2010 Vancouver Olympics: USA falls short of Gold, Loses to Canada in Overtime

It may not have been the result Team USA wanted, but quite honestly, it is much better than the rest of the world thought they would do. The Americans should be satisfied with the Silver Medal, and I think thy will be after they have some time to think back and reflect on things. But for now, watching the Gold Medals placed over the heads of their Canadian rivals will surely kill them inside.

The first period may not have been what everyone expected. It was tightly played, seventy-five percent of shots were being blocked, and neither goaltender really had to be excellent in net. It took close to 13 minutes for that first and only goal to be scored, as a bit of confusion on the Americans part on a faceoff led to Mike Richards fighting through a crowd to get a spin-around shot on U.S. goaltender Ryan Miller. Miller made the kick save but Blackhawks’ Captain Jonathan Toews was there to follow up on the rebound to make it 1-0. For the first time in the entire tournament, Team USA trailed in a game.

The final shot count in the period was 10-8, further showing how tight the two teams were playing out there. The highlight of the period for USA was when defenseman Brooks Orpik sent Canadian forward Dany Heatley into the American bench. Team USA did not get many great scoring chances in the first stanza and they did not take many risks. Their forecheck was effective when they did get it going, however.

USA found themselves in a 2-0 hole early in the second when Ryan Getzlaf made a marvelous play to feed teammate Corey Perry who was breaking to the net. Perry beat a sprawling Miller glove side to put the Canuckleheads up 2-0. After a great penalty-kill and a less than satisfying powerplay by the United States, they got another chance with the man advantage, and this time they weren’t going to let it go to waste.

Patrick Kane’s wrister from the boards was deflected by Ryan Kessler to cut the Canadian lead to 2-1. Funny enough, Kesler and Canada goalie Roberto Luongo are teammates, so I am sure that one will be discussed in the Canuck locker room when they re-gather as a team later this week. In fact, as the period went on, more and more snarl was shown by each team, only making the battle even greater.

It took until 24 seconds were left on the clock for the United States to tie this game, but they were able to do it in dramatic fashion. Devils forward Zach Parise banged home a rebound past Luongo and nearly leaped over the boards in excitement. I think that was the loudest Rangers fans have ever cheered for a New Jersey Devil in their entire life.

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, it was Sidney Crosby who won the Gold Medal for Team Canada in overtime. A loose puck was picked up and placed behind Ryan Miller. At the moment, it may have killed the players on the United States squad. However, they have to pick their heads up and realize something here.

No one picked them to medal. No one wanted them to win. Everyone counted the U.S. out of this tournament and they were made fun of by Canadian fans when the roster was picked. Now, after two weeks of tournament play, they are the second best hockey team in the entire world. They go home with silver, but silver is much better than what was expected.

Congratulations to Brian Burke, congratulations to Ron Wilson, Scott Gordon, John Tortorella and all of the members of the organization. This did a ton for the sport of hockey in the United States, where it may not be all that popular. There is absolutely no shame in this loss. And you must say Congratulations to Canada, because it was not an easy road to Gold for them.

That wraps up our Olympic Hockey Coverage here on the site. It was a ton of fun bringing it to you, especially when I was able to do so live from Vancouver. Thank You to everyone who read.

Finally, back to New York Rangers hockey!
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

USA - Canada Pregame Motivational Speech

Here is a little something to get you ready for today's Gold Medal match-up between Team USA and Team Canada set to start in just under two hours. I am sure many of you have already seen some version of this, but below is miniature Herb Brooks, who has become a YouTube sensation ever since his parents taped him making the famous speech from "Miracle on Ice" in their living room. He has appeared on morning news shows, the Minnesota Wild locker room, and he also spoke to Team USA before last Sunday's game with Canada. In this video, they put him in a locker room scenario with the emotional background music playing. If this does not motivate you, then I do not know what will.



If you have not already, read my pregame preview in the below post.

2010 Vancouver Olympics: USA and Canada Clash in Game of a Lifetime as they Battle for the Gold

The past day was probably the longest in the lives of all Canadian and American hockey fans as they patiently waited for their rival teams to compete for the Gold Medal in a game that promises to have emotions running high. Well, the day has finally come as the two clubs will clash this afternoon in one of the most meaningful tilts of their professional careers. To me, it feels much like a game seven of a Stanley Cup series; win and you are the best, lose and you live in the shadow of the champion for the next few years.

Team USA is coming off of a dominating performance against Team Finland on Friday, in which they won 6-1 to move on to the Gold Medal game today. Forwards such as Paul Stastny and Patrick Kane, who were supposed to be the primary scorers for the U.S. entering the tournament, both broke out of their streak of dormant offense in that game. Kane had two goals and Stastny a goal, and hope to continue to find the back of the net behind Canadian goalie Roberto Luongo this afternoon.

The United States offense is going to have to run solely on effort and resiliency if they are going to put pucks in the net. The Canadian defense is just too strong to try and create chances with individual efforts. That is what the Russians attempted to do this past week and look what ended up happening to them.

This means the forecheck will be key. The U.S. must get pucks in deep past the Canada defense and work their offense from there. When doing this, the Americans have been very effective, as they were against Finland on Friday. They were all over the Finns, pressuring them into turnovers, just as Phil Kessel did to Mikka Kiprusoff on the first U.S. tally minutes in.

In goal, Ryan Miller has not had to actually break a sweat in this tournament other than in the Canada game last week. You should expect him to have his hands full once again today and if Team USA pulls out the win it will more than likely be because of him. Miller made 42 saves in last Sunday’s match, as opposed to 14 or 15 in all other contests he has played in the past two weeks.

The Canada powerplay is lethal, as you would expect with their loaded lineup. So this means Rangers forwards Ryan Callahan and Chris Drury are going to be out there every time the home team is playing with the man advantage. These two have been one of the pleasant side shows on this U.S. squad, sacrificing the body to block shots and help their team win. General Manager Brian Burke, who it would be fantastic to see win Gold after what he has been through, loves that sort of stuff in his lineup, which is why it should not have come as such a surprise that both players made the team in January.

The main players for USA to keep any eye on for Team Canada will be Ryan Getzlaf and Jarome Iginla up front, and Don Boyle and Drew Doughty on defense. These four individuals have been playing argually the best hockey of their careers. Notice I did not mention star center Sidney Crosby among those names. That is because he has yet to show up in the tournament.

Neither team should have any problem getting up for this game. The hype is off the charts and this is the main event everyone, I mean everyone is talking about. Canada will look for revenge from Sunday, while the United States will look for revenge from 2002 when they were stripped of the Gold Medal from their foes up North. The building will be electric as will the benches down on the ice. This simply is not an event you are going to see very often in your lifetime so enjoy it while you can.

The game will be televised nationally here in the States on NBC, and nationally in Canada on CTV. Also, instead of a live chat here, join me and many others over at the Blueshirt Banter Open Game thread to discuss this afternoon’s match-up, in addition to the usual updates at twitter.com/RangersTribune.

Check back at 1:30 PM for a little something to pump you up for today's game.
(Photos courtesy of Getty Images and Reuters)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Jokinen Leads Finland to Bronze Medal against Slovakia

For a while in this game, it looked like Marian Gaborik and Team Slovakia was going to walk away winners of the Bronze Medal in this year's Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. However, Olli Jokinen (shaved the 'stache) and the Finns had other plans, staging a fantastic two goal comeback and then adding the game winner late in the third.

For those of you who elected to stay up and watch this game, you were treated to a stimulating battle between two hockey teams that have come a long way over the past two weeks. It is upsetting to see one team go home empty handed, but also nice to see players like Teemu Selanne on Finland capture the Bronze since they will not be returning to the Olympics in their careers. The Rangers own Olli Jokinen may also be one of those who has played in his last Olympics this year. He had two goals in the game tonight.

Slovakia overcame Russia in the preliminaries, upset Sweden in the quarterfinals, and almost were able to defeat Canada in the semifinals. But somehow they do not medal in the tournament despite playing the dark horse role effectively. That, really, is sports in a nutshell. Not always fair, not always the Cinderella story. The phrase "the best team won" does not apply to tonight's game because both squads played tremendously.

As for Marian Gaborik, who was not expected to play in the game after suffering a lower-body injury on Friday, I must say played quite well. His skating was not at 100 percent, that is for sure, but he had a goal and plenty of chances. Many of those chances came in the final minutes of the third period when his team was throwing everything they had at the Finns, but goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff, who was pulled for poor play against Team USA the day before, seemed to be robbing the Slovaks left and right.

So the Bronze will go to Finland and Silver and Gold will be determined Sunday afternoon in the Main Event. That will be Canada versus the USA at Canada Hockey Place. I will have full coverage of that game starting around 9 AM with a pregame preview so keep tabs on the site all day long.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Gaborik Will Play for Slovakia

Mixed emotions here as we have just found out that Marian Gaborik will be in the lineup for Team Slovakia as they take on Finland for the Bronze Medal tonight. Earlier today it was reported that the Rangers leading scorer suffered an undisclosed lower-body injury in last night's semifinal game against Team Canada. Either it is not as bad as everyone originally thought, or Gaborik is looking at this as a game seven scenario for his team and is toughing this one out.

Whatever the case may be, it is relieving to see that he is at the very least able to lace up the skates and hit the ice. At the same token, you do not want him to further injure himself in this game, which is my main fear heading in. Am I surprised he is playing? No, not at all really. These players from overseas value representing their country more than they do their National Hockey League teams, so you really cannot question him for making the decision to play.

If he happens to go down, which we will keep our fingers crossed doesn't happen, I will be sure to let you know. Check the site after the game for postgame analysis as well as Marian's status.

Rangers Claim Alex Auld off Re-Entry Waivers

Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that the New York Rangers have claimed goaltender Alex Auld off of re-entry waivers from the Dallas Stars. Auld, 29, will become current starting netminder Henrik Lundqvist's back-up, allowing Chad Johnson and Matt Zaba to remain with the Wolf Pack (AHL) and compete at that level on a nightly basis. Which is probably the best thing for their development right now.

In 21 games played this season with the Stars, Auld has recorded nine wins, along with a save percentage of .894 and a goals against average of 3.00. The Blueshirts will assume a $500,000 (125,000 considering games remaining) cap hit with the move, which saves them about $350,000 compared to what they were paying for Chad Johnson. Remember, acquiring a player on re-entry waivers means paying only half of that player's salary, which makes this an ideal situation for GM Glen Sather, who is a bit cap tight with the trade deadline approaching.

It was clear that one of Auld or Marty Turco was going to have to be moved from the Stars organization after they went out and traded for Kari Lehtonen. Luckily for the Rangers, this sort of just fell into their lap and finally solves a problem that has been present for the past three months. Auld will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Gaborik Injury Ruled Lower-Body

As I reported earlier this morning, New York Rangers forward Marian Gaborik did not return from the locker room after the second period intermission in last night's Slovakia-Canada semifinal match-up. While nothing was officially confirmed at the time, Steve Zipay of Blue Notes is now reporting that the sustained injury has been deemed lower-body. Possibly his groin, which was nagging the star winger during the preseason, but that has not yet been confirmed.

What has been confirmed, though, is that it is an injury, like I predicted last night, and is definitely a concern for the Rangers back here in New York. Gaborik, along with Henrik Lundqvist, will be the most important players for the Blueshirts going down the stretch here, especially if they are in search of a playoff position. Having to play without him handicaps this team majorly.

This from Zipay:

Gaborik, who has 35 goals and 34 assists, went into the Olympics with a 20-stitch gash on his upper right thigh from Lundqvist's skate in practice on the 9th and despite that, the Rangers' leading scorer almost made it through the Winter Games.

But for those of you snowbound or otherwise engaged late last last night, Gaborik suffered a lower-body injury late in the second period of Slovakia's 3-2 loss to Canada and didn't appear in the third.

One unofficial posting inferred that Gaborik, who has accounted for almost 25 percent of all the Blueshirts goals this season, sustained a groin injury. No word at this point on whether he will play tonight in the bronze medal game against Finland. I'd think it's doubtful.

I already have this story up on Blueshirt Banter and I think some of the readers may have fallen out of their computer chairs. So please, hold on to the handles when reading this article.

Will have more as it comes in.

Gaborik Injured? Leaves Game Early as Slovakia falls to Canada

Everyone got what they wanted as Team USA and Team Canada will square off in the Gold Medal Game on Sunday afternoon at Canada Hockey Place. However, from a Rangers standpoint, there is a more important matter right now. Forward Marian Gaborik, after playing in the first two periods of the game, did not return from the locker room for the third period last night. There was no explanation from Team Slovakia or Gaborik himself as to why he was nowhere to be found. I am not going to jump to conclusions, but I think we all know what the probable reason is.

If this happens to be injury related, it is exactly what we feared heading into the games in Vancouver. Prior to the Olympics, the Blueshirts leading scorer was suffering from a thigh laceration as he made contact with goaltender Henrik Lundqvist's skate blade during a shootout drill in practice. Gaborik missed three games with the Rangers leading up to the break.

It is the third period of the semifinal game and his team is down by just three. I could tell you right now that he did not sit out because of a hang nail. Something pretty significant would have had to keep Marian Gaborik from playing in a situation such as that one. He lives to play in big moments like that.

Nothing seemed to be aggravating Marian during the second period and he also did not receive any big hits in the contest. There were no signs of an injury at all, in fact, so this one remains a mystery at the moment.

Again, I am not going to jump to conclusions, but this is not looking very good. We will see if he is in the lineup when Slovakia takes on Finland for the Bronze Medal later today. Will have any updates as they become available.

2010 Vancouver Olympics: USA Flattens Finns 6-1, Will Play for Gold on Sunday

This game was pretty much over when defenseman Erik Johnson scored for Team USA to put them up by the score of 3-0 midway through the first period. Much like in the Russia-Canada game on Wednesday, it was disappointing to see the Finns not show up this afternoon at Canada Hockey Place, giving the Americans a free ride to the Gold Medal game which will be played on Sunday. The winner of tonight’s Canada-Slovakia match-up will determine who the U.S. will play for the Gold.

Remember earlier today when I called out Patrick Kane and others for not showing up on offense? Well, Kaner was had himself his best game of the tournament so far, scoring twice in the first period and making plays every time he was on the ice. What you saw on your television set today (or if you were lucky enough to be at the game live) was the Patrick Kane we know and love; a dominant young player who could take over a game.

Complimenting Kane with their offensive efforts were Zach Parise, Ryan Malone, and Paul Stastny, who are all beginning to awake. These three players are going to be names you should be hearing a lot of on Sunday in the medal game. Quite honestly, Malone has been the best out of the players listed above, which was not expected heading in.

Now, I would just like to stop and talk about Malone’s tally for a second. Give credit to forward Phil Kessel for pressuring Finnish goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff on that play, because otherwise Kipper doesn’t feed the puck directly to Malone in the slot, leaving the net empty for a goal.

That series of events led to many more which eventually saw Kiprusoff removed from the game. Mikka was not sharp at all and was losing his squad the game. I believe that he should have been pulled earlier so the Finns could have had more time to stage a comeback, but that wasn’t the case as Wild netminder Nicklas Backstrom only came in after the fourth goal of the period.

Smart move by head coach Ron Wilson to put Tim Thomas in to finish off the victory, although he did allow the only Finn goal. Miller was rested and Thomas got some action so you kill two birds with one stone. I was happy to see Wilson make this move.

None of the three Rangers in the game did all that much besides Drury and Callahan giving it their all on the penalty-kill, but that is expected by now. Blueshirt center Olli Jokinen, at one point, gave Patrick Kane a cheap shot behind the net, which in my eyes, was a cowardly play by the veteran forward. There is no reason to pull something like that and the only reason he did it was because there is no fighting in the Olympics and he wouldn’t have to defend himself.

So it will be the Gold Medal Game to be played on Sunday. Like I said, depending on the result of the later match-up between Canada and Slovakia, USA will know their opponent by the time they go to bed tonight. It seems as if everyone is hoping for a USA-Canada rematch, and really, how could you blame them? I will coverage of that game on twitter and on the site afterwards.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Live Chat: USA vs Finland (2-26-10)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: USA Has Gold Medal Game in Sight as they Take on Finland in Semis

Win this game and you could capture the Gold. That will be the message within the Team USA locker room this afternoon as the United States will take on Mikka Kiprusoff and Team Finland in the semifinal round of the Men’s Hockey Tournament. Finland will likely give the U.S. a bit more of a challenge than Switzerland did, although that game was close, so the Americans will have to be sharp in this contest. The later game will determine who USA would play if they were to win this game, but it would likely be a rematch against the Canadians on Sunday.

Team USA responded with a great effort after being criticized by general manager Brian Burke after the win over Team Canada last weekend. They played with grit, the defense was strong, and of course, Miller was solid in net. Like I said, I still think Burke made that comment so the team would not feel all high and mighty after defeating their rivals. It is very easy for a squad to enter a game thinking they are automatic winners just because they are the favorites. USA did not make that mistake on Wednesday.

This match has some history to it going back to the 2006 Olympics in Turin. The Finns were the ones who eliminated the Americans in a less than satisfying run for the U.S. hockey team that year. You would hope that the United States will get their revenge today, because not medaling in the tournament would be devastating after getting this far. By the way, allow me to clear up what I said in the postgame recap of Wednesday’s win. The U.S. was guaranteed a medal game, not a medal after that victory. I think some people may have misunderstood that so I apologize for not making it clear.

Zach Parise finally got things kicked into gear in the tilt with the Swiss, netting two goals on the day. Well that is great, but what about the rest of the primary offense on the team? They were ineffective yet again. Patrick Kane and Paul Stastny are the two individuals who come to mind that must pick up their offensive game. They are getting by without them now, but as Team USA progresses through the tournament, they will need more and more of their lineup contributing. So far, about half of the team’s forwards have been no-shows.

I still feel that Rangers forward Chris Drury has been one of the better performers on the team. He has two huge impact goals in four games played, his penalty-killing has been tremendous, and he has even got it going in the opposition’s zone with the hard forecheck. Drury, for a player that has been looked at as a fourth liner, has been instrumental in USA’s immaculate record thus far in the tournament.

Goaltender Ryan Miller should have a fairly light game this afternoon and allow me to explain why. So far, Team Finland has been all about playing defense. They do not score many goals, they do not generate much offense. What they do execute well is their defensive play. So the pressure shouldn’t be on Miller in this one, it should be on the United States offense. That goes back to what I said above about more of the forwards contributing.

There is a good chance that this will have to be a situation where USA will have to grind out a win, much like we see when the Rangers play the Devils in the NHL. I doubt it is high scoring and I doubt either offense generates much. Once again, it may be a frustrating but exciting match-up at the same time.

Lastly, I will have the live chat up once again today, starting ten minutes prior to puck drop. For those who chatted last time, you already know that it runs for the entire game and is open to anyone. We had a record 25 readers in our last chat and had a ton of fun. We will be looking for a similar environment today. Make sure you stop by!

Oh, and before I forget, I am sure you picked up on the changes to the sidebars here on the site. All I did was split the one long bar into two smaller on both sides of the text. All features that were available prior to the change are still there, just in different spots.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Lundqvist Headed Home, Jokinen and Gaborik Move On

There was much action last night in the Hockey world after most of us hit the sack as two more teams moved on, and two others were sent home. Earlier in the day it was USA defeating Switzerland and Canada eliminating Russia. In the later hours, Slovakia upset the defending Gold Medal Champs in Team Sweden, while Finland shutout Jaromir Jagr and the Czech Republic, 2-0.

Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, after recording two straight shutouts in the tournament, surprisingly allowed four goals on fourteen shots faced. Although, when looking at the highlights, Lundqvist only had a chance of stopping one of those which was Demitra's powerplay slapper. The other three were tap-ins and/or rebounds.One of those goals came off of the stick of teammate Marian Gaborik, who will move on to play Team Canada in the semifinals. The final score of the game was 4-3, so things did go down to the wire, but Slovakia was able to pull off the upset.

While you feel bad for Lundqvist being that he is such a tough competitor and will put the loss on himself for the poor performance in an elimination game, it is good to see him coming home early so he has some rest before the Rangers start up again next week. Henrik is going to have to be at the top of his game as the Blueshirts bid for a playoff spot in the final twenty games of the regular season. Now he will have a good week to rest himself after a draining two weeks of tournament hockey.

As for Gaborik, I am looking forward to seeing him go up against the Canadians tomorrow. It would also have been ideal if he was coming back to New York to rest that thigh laceration, but I am sure he is thrilled to be headed to the semifinals based on his latest tweet (below)......

"Woooow.. We're in semifinals!!! Wish us luck everyone!!!"

And finally, Finland blanked the Czech Republic last night, meaning Rangers center Olli Jokinen will be going up against teammates Ryan Callahan and Chris Drury when the two teams showdown on Friday in the semifinals.

So out of the three teams Rangers are on, two are guaranteed to medal in the tournament, which will be a sweet little prize to bring home to New York to share with fans and in the locker room.

There are no games scheduled today for Men's Hockey, as those will start tomorrow, but Team USA's Womens' Squad will clash with Team Canada tonight in a faceoff for the Gold Medal.

Also, make sure to read my below post on the brand new Rangers discussion forum being run by Greg from Metro Hockey and myself.
(Image courtesy of AP Photo)

Broadway Blue Rangers Discussion Forum

Recently, Greg Caggiano of Metro Hockey began developing a brand new Rangers Hockey Discussion Forum called "Broadway Blue". Well, Greg was kind enough to ask me if I wanted to jump aboard and help him moderate the forum, and also have The Rangers Tribune join Metro Hockey in being a part of the collaboration of the forum. I gladly accepted.

The forum has already gained many members and even a few bloggers such as Dave from Blue Seat Blogs. You can find the forum at http://broadwayblue.co.cc/. We were looking for a way to extend the discussion on our blogs, as well as a way to be more active with our readers and fans. This forum gives us that opportunity. It is still a work in progress, though, as things will be improving as we move forward.

So I ask that you please join and help make this work. Like I said, the conversation on the forum has already picked up since its creation and we are getting some great posters. I know all of the readers on my blog are fantastic and really know their stuff, so I would love to see you all over at Broadway Blue.

NOTE: This will not affect the way anything here on the blog is run by any means. Everything here will remain the same. The discussion over there is just additional.

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Parise, USA top Switzerland, Move on to Semifinals

It took over 40 minutes of hockey for this game to have any points on the board, but an excellent effort by both clubs kept all viewers entertained and on the edge of their seats. Zach Parise may have been the lone scorer in the game, but it was a team effort that earned Team USA their fourth win of the tournament and now a guaranteed medal game. Defense, offense, and goaltending were all strong this afternoon for the Americans, which has not always been the case in the past.

The U.S. certainly had their chances in the first and second periods. However, there was a man in net for the Swiss by the name of Jonas Hiller. If you remember, I mentioned his name a few times in the pregame; I’m assuming you now know why. Hiller was incredible in the game, making saves on 42 of the 44 shots the United States threw his way. The Americans thought they had the early lead several times in the first period, but each time were stoned by Hiller.

In the second period, Team USA’s Ryan Kesler came extremely close to burying that first goal, when his shot deflected up of Hiller’s skate, onto his shoulder, and eventually batted in by his swinging stick. Luckily for the Swiss, after reviewing the goal, it was determined that the puck crossed the goal line after the buzzer had sounded to signify the conclusion of the period. Instead of looking at this in an angry matter, I think the U.S. used it to their advantage and motivated the rest of the group heading into the final stanza.

Zach Parise finally found the back of the net for the first time in the tournament to open the third, burying a rebound right around the crease. The United States would score again, this time Ryan Suter, but the goal was waived off as Kesler was called for interference against a Swiss defenseman in front of Hiller. On the same sequence, USA goaltender Ryan Miller was beat for the first and only time all night, but the post was there to preserve the shutout.

Parise would end up depositing the empty-netter in the final minute of regulation and well deserved at that. Parise has been criticized by many that have followed the team, including myself, regarding his dormant offense. There is no question that head coach Ron Wilson and his squad needed more out of Parise, and boy did he deliver against Switzerland. Right from the opening faceoff, Zach was physical, he crashed the net, and created numerous opportunities for himself.

Miller’s shutout was one of the easier ones he will capture in his career, as the Sabres starter only faced a total of 18 shots in the game. I also though Miller had a lot of help from his defense, which began in Sunday’s match-up with the Canadians.

Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan both played great once again today. They are constantly being put onto the ice in key defensive positions and each and every time they execute to perfection. Both players, as we know, are not afraid to sacrifice the body, as could be seen when Drury took a Mark Streit slapshot to the chest while on the penalty-kill.

With this victory, Team USA is pretty much guaranteed to go home with a medal, but what color will shine on that medal is still to be determined. The winner of Czech Republic versus Finland later tonight will move on to be USA’s opponent in the semi-finals. Russia/Canada, followed by Sweden/Slovakia will also be played later tonight.

Also, quick thanks to everyone who participated in the live chat during the game. We had over 20 people reading and about half of those who were actually posting. You can read it in its entirety in the below post. The next chat will be held during USA's semi-final game.
(Photo courtesy of Reuters Pictures)

Live Chat: USA vs Switzerland (2/24/10)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: USA Clashes with Swiss in Quarterfinal Match-Up

Do or die is the name of the game from this point on in Men’s Olympic Hockey, and Team USA will kick off their elimination play this afternoon when they go up against Jonas Hiller and the Swiss in a Quarterfinal match-up at 3 pm Eastern Time. The United States enters this game as the top seeded team in the tournament with a perfect record of 3-0-0-0. Switzerland was an opponent of the U.S. earlier in the tourney (last Tuesday) when the American won 3-1. They will be looking for a repeat effort today.

Team USA general manager Brian Burke stated immediately after the win over Canada that he was not particularly pleased with what he has seen from his team so far. He, along with many others that have followed the team, believes that they can be much better than the way they have played to this point. I think Burke also came out and made that statement to keep his team on their toes, and not think too highly of themselves just because they defeated the Canadians on Sunday.

Switzerland has made it clear that they are not in this tournament to be pushed over by more favorited opponents. They came so very close to upsetting Canada last weekend in a tilt that ended in a shootout, and for the most part, have played solid hockey in all of their outings. The Swiss are not going to be an ‘easy’ task for the United States, and I think Brian Burke knows that, hence the statement he made to the media, making his squad aware of what is to come.

A big part of Switzerland’s success has been because of the play of goaltender Jonas Hiller. Hiller has been unbelievable so far in the Olympic Games, keeping his team in every game and providing them with a chance to win. Hiller came into the National Hockey League last season with the Anaheim Ducks, where he took over the starting job from veteran netminder J.S. Giguere, who recently has was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Without him, the Swiss would probably have been defeated yesterday by Belarus in the qualifier.

With that being said, the United States offense has a lot of fire power up front, and I think they have not really used it just yet. Patrick Kane, Zach Parise, Paul Stastny, Phil Kessel are among the forwards who need to step it up on offense for Team USA. The Americans have been getting scoring from all angles, which is a good thing, but a lot of it has been secondary. The team’s primary scorers have not been all that effective just yet and need to bring their game to the next level in the playoff rounds.

Rangers forward Chris Drury has been one of the better players for Team USA and is opening the eyes of many with his recent play. Chris was one of the more frequently questioned picks by Brian Burke for Team USA, but with the way he has contributed in each win, how could they still be questioning the decision? The guy is a clutch player, not worth $7.5 million dollars, but he is valuable to this team and that has been made obvious.

Ryan Miller is going to have to be a story in the rest of the games for the U.S. as well. Much like Hiller, “Miller Time” has been awesome for the U.S. when he has had to be. I say that because in certain games, he did not have to face all that many shots, for example, against Switzerland the first time around. His 42 save effort against Canada, on the other hand, was tremendous.

Lastly, I do not know if you saw or not, but for the previous USA game I ran a live chat here on the site. We had a total of 14 members come on and chat throughout the game and everyone agreed that it was a load of fun. So, I bring you that chat once again this afternoon, beginning at 2:50 pm (10 minutes prior to puck drop) right here on the site.

All you have to do is click where it tells you to, insert a screen-name, I approve your first post, and then you are able to freely chat from that point on. Like I said, the first post of yours it will make me approve, but once that I see that first post, I can put you through to post without approval. I do ask, though, that we try to keep things clean as best we can. I will advertise it on twitter and in other places, but I would appreciate if readers can reach out to their friends and family that love USA hockey as well, and tell them to come and join the conversation as well.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: USA to Play Swiss in Quarterfinals

After today's shootout victory over the Belarussians, Team Switzerland will move on to the Quarterfinals where they will meet the United States for the second time in the tournament. That game will be played tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm Eastern Time and will be televised on NBC. The winner will progress to the semifinals while the loser will head home.

Team USA should not have much of a problem handling the Swiss tomorrow in Vancouver. The only threats on that roster are forward Roman Wick, defenseman Mark Streit, and especially goaltender Jonas Hiller. Beyond that, Switzerland is not a very deep team and have already been shutout by the U.S. in the tournament, 2-0 last Tuesday.

All that being said, the USA cannot approach this match-up thinking it is an automatic win, because that just isn't going to work out. The Swiss will outskate and outwork them if that isthe case. Just ask Team Canada who will be playing their qualifier later tonight.

Rangers Olympian Report Card

I know the blog has been centered around the Olympic Craziness for the past week and a half, so I thought I would put up a post today containing some Rangers analysis along with Olympic coverage. Below I present to you my New York Rangers Olympian Report Card, evaluating all of the Blueshirts that are participating in the Olympic games. So here goes nothing.

Henrik Lundqvist

Henrik Lundqvist has been the most valuable player to his team so far out of all of the Rangers in the Olympics. In two games played with Team Sweden, Lundqvist is yet to allow a goal. First, he shutout the Germans in a 2-0 Swedish victory. Then on Sunday night he was perfect in net again as the Swedes blanked their rivals in Team Finland, 3-0 in a contest that found them getting a free pass to the Quarterfinals.

Grade: A+

Marian Gaborik

Marian Gaborik has played three games to this point with the Slovakians, despite a nagging thigh laceration suffered a couple of weeks back in practice when leaping over Henrik Lundqvist in practice. He was a gametime decision in Team Slovakia's first tilt against the Czech Republic, and to Rangers fans' displeasure, the skilled winger played in that game. He recorded a goal in the second period, which now is still his only point in the tournament. However, he has skated well and helped the team out defensively.

Grade: B

Olli Jokinen

Olli Jokinen is considered a top player on the defending Silver Medal Champ Finns. Olli, so far, has been good for a goal and an assist. Two points in three games is fairly decent but his club could have used his scoring in their loss to Sweden on Sunday. That is going to hurt his grade in the long-run, but other than that the newcomer to the Blueshirts has played some relatively solid hockey. Also, Team Finland is positioned at the top of their Group, so they will not have to play a Qualifier, but rather wait for either the Czechs or the Latvians to face in the Quarterfinals.

Grade: A-

Chris Drury

Chris Drury, I feel, has been the most valuable to his team other than Lundqvist for Team Sweden. The Rangers Captain has been instrumental in USA's perfect record so far in the tournament. He has two goals and has been spectacular when penalty-killing all in a limited amount of ice time. You wonder if the Americans would be where they are without him. Chris took a lot of heat for even making the team, even though it was not his decision, so I am delighted to see him prove critics wrong. I am also keeping my fingers crossed that he can play like this for the Rangers starting next week.

Grade: A

Ryan Callahan

While Ryan Callahan may only have one assist on the tournament, he has done what he has been brought here to do. Callahan, or Drury for that matter, was not added to this roster to be a main contributor on offense. Instead, he was brought here to kill penalties, grind, and provide a spark. Up to this point, I think he has done all of those quite well, except I do feel he can have a bit more of an impact by throwing the body around like he always does in the National Hockey League. But again, he is young and new to this so I expected some adjustment time.

Grade: B+

John Tortorella

Not much to say about Torts because all we really know is that he runs the powerplay. The United States powerplay has been streaky at best, much like the Rangers, so I think Tortorella can bring it up a notch.

Grade: B+

Jim Ramsey

Jim Ramsey, one of the best trainers this game knows, got out onto the ice lightning quick when a Canadian player injured himself during the USA game. I think he deserves recognition for his efforts.

Grade: A+

Also, today will be the start of the qualifying round, so I will have coverage of that later.

My Report Card can also be found on Blueshirt Banter.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: The Road to Gold for Team USA

It may not have sunken in immediately, but after some thought, it has come to me that Team USA should not have much of a problem getting into the Gold Medal Game, which is scheduled for Sunday, February 28th. Last night's 5-3 win over Canada has provided the Americans with a list of benefits, including getting a bye in the qualifying round and an automatic free ride to the Quarterfinals.

Switzerland and Belarus will go head-to-head tomorrow in a qualifying match-up, and the winner, who I am thinking will be the Swiss, will move on to play Team USA this Wednesday in the semi-final game. The Swiss came very close to pulling off an upset over the Canadians last week, but the chances of that happening against the United States are slim. Canada has a ton of pressure on them and entered the games thinking they automatically will finish the tournament with a Gold Medal hung around their neck. The U.S., on the other hand, come in as the underdogs and no one expecting them to make any noise at all.

Team USA handled the Swiss in the preliminary round, 3-1, so why shouldn't they be able to do just that once again in the plaoffs? It seems as if they are getting better and better as each game is played, and they are getting contributions from all angles. In every contest there is a different individual effort that lifts this team to a win, for example, last night was Ryan Miller, even though he wasn't much of a story in the first two games of the tournament.

So if the United States defeats Switzerland, they then go on to play the winner of Finland and the Czech Republic, that is assuming the Czech defeat Team Latvia in the qualifier. This will not be an easy one to win for the United States, no doubt about that, but it should be one in which they are able to get the job done, given their skill power over the Czechs and the Finns. Finland is a good hockey club, do not get me wrong, as they are defending Silver Medal finalists, but are a team that is not nearly as deep as the Americans.

Now it is impossible to predict who the United States would face in the Gold Medal game if they should win the semi-final tilt, as there will be so many tight games in the opposite bracket to keep tabs on. However, I will go as far as to say that the U.S. would more than likely be facing one of Sweden, Canada, Russia, or Slovakia in the championship. All four of those teams are solid contenders that would give the USA a very hard time. Although, as we have seen, the better team on paper is not always the better team when they hit the ice.

Again, last night's win was extremely crucial, and for them Team USA to pull it off was incredible. Though the celebration stops here. This is not the end of the road, as the United States still has three very important games ahead of them if they want to go home as Gold Medalists. The U.S. does have it easier than everyone else being that they pulled off the upset against the Canadians and walked right into the Quarterfinals in the easier bracket. They also, like I have said, gained more respect from all teams after Sunday's victory, something they can use to their benefit in the future, or something that can go against them.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Team USA Completes Thrilling Upset of Canada with 5-3 Victory

While it may not be your 1980 Miracle on Ice, although they did have the vintage jerseys on, tonight’s win over Team Canada feels very good for the members of the United States hockey team, coming in as the underdog and stunning the city of Vancouver. They knew heading in that it would be an uphill battle. They knew it would be an emotional contest, and they knew that they were not the favorites to win. However, Team USA overcame all of those factors and got the job done at Canada Hockey Place, and will now have a free ride into the medal rounds, meaning an automatic playoff berth.

It did not take very long for the U.S. to strike first as Brian Rafalski’s drive from the point deflected off of Canada’s coverboy Sidney Crosby to give the good guys the lead just forty-one seconds in. Eight minutes later, Eric Staal tied it up at one when he tipped home a Brent Seabrook shot past USA goaltender Ryan Miller. Once again, though, the United States would answer back, Rafalski again on a loose puck, beating Brodeur as he uncharacteristically tumbled to the ice for no apparent reason.

Just 3:32 into the second, Dany Heatley of the San Jose Sharks notched his fourth goal of the tournament and tied things up at two. With some hecticness in-between, and tremendous saves by both netminders, New York Rangers forward Chris Drury buried a rebound among a scrum of players, giving USA the edge and registering his second goal in three games. Maybe this will give the Blueshirts Captain a boost when he returns to the National Hockey League action in March.

Jamie Langenbrunner, who wears the ‘C’ on his chest for both Team USA and the New Jersey Devils, scored seven minutes into the third and at that point you felt things were over. Of course, Sidney Crosby had other plans when he deflected a shot, this time into the opposing net and just like that we had ourselves a ballgame with the U.S. leading by just one, 4-3. Ryan Kesler officially put this one to bed when he leaped into the air and past Corey Perry to somehow send the puck into the empty-net. That play right there was indicative of the way Team USA played in this game. That was the prettiest empty-net tally I have ever seen.

Goaltender Ryan Miller was the main reason the Americans are coming out of this game with a win. Canada outshot USA 45-23 in the contest, and Miller had answers to 42 of them. The Sabres starting netminder made some amazing robbery saves in this game, especially in the third, but he wanted this victory more than anyone. His performance tonight could be best summed up by the word ‘ridiculous’. He was truly unbelievable tonight.

Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan both contributed to Sunday’s thrilling win over Team Canada. The Canadians were given two huge powerplay chances in the third, and both times Drury and Callahan were put out there to kill them off. And then later, with only about two minutes remaining in regulation, head coach Ron Wilson had Drury out there again in a key position. That says a lot about what the coaching staff thinks about the two Rangers representatives for the United States.

Current Red Wing and former Devil Brian Rafalski is playing as if he is possessed. I knew this guy was talented, but this is some of the best hockey that I have seen him play throughout his career. Four goals in two games for a defenseman is pretty darn good if you ask me.

If there is one area of Team USA’s game that has been criticized often it has been there defense. However, they were rock solid on this night. Crosby was shut down, Marleau was given nothing, Thornton did not have room to create plays, Iginla did not do much. I mean, you go down the list of names that the United States was able to keep off the board and you think to yourself that they should be able to stop any team if they can do so against Canada.

If the Americans needed anything to boost their confidence and propel them to a medal in this tournament, that confidence boost definitely came tonight with their 5-3 win over the Canadians. They now have the attention of this entire tournament and will be taken a bit more seriously. They are on top of the world right now.

I would also like to thank everyone who participated in the live chat during the game. I know it came on short notice, but we still managed to have 14 members join the room and discuss the very entertaining game between USA and Canada. In the future, I will let readers know on the site and on twitter when I will have one up. I thought I would try it tonight and it was a success so I am looking to do another sometime soon.
(Photos courtesy of Getty Images)

Live Chat: USA vs Canada (2/21/10)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Team USA and Team Canada Faceoff in Rivalry Game

There will be a series of games today that have some history to them heading in, but Sunday’s main event will be when the United States of America takes the ice with their rivals from up North, Team Canada. Both teams are undefeated thus far in the tournament, and both teams have looked sharp at sometimes and bad at others. Both teams are comprised entirely of a National Hockey League lineup. So even though they are rivals, they have many similarities, which makes the battle even tighter.

The differences? Well, the most obvious one is that from top to bottom, front to back, the Canadians have a much deeper lineup than the USA. Head-to-head Team Canada’s first line is superior to that of the U.S.’s, their second is better than the Americans’ second unit and so on and so on. Right on through Canada is a better team, offense, defense, goaltending; it is all deeper, it is all stronger.

With that said, the better team does not always win, because quite frankly, they may or may not be the better team on the ice, regardless of what they look like on paper. This holds true for Thursday night, when it took overtime and later a shootout to decide the final between Canada and Switzerland. Canada ended up winning that game, but the Swiss gave them a run for their money and almost put Canada Hockey Place, hell, the whole country of Canada into a state of shock.

They may not admit it, but both the team and fans right now are nervous going into this game against the United States. I was fortunate enough to hear the reactions of Team Canada’s faithful after that game during my stay in Vancouver. Based on what has been said, they will no longer underestimate an opponent in this tournament, which I see as disrespectful in any sport and in any scenario, especially the Olympic Games.

I do not know what the state of the locker room is right now, but the fans in Canada have lost a little of their confidence in their team. Canada was outplayed in that game at times, which they believed would not be the case for the entire tournament. That team over there felt indestructible, but that no longer is the case.

The reason I am stating all of this is because it could work to Team USA’s advantage. There is absolutely zero pressure on the United States. In fact, more than half of the country couldn’t care less about the sport of hockey. Across the border, though, almost every household will have that game on the television set. And if they are not home watching it, they are at the arena sporting their country’s colors live. That leaves all of the pressure on Team Canada, not on the United States.

Canada has a history of buckling under pressure, especially when they are outplayed. One thing the United States does not lack is the ability to create energy and to play a heartfelt game. That is usually the foundation of a Brian Burke (USA GM) hockey team.

That energy and that heart is what is going to win USA this game. Let’s be honest here, they fail to compare skill-wise to Team Canada and are in for a rude awakening if they believe they will get by with a half effort and conceded attitude. It is going to be an uphill battle for the Americans, no doubt, but their energy and fire could be yet another weapon in their arsenal to help them climb that hill.

Goaltending Match-Up

Today’s goaltending match-up will be Ryan Miller for the States against Martin Brodeur for the Canuckleheads. Both netminders have been exceptional to this point, in this tournament and in the National Hockey League. Goaltending has been the major factor throughout this tournament for all teams so far, so expect both of these guys to play a large role for their respective team’s effort today.


Who to Watch for

Team USA:

F #88 Patrick Kane
D #28 Brian Rafalski
G #39 Ryan Miller

Team Canada:

F #15 Dany Heatley
D #27 Scott Niedermayer
G #30 Martin Brodeur

In-game updates of this game available at twitter.com/RangersTribune.

(Photos courtesy of Getty Images and Reuters)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Sunday's Olympic Hockey Extravaganza

On what has been called 'Hatred Day' by some, three fantastic match-ups will take place in Vancouver today, with three teams each facing their rivals. First it will be Russia against the Czech Republic. Following that will be Canada versus the United States, and finally Sweden and Finland, a rematch of the Torino Gold Medal game, will go at it in the later game. Below is the schedule neatly laid out for you:

3 p.m. ET: Russia (1-0-0-1) v. Czech Republic (2-0-0-0)

7:30 p.m. ET: Canada (1-0-1-0) v. USA (2-0-0-0)

12 a.m. ET: Sweden (2-0-0-0) vs. Finland (2-0-0-0)

All three of these games carry much more meaning to them beyond just the history they have. The winner of each can become first in their group and awarded an automatic playoff berth. There are exceptions, though, as a team like Russia, for example, would have to get a 3-point regulation win in order to leap frog the Czech Republic in the standings.

All games are scheduled to be broadcasted on the NBC family of networks. You can also find in-game updates at twitter.com/RangersTribune. I will also have a USA v Canada Pregame Preview up on the site later this afternoon.

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Gold is up for Grabs

I have learned and seen a lot over the past week, following each and every Olympic Hockey game played here in Vancouver at Canada Hockey Place. The experience, as I have said, was incredible and will be something I will think back to often later in life. I have seen many teams, many players, and many styles of play during my stay, and to be honest, do not know if I have ever watched so much hockey consecutively before. Anyway, one thought among many I will leave Vancouver with is that this tournament can be won by any team that wants it.

There is no favorite anymore. There is no country that is already set in stone for the Gold Medal. It simply cannot be looked at that way after taking into consideration the match-ups and the results we have seen so far in the Olympics this year. This is anyone’s tournament and I think it will boil down to goaltending and all around execution and effort.

Canada was a shot away from losing to the underdog in Team Switzerland. The Slovakians, led by Pavol Demitra, upset the stacked Russians, who are now leading the polls on my site as the favorite to win Gold. Belarus came awfully close to coming back against team Sweden yesterday, but ended up falling 4-2 thanks to a late goal by Daniel Alfredsson. And then it was Latvia playing a tight game with the Czechs.

There may only be one total upset on that list, but the other games came extremely close to re-enacting what Slovakia did to Russia. I think a lot of it may be due to the underestimation of opponents. That is a major problem with the Rangers, and when this was the case, they usually got taught a lesson. No team in any sport deserves to be underestimated, let alone in the Olympics.

Sunday’s games will set the table to for the rest of the tournament. Sweden is taking on their rival in Team Finland, while the United States and Canada clash later that night. In both contests, one team will be favorited and one team will fill the role of underdog. I think it is pretty clear who is who here. Sunday is not a medal round day, but it will certainly feel like one.

On that note, I would just like to thank each and every one of you for visiting the site and reading my articles in addition to reading my tweets while I was in Vancouver. I had the time of my life and I would not have loved for anything more than to share the journey with you, and allow you to experience Olympic Hockey.

I am a proud American, no doubt about that, but I must say that the people here in Canada are incredible. First off, they are extremely kind and caring, for the most part anyway. Secondly, EVERYONE knows and follows their hockey. The streets buzz after wins, they are gloomy after losses. Believe it or not, whatever the hockey team that takes the ice does, sets the mood for this city. I really enjoyed being a part of that.

The coverage does not stop here, though, as I will have the exact same coverage of the remainder of the tournament that I have had up for the past week. Of course, the only difference is that it will not be covered live. Now, I jump on the plane and back to New York I go!

You can also read my post at Blueshirt Banter.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Latvia Gives Czech Republic a Run for their Money

Team Czech Republic gained their second consecutive win in the tournament tonight, but it did not come easily with the Latvians giving them a run for their money. Early on, it seemed as if the Czechs were going to run away with the game in the first period, but the goals slowed down for them and Latvia almost inched their way back. They may have lost, but the fans there were fantastic and had the times of their lives.

Boston Bruins forward David Krejci got things started with a smooth move to the net and a goal through the five hole of Latvia goaltender Ervins Mustokovs. Tomas Plekanec of the Montreal Canadiens then deflected one home to give the Czechs a 2-0 lead. It was then the Great Sixty-Eight, Jaromir Jagr, snapping a wristshot into the net to cap the period off with the score being 3-0. Shots in that period were 16-4 in favor of the Czech Republic.

On the powerplay early in the second, Patrick Elias of the Devils sneaked a pass to a wide open Tomas Kaberle, who one-timed the feed into the back of the net, making it 4-0. The Latvians fought back, however, as they would first score on the breakaway, and then later register a powerplay tally. At that point, the arena was echoing with “LAT-VIA” chants coming from all directions. It was truly unbelievable.

Those chants went on all through the third period. They were ignited by odd-man rushes, solid saves, and even strong defensive plays. Unfortunately their boys would come up short, and that sank in right as Elias’ lofter found the empty net. Still, a great effort by Team Latvia in this game tonight. I don’t think the Czechs were expecting such an effort from their opponents.

What the past two days have told us is that there is no longer a favorite team in this tournament. Switzerland nearly beat Canada, Slovakia upset Russia, Belarus almost found a way to edge Sweden, and now Latvia contended with the Czech Republic. It is raising eyebrows and gaining the attention of many as it should. Next week’s medal rounds will certainly be entertaining based on what we saw over the past few days.

Also, there is no doubt it my mind that Jaromir Jagr can still play in the National Hockey League and still put up points. He could not be controlled tonight and was all over the place. He was strong on the puck, he had some excellent shots and scoring chances, and even went to his slapshot, something Ranger fans know that he did not use all that often in New York. I would love to see Jaromir back in the league.

My Olympic journey has finally come to an end, as I head home on a flight to the Big Apple tomorrow afternoon. The coverage here on the site, however, will stay entirely the same. I will still be covering all of the games for the rest of the tournament, just not live here in Vancouver. The experience I had here is up there as one of the best of my life. The people, the fans, the hype, it was all amazing and I am extremely delighted I was able to share it with all of you, my readers.
(Photo courtesy of Reuters Pictures)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Jagr and the Czechs Look to Make it Two Straight against Latvia

Jaromir Jagr will lead his team back onto the ice later this afternoon against Latvia after having the day off yesterday. On Wednesday the Czech Republic routed Slovakia 3-1 in an entertaining match-up over at Canada Hockey Place. That leaves the Czechs undefeated entering today’s contest, and they will look to continue that streak against a much weaker hockey club in the Latvians. I will be at this game for the sole purpose of once again seeing former Rangers Captain Jaromir Jagr live.

Tomas Vokoun was spectacular for the Czech Republic in their first game, only allowing a single goal to Marian Gaborik of the Rangers in the second period. Slovakia dominated the third stanza at first, so Vokoun was left standing on his head at times. I believe that Vokoun is an underrated goaltender in the National Hockey League who has an immense amount of talent that is hidden in a Panthers organization.

The Panthers would not even be close to the playoff race if it were not for Vokoun and for fans that follow the Cats, they are well aware of this fact. Now playing with the Czech, the veteran netminder will have many eyes on him, and you better believe that he is going to take that opportunity to show the World that he has still got it. I think he has done that quite well through game one of the tournament.

The Czech defense isn’t too shabby themselves, with the Leafs Tomas Kaberle and the Thrashers Pavel Kubina. Not to mention other NHL athletes in Marek Zidlicky (Wild), Roman Polak (Blues), Zybnek Michalek (Coyotes), Filip Kuba (Senators), and Jan Hejda (Blue Jackets). It may not be a blue-line the caliber of Team Canada’s, but it certainly is an effective one. The thing I would look for in their defense, though, would be inconsistencies, because that seems to be the story of a lot of these players’ careers in the NHL.

On offense you have veterans Jaromir Jagr and Patrik Elias. Both of these players can still play the game of hockey, and can still dominate a game for that matter. Remember that determined mode Jagr would enter in the playoffs in his NHL years? Well, he showed it once again in the Slovakia game. He may not bring a whole lot of flare and excitement to the game like an Alex Ovechkin does, but he certainly can keep up with him and play with him.

Jagr’s scoring, complimented by Elias, Havlat, Fleischman, and Plekanec, can carry this team right to the medal rounds. Obviously that is not an easy task to accomplish, but we all know what Jaromir Jagr is capable of when he wants to take control of a game.

The Latvians played with Russia early in their first outing on Tuesday. That game didn’t actually break open until the third period, so the 8-2 final score was not really indicative of the pace of the contest. It actually had a lot of tension in it, the battle level was sky high, and surprisingly, both teams looked desperate to win.

I will say this, Latvia may be small and their team may not be all that skilled, but their fans are amazing. Scoring two goals against Team Russia was like a victory to them and when those goals did find the back of the net, the crowd erupted and immediately ignited Latvian chants. I found that incredible and give them a lot of credit. That right there is the definition of dedication and passion.

As usual, in-game updates available at twitter.com/RangersTribune starting at puck drop, which is scheduled for 4:30 pm Pacific/ 7:30 pm Eastern. CNBC will be televising this game back in the United States.
(Photo courtesy of Reuters Pictures)

Lundqvist to Sit Out vs Belarus

Darren Pang of TSN has reported on twitter that Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will watch Friday's contest between Sweden and Belarus from the press box as the team has chosen to dress back-up netminder Jonas Gustavsson. Now before you all jump to conclusions, this is NOT being done because of an injury, it is simply to give Hank some rest so he has his energy when it really will be needed in the medal rounds next week.

This game will begin in just under two hours. I think Gustavsson, who is one of many goalies in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, should easily handle Team Belarus. Stefan Liv of the Swedish Elite League will back him up on the bench in case things do not go as smoothly as the Swedes hope.

From a Rangers standpoint, the more rest for Lundqvist the better. The Blueshirts, just like Gaborik, will need Hank performing at the top of his game when he returns from Vancouver. Right now they are lucky to be in contention for a playoff spot, and with Henrik gassed, that key spot in the standings will rapidly slip.

Back with Czech Republic - Latvia Pregame in a bit....

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Slovakia Edges Russia in the Shootout, 2-1

Another thrilling contest in the books here in Vancouver, British Columbia as Slovakia defeated Team Russia 2-1 in the shootout earlier tonight. You would think this game would have been a battle of the offenses when heading into it, but it turned out to be a tight tilt that kept fans on the edge of their seats all throughout. Other than the United States blowout this afternoon, all the games that took place were tightly played and exciting. That is how Olympic hockey should be afterall.

Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra, former teammates in Minnesota, were the best players on the ice for Slovakia tonight. They were very dynamic with the puck and created some great scoring chances. Russian goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov had answers to most of them, except for Marian Hossa’s tying one-timer late in the second period. Demitra had the winning goal in the shootout.

Gaborik, for a player with a thigh laceration, has looked sharp out there for the most part. He is not skating at 100 percent but has been good enough to contribute for the Slovaks. My fear, now, is when Gaborik returns to New York after the Olympics. I am not too sure his physical status will be all that great, but hopefully he can prove me wrong. The Rangers are going to need him more than ever down the stretch and in the hunt for a playoff spot, and they cannot afford to have him watching from the sideline due to an injury.

So with the conclusion of today’s games, below are the current tournament standings based on points:

1. Team USA - 6 points
2. Team Canada - 5 points
3. Russia - 4 points
4. Sweden - 3 points
5. Finland - 3 points
6. Slovakia - 3 points
7. Czech Republic - 3 points
8. Switzerland - 1 point
9. Norway - 0 points
10. Belarus - 0 points
11. Latvia - 0 points
12. Germany - 0 points

I will be heading to Czech Republic vs Latvia on Thursday, so check in for pregame and postgame analysis of that game, including in-game updates of all games on twitter.
(Photo courtesy of Reuters Pictures)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Canada Almost Loses to Switzerland in the Shootout

I think the title of this post pretty much says it all. Earlier this evening Team Canada defeated Switzerland 3-2 in the shootout, but for Canadian fans, it simply cannot feel like a legitimate win. You have an incredible home crowd, you have a lineup full of the National Hockey League's best, and you win by one goal in a shootout against a roster full of somewhats and absolute nothings. This just sets the table for what promises to be an amazing match-up between Canada and the United States on Sunday here in Vancouver.

The crowd in Canada Hockey Place was frightened and tense, there is no doubt about that. The same, I am sure, could be said of the team itself. They are definitely going to have some butterflies in their stomach heading into the USA game, and the Americans will have their confidence coming off of a 6-1 victory over Norway.

Sidney Crosby, of course, was the hero for Team Canada, scoring the only goal in the shootout. Martin Brodeur stopped all shots faced in the shootout (4) and will be the starting goaltender against the Americans on Sunday. Dany Heatley (Sharks) and Patrick Marleau (Sharks) were the regulation-time goal scorers for the Canadians.

Marian Gaborik and Team Slovakia will square off with Alex Ovechkin and Team Russia in just under an hour. Look for game updates of that contest on twitter.

2010 Vancouver Olympics: USA Captures Second Win, Beats Norway 6-1

Team USA only came to play for a period and a half this afternoon, but it was enough to defeat the Norwegians by the score of 6-1 at Canada Hockey Place. Based on this performance, the United States will have a lot of work to do over the next two days to prepare for Team Canada on Sunday night. I don't think it will be too difficult to get up for that game, but effort will only get you so far. Execution is key and there wasn't a whole lot of that in today's contest.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel got the U.S. on the board early in the game when he roofed a wrist shot off the crossbar and in on the breakaway. A Ranger to Ranger connection followed that up to give USA a 2-0 lead when Chris Drury banged home a Ryan Callahan rebound in front. The Unites States got many more chances in that period but were not able to convert, so two - nil would be the score entering intermission. The final shot count was 15-2 in favor of Team USA.

The second period of this game was uninspiring for the U.S. to say the least. They had zero energy, they were lazy, and the turnovers were abundant. Blackhawks star Patrick Kane scored the only goal for the Americans in the period, depositing a Zach Parise rebound. Actually, the Norwegian goal had that shot gloved originally, but dropped it, leaving the puck sitting there for an open Kane.

The United States powerplay, which is run by Blueshirts head coach John Tortorella, then allowed a shorthanded goal to the Norwegians. I think this startled the Americans a bit as they started to frantically scramble in their own zone. It also put a shock into the crowd because they were being overpowered by "Let's Go Norway" chants by the wise guy Canadian fans in attendance. This period exposed the U.S. defense, which is not looking too great up to this point.

The third stanza was when things exploded as the United States scored three unanswered goals. The first was started by goaltender Ryan Miller who sent out defenseman Jack Johnson. Johnson's rebound was batted in by Ryan Malone. Just after that, Zach Parise fed a pinching Brian Rafalski for a one-timed tally. Rafalski was not done, however, as he later blasted a shot from the point which put the Americans up 6-1.

I thought Rangers forward Chris Drury was one of the better U.S. players in the game, scoring a goal and creating multiple scoring chances with fantastic passing. Ryan Callahan was also a standout in this game, as he was thrown onto the ice by head coach Ron Wilson when the team needed a physical spark. Callahan gave them just that in addition to a few shots and an assist. An overall great afternoon for the two Rangers representatives.

Zach Parise, Patrick Kane, and Phil Kessel were the best forwards for the U.S. in this game, in my opinion anyway. Kane is probably USA's most valuable player on offense and watching him live gives you the opportunity to see how quickly he can move with the puck.

In addition to Kane as very valuable to the team is goaltender Ryan Miller. Miller had to be sharp often in the second period and he was just that, making some tremendous saves.

Team Canada will now play the Swiss over in downtown Vancouver, and Russia will faceoff with Team Slovakia in the later game. Today marks the four-year anniversary of Switzerland's upset against Canada in Torino, so this one will have an interesting feel to it. Game updates at twitter.com/RangersTribune.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Team USA Squares Off with Norway in Game Two of the Tourney

The United States will look to continue their solid start to the Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament in this year’s Olympics with a victory over Team Norway this afternoon. The USA defeated the quick and slick Swiss on Tuesday when David Backes, Bobby Ryan, and Ryan Malone cashed in for the U.S. and propelled them to three points in the standings in the opening day of the tournament.

They may have captured the win on Tuesday, but I think America will look for more of a dominating performance when clashing with the Norwegians. It may not be admitted by players or coaches, but the competition between the U.S. and Canada has already begun. The United States will want to match, if not top Team Canada’s 8-0 win over Norway on Tuesday later today.

The U.S. top line containing Patrick Kane and Zach Parise was a disappointment in the last game as they did not put up any points in a boatload of ice time. There is no question that this line will have to be not just good, but great for this team if they planning on going deep in the tournament and possibly earning a medal. This line definitely has the components to be a dominating force, but it is just a matter of finding chemistry, which they did not have much time to do prior to Tuesday’s tilt with Switzerland.

Rangers forwards Ryan Callahan and Chris Drury did not get as much ice time as maybe the fans would have expected, but you must take into consideration the role they were brought here to play. Callahan and Drury are not being relied upon to put all of the points on the board for this United States team, but rather to perform in the dirty areas of the ice and do the little things that help a team get a win. I think head coach Ron Wilson has made this clear to them.

Drury actually came out and made a statement to the media after that game, saying that it is not about the minutes, it is about contributing to the club in a positive way and working your to getting the win. Drury realizes his role on this team, as does Callahan, and I do not think they are going to be complaining. They are in the Olympics afterall.

The defense in the last game was steady for the most part, except there was some times where they needed to do a better job of clearing the front of the net in front of Ryan Miller. Hopefully the kinks in their game were worked out over the course of their day off yesterday.

Ryan Miller, who will start again today, did not see much action on Tuesday but was good when he needed to be. I am expecting him to have even less work against a dormant Norway offense later today.

Speaking of Norway, based on what I saw against Canada, they are an effort based team, but that effort only can get them so far. As long as the United States plays smart in their own zone and can get the forecheck going on offense, this win should be an easy one to capture. They U.S., remember, wants a blowout because goal differential plays a part in the tie breaking later in the tournament.

I will be at this game at Canada Hockey Place, so be sure to follow my in-game twitter updates at twitter.com/RangersTribune.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Jagr's Still Got it, Scores in Czech Republic's 3-1 Defeat of Slovakia

A last-minute decision by forward Marian Gaborik had him in the Slovakian lineup tonight against the Czech Republic, even though earlier reports had said that he would sit the first two games out. However, if it were not for Gaborik, Slovakia would have been shutout and would have lost by two instead of three. There is no question that Marian was not 1oo percent out there tonight, but he certainly looked better than he did last Friday when he tried playing for the Rangers against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Mellon Arena.

Personally, I really enjoyed watching former Rangers Captain Jaromir Jagr after not seeing him since his departure from the National Hockey League two seasons ago. Jagr was the best player on the ice hands down. Jaromir, who turned 38 years of age this past week, was all over the ice, taking shots, making plays, and playing a big part in the Czech Republic’s win.

Jagr registered a goal and an assist in the game, but watching him gave me flashbacks of his years with the Rangers. Everything he does is still the same. Warding off defenders along the boards with his body, using his strength to get to the net, it’s just what makes Jaromir Jagr, well, Jaromir Jagr. When he wants to be a dominant player, he can do so with a little effort. It was clear that Jagr is in domination mode in these Olympics after watching his performance on this night.

This contest was probably the best played in the entire tournament so far. Both teams were competing which makes things much more exciting, and both teams put out an NHL majority lineup, so it was pretty even all throughout. They were taking the body, especially on Jagr, and the game was just played with a fierce and aggressive demeanor.

Slovakia started Gaborik on a line with Stumpel and Palffy, but was eventually moved up to play with close friend Marian Hossa and former Minnesota teammate Pavol Demitra, who he scored a goal on the powerplay with. Like I said, Gaborik was not at 100 percent but at the same time he is not very far from it. I am just worried about him burning himself out, but I also will not jump to conclusions here and create inexistent scenarios.

These two teams are overshadowed by Canada, Russia, Sweden, and the United States, but there is always a chance one of them could get hot and capture a medal. I cannot really see that happening though. They are “good” teams, not “great” ones as Canada, Russia, and Sweden are.

I will be headed to the USA vs Norway game today, so stay tuned for pregame coverage of that later.
(Photo courtesy of Reuters Pictures)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Lundqvist's Shutout Leads Sweden Past Germany, 2-0

The defending Gold Medal Champions got off on the right foot tonight when they defeated Team Germany by the score of 2-0. In what was a defensive contest for the most part, New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist worked his way to a shutout in the first game of the tournament for him. Heading into the game I mentioned that I was not sure if the Swedes would be more of a defense centered club or if they would take a more offensive approach. Looking at the score of this one I am sure you could determine the answer to that question.

It seemed to take the the players a while until they found their legs as the two-team shot total after one was just 13. However, things would pick up in the second period when Team Sweden threw ten shots on goal and were able to put two pucks past Germany goaltender Thomas Greiss. First, it was Mattias Ohlund that got the Swedes on the board first with a rocket of a slapshot on the powerplay. From what I heard, that goal should have been waved off due to goaltender interference, but the refs did not feel that way and the goal was deemed good.

Dallas Stars forward Loui Eriksson followed that up when he tapped home a pass from the Capitals' Niklas Backstrom, which came off of a series of marvelous dekes around the German defense. The remainder of the game was all Henrik Lundqvist as he turned away all 21 shots he faced over the course of the tilt. Henrik looked very sharp out there and as always, very calm. I also liked the look of his Blue and Yellow get-up in net.

Peter Forsberg, who had many eyes on him tonight being that he has previously left the National Hockey League to play overseas, skated well in this one. He did not have any shots on goal but I felt, from my perspective anyway, that he has not lost a whole lot since leaving the NHL. After the game, Forsberg told Yahoo!'s Greg Wyshynski that even though he felt good after the first game of the tournament, a return to the NHL is doubtful right now. Peter, along with former Ranger Markus Naslund, are playing without pay for Modo Hockey of the Swedish Elite League.

I liked the fact that neither team shied away from physical play in this game, especially Sweden who used the "take the body" tactic often on defense tonight. It may have lead to a bundle of penalties, but it brought some excitement to the game for sure. The crowd, which was split between Sweden fans and Germany fans, was into it for the entire night, and the loudest they got, besides for goals, was when Niklas Kronwall of the Wings laid a bomb of a hit on a German forward in the first period.

I still say Sweden has enough to defend their Gold Medal. The defense tonight was probably some of the best I have seen in the tournament so far, and when they do not get the job done, you have one of the World's best in Henrik Lundqvist in goal. I think Team Sweden will be looking for more of an offensive output than just two goals in the future, but for now, no other real complaints.

I know I went on a rant earlier about the lopsided games, but this one between Sweden and Germany was a fantastic match-up. I am expecting an even better one later tonight when Jaromir Jagr and the Czechs take on Zdeno Chara and the Slovaks. I will not be attending that game, but will be watching from the hotel here in downtown Vancouver, so I will have game updates available at twitter.com/RangersTribune.
(Photo courtesy of Reuters Pictures)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Finland Defeats Belarus as the One-Sided Games Continue

Rangers forward Olli Jokinen picked up a goal in today’s 5-1 Finland victory over Belarus. More importantly, the one-sided games continue here in the Men’s Hockey Tournament as the closest game so far has been USA’s 3-1 win against Switzerland, but the United States had control over the game for two out of the three periods.

Just to prove to you what I am getting at here, check out all of the scores in the tournament so far below.

USA 3 - SUI 1
CAN 8 - NOR 0
RUS 8 - LAT 2
FIN 5 - BEL 1

The first somewhat equal match-up will come later tonight when Jaromir Jagr and the Czechs take on Team Slovakia. At least both of those teams have a fair amount of NHL caliber players and are not teams that are mostly comprised of players from the KHL. And as a side note about that game, there is a chance Marian Gaborik may play. It is not for certain, but contrasting the news I let readers know about earlier today, the buzz is that he may play. I still doubt it, but only he knows if he is up to it.

Anyway, what is the point of even having teams like Norway or Latvia in this tournament if they are going to lose each game and get pounded by some superior clubs along the way? It is not fair to the players, and most of all, it is not fair to the fans. These Canadian fans have waited four years since being able to see their country boys compete in a tournament and when they finally do, it is against Norway? That is just poor planning and scheduling.

These lopsided scores are also just another indication that the skill level in the Kontinental League is nowhere near that of the NHL. The theory that the KHL is competing with the National Hockey League is foolish plain and simple, and the 8-0 and 5-1 scores are just further proving that argument. Belarus, which is mostly a KHL team, was outshot 45-12 this afternoon.

Going back to Jokinen for a second, the Finnish center played very well this afternoon. His skating was excellent, his chemistry with his linemates was clear, and you can tell that these guys all get along and know each other both on and off the ice. I think Finland has a solid team that, if they played the best possible hockey that they can, could capture a Bronze Medal in the tournament. It is not likely, but surely possible.

Well, I guess we will just see what comes of the Sweden game which I will be leaving the hotel to attend shortly. Don’t be surprised to see yet another lopsided score. To read more about this game, check out my Pregame Preview in the below post.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Sweden gets things Started against Germany

New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will lead Team Sweden into the tournament this afternoon when they take on Team Germany at Canada Hockey Place. The Swedish, as I have stated, is one of the more well rounded clubs in this tournament and I am looking forward to watching them live today. While I am not expecting a total blowout like we saw on Tuesday in the Canada game and the Russia game, I do think Sweden will come out of this one with a victory and three points in the standings.

While the team is well rounded, their strength has to be defense and goaltending. Us Rangers fans know more than anyone about how netminder Henrik Lundqvist gives you a chance to win night in and night out. Henrik was a main reason Sweden won Gold in Torino in 2006, and will again be a major reason if they defend that title this time around in Vancouver. Plus Hank has been red hot for the Blueshirts heading into the tournament so you would assume we would be seeing more of the same on the rink today.

Goaltending, surprisingly, has been phenomenal in the games that I have seen thus far. Jonas Hiller was tremendous for the Swiss, both Norway and Latvia had solid goaltending in at least the first two periods of their games, and then Miller, Nabakov, and Luongo did not see much action, but came up with the big saves when they were needed. In short tourneys such as this one, there is no question that your goalie will have a lot of say in how far you go and so far the goaltending has been excellent.

Defense is where many teams can run into problems. Latvia and Norway found themselves getting into trouble against Canada and Russia when pinned in their own zone. I do not know if these foreign leagues focus more on offense back home in Europe or what it is, but the defensive coverage has been very poor, which leaves goaltenders on their own and left out to dry.

This is why I feel Sweden can breeze through this tournament as long as their defense is rock solid. You have veteran blue-liners Nik Lidstrom and Matthias Ohlund, and then the younger guys compliment that in Niklas Kronwall and Johnny Oduya. Henrik Lundqvist will take a breath of fresh air when he has this defense in front of him for a change, instead of the porous squad the Rangers put out on the ice every night.

On offense you have Red Wings star Henrik Zetterberg leading the way, followed by the Senators Daniel Alfredsson and former NHLer Peter Forsberg, who now plays in the Swedish Elite League. Dallas Stars youngster Loui Eriksson is also a plus up front for the Swedes, but the big focus will be on the Sedin twins for sure. Henrik and Daniel are dynamic when playing together and will carry the mail for Team Sweden on offense.

When you know look at the team as a whole after dissecting them piece by piece, you can see what I mean by saying that they are well rounded. You have the goaltending, not depth-wise though, in Lundqvist. The defense is strong and the offense is extremely skilled. I am looking forward to seeing how they all play together as a club this afternoon, especially because they have had a bit more time than some of the other teams to bond and unite. Like I said, I am expecting a Swedish victory today.

Team Germany has numerous NHL players on their roster such as the Bruins Marco Sturm, Marcel Goc of the Predators, Dennis Seidenberg of the Panthers, and defenseman Christian Ehrhoff of the hometown Canucks. This is why I do not believe this game will be a blowout, but I do think Sweden should be able to handle them.

As a programming note, I know there was a lot of confusion about television channels and the games yesterday back in the United States. So for your information, my schedule has today’s Sweden-Germany game down as CNBC back in the States. Whether that will change, I do not know, but for now it is set to be televised on CNBC.

Live in-game updates of the Sweden game will be available at twitter.com/RangersTribune. Also be sure to keep tabs on my twitter during the day as well because I have been tweeting my experiences out on the streets of Vancouver, which has been interesting to say the least. Postgame Analysis later as well.
(Photo courtesy of Reuters Pictures)