaltenders miserable. Daniel Alfredsson was just injured before Christmas but he should be back in time, as should the never-say-die, my-foot-isn't-that-bad Peter Forsberg. The Mule, Johan Franzen, will not. Patric Hörnqvist has been a revelation for Forsberg's former team, the Preds, and he will have no pressure to perform. All of that pressure will fall on the Sedin twins, playing in their home rink. But the thought of the two of them cycling with Washington's Nicklas Backstrom should be outright scary for other teams.

Those teams will be Germany on February 17th, Belarus on the 19th (sorry guys, no Salo this time but I'll be back so hopefully I won't be a mush) and a gold medal replay against the Finns on the 21st.

V2010: Russia

The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming! And they are going to be one fierce, offensive powerhouse. The Russian dude in Puck Daddy's stable, Dmitry Chesnokov, broke the roster for the former Soviet nation.

They are, as expected, freakin' sick up front with a ridiculously talented top nine forwards: Ovechkin, Datsyuk, Malkin, Kovalchuk, Semin, Fedorov, Radulov, Morozov and Afinogenov. I believe that, roughly translated from Russian, that is: goals, goals, goals, goals, goals, goals, goals, goals and goals. I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

The blueline is a bit weaker with a major flaw in it - Dmitri Kalinin. Outside of the folks at Direct TV, everyone here in the States have realized that Kalinin is a colossal waste of space. But to balance him out the Russians have the toughness and defensive capability of Anton Volchenkov and Fedor Tyutin (I hate you Glen Sather). Andrei Markov is finally healthy, as is Sergei Gonchar so the Soviets have people to move the puck up to that stable of studs on offense.

In net will be a personal fav in Ilya Bryzgalov and shouldhavewontheVezinaifnotforfatboyMmmmaaarrrttttyyyy Evgeni Nabokov, even though Nabby is a Kazah (damned stupid IIHF rules). With twitchy Khabibulin injured, the press box slot will be held by Ranger-beater Semyon Varlamov. Good for the kid to make the cut and get a great seat for what should be some incredible games.

I will have a seat at two of the three in pool play as well. The Russians face off against Latvia on the 16th, Slovakia on the 18th and the Czechs on the 21st. That is some tough competition but just look at some of the goals they scored last year at the world championships. Damn. Should be some good hockey, less than two months until we find out!

Scotty Hockey's Team USA 2010

Since the announcement of the official Team USA roster is just days away, and the Rangers don't play again until Saturday, I figured it was time to take the reins of the American program and release my starting lineup.

Two years ago in this space I had:

Offense:
Patrick Kane-Paul Stastny-Zach Parise
Dustin Brown-Chris Drury-Phil Kessel
Chris Higgins-Tim Connolly-Brian Gionta
Erik Cole-David Legwand-Kyle Okposo

Defense:
Brian Rafalski-Matt Niskanen
Mike Komisarek-Jack Johnson
Tom Gilbert-Ryan Suter

Goalies:
Ryan Miller, DP, Jimmy Howard

Click the link for some of the explanations that I made at the time. But times change and so has my selections. Without further ado, here is the 23 man team that I would ice in Vancouver now:

Offense:
Zach Parise-Paul Stastny-Jamie Langenbrunner
Dustin Brown-Tim Connolly-Phil Kessel
Ryan Malone-Joe Pavelski-Patrick Kane
David Backes-Ryan Kesler-Bill Guerin
Dustin Byfuglien

Defense:
Brian Rafalski-Mike Komisarek
Ryan Whitney-Brooks Orpik
Keith Ballard-Ryan Suter
Erik Johnson

Goalies:
Ryan Miller, Tim Thomas, Jimmy Howard

But back to the USA roster. I wanted to get Ryan Callahan in there in the worst way but, let's face it, even with it being a Scotty Hockey/Burke team there are already a lot of grind-it-out energy guys included there in Langenbrunner, Brown, Malone, Backes and Guerin. And having Byfuglien's size as the extra forward is too enticing to pass up considering they are playing on NHL-sized rinks. No Drury, no Gionta, no Gomez because their times have all passed. Even with Dru's resurgence last week, he hasn't been clutch since he left Buffalo three years ago and the Montreal midgets haven't ranked among the elite in even longer. My first three lines have two skill guys with a grit guy on the wing and all three guys on the fourth line combine both talents.

Johnson slides in as the extra defender because, let's face it, he is still a kid - especially having missed a year with the golf cart accident. Ballard is playing big minutes for Florida and handling many of the tough assignments well he is more-than-capable as a No.5 guy alongside 'legacy' Ryan Suter. Reuniting Orpik and Whitney is a no-brainer, as is combining the offense of Rafalski with the defense of Komisarek.

As for in goal, Miller and Thomas are guaranteed to make it if they are healthy so Howard gets the third spot to observe and learn for his shot in 2014 and beyond.

By the way, after combing through NHL rosters, I saw that the Minnesota Wild don't have a single American-born player on their team. How is that possible? There is just something wrong with that. So what is wrong - or right - with my selections for America 2010?

V2010: Belarus

Two years ago I posted what I thought the Team USA roster would look like with what appears will be several good hits and several big misses. It is one of the most viewed things I have ever done here so I believe that others are as interested in the international tournament as I am. That being said, I plan on doing quite a bit of coverage on Vancouver 2010 in this space - including several game recaps directly from Vancouver! But before we get there, the rosters are being released piecemeal - mighty Mirtle has the breakdown of dates - and today the first one was released: Belarus.

The full roster is here but the notables are the Kostitsyn brothers, Toronto's Mikhail Grabovsky, former Penguin Konstantin Koltsov and the ever-young Ruslan Salei. Former Ranger farmhand Vlad Denisov will join Salei on the blueline in front of amazin' Andrei Mezin. I saw Mezin play years ago firsthand in the UHL and the 2002 Olympic Games and the guy can really be lights out at times, one of those Cujo-esque netminders who play better the more rubber they face. But he is getting older and the competition will be quite fierce so he likely will not be able to win any games on his own.

Belarus play Finland on February 17th, Sweden on the 19th (I'll be there) and Germany on the 20th. They should be competitive but, barring a Tommy Salo appearance, aren't likely to advance past pool play.

Midwinter Break Day 4

Its only Thursday and I can't take this week off nonsense. I mean, its nice that there is still good hockey to watch - I enjoyed Dallas/Phoenix on Monday - but its not the same as the Rangers. And I apologize to all of my readers, I know there is nothing worse than going to a site and seeing the same content. But without the Blueshirts, I've had to focus on real work, which is good because real work pays money, and money pays for Rangers tickets and my European vacation this fall. And that will likely mean good coverage of games that you won't see anywhere else ... don't worry, this isn't the first time I pimped this blog and it won't be the last.

So as I go a little stir crazy, here is something to help tide things over until Saturday - something I promised back in December - the Scotty Hockey 2010 -2 Canadian Olympic Team:

Offense:
Dany Heatley-Sidney Crosby-Jarome Iginla
Rick Nash-Joe Thornton-Ryan Getzlaf
Jon Toews-Vinny Lecavalier-Marty St. Louis
Brendan Morrow-Jason Arnott-Eric Staal
Defense:
Chris Pronger-Dion Phaneuf
Wade Redden-Jay Buowmeester
Duncan Keith-Kris Letang
Goalies:
Roberto Luongo
JS Giguere
Carey Price

For some reference, here is the 2006 team that went to Torino. I had to do some jockeying - there are a lot of super-high quality centers but I think these end up being balanced, exciting lines.

Some names were left out - Jason Spezza (one of my favourite players) being one of them, Marty Brodeur another (man do I hope he will be retired by then) and even Sam Gagner being another (in two years he will be a STUD) - but Canada has an embarrassment of riches and, with the games being played in the smaller NHL-sized rinks, they are sure to go big with a checking line.

On that checking line I have Stars captain Morrow, who is gritty and good on both ends of the rink, Arnott, who is huge but will be a little old by 2010 and Staal, who is learning how to be a solid, well rounded players by one of the best (and one of the most underrated), Rod Brind'Amour. The three scoring lines pretty much speak for themselves: Cindy, Killer Heatley and Iggy are three of the top five players in the NHL. Nash and Thornton worked magic together in Davos and Getzlaf is probably going to turn into a better version of Cam Neely (one of my favourite players) only as a center. Vinny and Marty are the crutch that holds Tampa Bay up and Toews would be rookie of the year if he didn't get hurt. He is easily the best Blackhawk since Jeremy Roenick and two more years will turn him into a superstar.

On defense Pronger, Phaneuf and Redden are three of the best in the game today, Buowmeester would be great if he wasn't on Florida, Letang and Keith are the future. In two years they will have the NHL game down and should dominate; Letang very well may be the Paul Coffey to Cindy's Gretzky. Damn I hate her.

In net are Luongo, Jiggy and Price. I have Price there only because the third spot rarely sees action and is there more for the experience. Should the NHL return to the Olympics in Russia in 2014, then he would be very, very important to that squad. Luongo and Jiggy are simply two of the best goaltenders in the league. I gotta mention it again, but I do hope that Maaaaarrrrrty will have retired by 2010. Otherwise toss out Jiggy and hand the starting gig to Maaaaarrrrrty because he is one of the top three goaltenders of all time. Yes, that really, really, really hurt me to type that - and not because of my bum wrist. He is good. Ok? I admitted it. And he may very well lead Canada to victory in 2010, in front of a home crowd.

But I sure as hell hope not ...

Your 2010 Olympic Team U.S.A.

I worship Olympic hockey and was going to wait until February to do this but John Buccigross answered a letter in his mailbag this week and detailed what he thought the 2010 U.S. Olympic team would look like. So he forced my hand a bit and I will address the subject today. I will do Team Canada at some later date/Ranger off-day.

Bucci's picks for Team USA, which has some ridiculous-looking picks if you ask me:

Offense:
Patrick Kane-Scott Gomez-Zach Parise
Dustin Brown-Paul Stastny-Brian Gionta
Erik Cole-Chris Drury-Phil Kessel
Rolston-Matt Cullen-Ryan Kesler

Defense:
Joe Corvo-Matt Carle
Erik Johnson-Jack Johnson
Ryan Whitney-Ryan Suter

Goalies:
Ryan Miller, Rick DiPietro, Tim Thomas

Now for the Scotty Hockey 2010 -2 U.S. Olympic Team:
Offense:
Patrick Kane-Paul Stastny-Zach Parise
Dustin Brown-Chris Drury-Phil Kessel
Chris Higgins-Tim Connolly-Brian Gionta
Erik Cole-David Legwand-Kyle Okposo

Defense:
Brian Rafalski-Matt Niskanen
Mike Komisarek-Jack Johnson
Tom Gilbert-Ryan Suter

Goalies:
Ryan Miller, DP, Jimmy Howard

Quick explanations of my picks:
*Paul Stastny in two years will be one of the best players in the NHL if he isn't already; first liner. I don't even have Gomez because I unfortunately think he won't be more than what he is today, and that is a disappointment.

*I ambitiously have Tim Connolly in the hopes that he can keep his head on, literally. When healthy, he is a much better version of Gomez.

*Don't think that I don't like the three guys he has on his fourth line, I just don't see them as being good enough in two years. So I moved Cole down and added two other guys. Legwand got a big money deal in Nashville for being a solid citizen and I think he has another level that he will reach. I frigging loathe the Islanders but Kyle Okposo is a beast and should be in the NHL by 2010 showing off his power forward skills.

*I really wanted to add Jed to the team but I just can't do it. Outside of Canada, who included Kris Draper, teams usually don't include grinders/specialists. A damn shame.


*Speaking of Long Island, I have both Chris Higgins and Mike Komisarek on the team. Higgins is the best all-around player on the Habs after Saku and Komisarek is growing into a faster, better version of Derian Hatcher.

*Bucci's D doesn't work for me. I don't think Corvo is that good, Carle has regressed now that San Jose relies on him, Erik Johnson has a long way to go before becoming Al MacInnis and Ryan Whitney's numbers are a product of Cindy Crosby. So I dropped all four. I think Komisarek is underrated; Tom Gilbert is looking very good in Edmonton despite the team really being piss poor; Matt Niskanen has stepped into Dallas and become a solid defenseman - playing with guys like Zubov and Norstrom will only make him better; and Brian Rafalski is used to the bigger ice surfaces, plays conservatively enough that he doesn't get hurt often and will be 37. Its a stretch but I honestly wouldn't be shocked if Chelios makes it and he would be 48.

*As for the goaltenders, Ryan Miller and that piece of garbage Ricky D are the best American goaltenders now and that likely won't change in two years. Tim Thomas is good but will be 35 and the third spot should go to a younger guy since its unlikely that they will see action. In two years Howard will have some more NHL experience under his belt as Hasek will retire.

So what do you think? Do you have Olympic fever? I know I do; these two years should only go by so fast ...