The Avalanche’s 11 representatives on Olympic rosters are the most of any NHL team. With the Avs spread out on eight rosters, that means there will be a lot of competition between Colorado teammates in Turin during the Olympic break.
The announcements were staggered over four days, so here’s a wrap-up of the Avalanche Olympians and their teams:
Canada – Joe Sakic, Rob Blake.
United States – John-Michael Liles.
Czech Republic – Milan Hejduk.
Slovakia – Marek Svatos, Peter Budaj.
Kazakhstan – Vitaly Kolesnik.
Latvia – Karlis Skrastins.
Switzerland – David Aebischer.
Finland – Antti Laaksonen, Ossi Vaananen.
Hoosier: Liles, who also played for Team USA in the 2004 World Cup, is an interesting choice, in a sense representing the new wave of American talent from nontraditional hockey areas. He was born in Indianapolis and raised in nearby Zionsville, and was pretty much a lone wolf among his athletic friends in choosing and concentrating on hockey. After showing potential, he ended up on the national developmental teams at Ann Arbor, Mich., before moving on to Michigan State.
That’s all significant here because with rinks going up, youth leagues booming and even the University of Denver now able to recruit local talent, Colorado is a part of the new reality – USA hockey players can come from virtually anywhere in the country, no longer only the Northeast and upper Midwest.
In fact, if Avalanche winger Steve Konowalchuk hadn’t suffered a wrist injury and been sidelined for the rest of the season, he would have been on the U.S. team as well, and that would have been another “unlikely” locale on the list of hometowns.
Konowalchuk was raised in Salt Lake City before going to Portland, Ore., to play major junior for the Winter Hawks.
The rest of the world: After having gone to two previous Winter Games, I can testify to the reality that some of the most fun games to watch – and atmospheres to sample – are those at the Games not involving the United States or Canada.
Watching Skrastins and Sandis Ozolinsh play for a likely outmanned Latvian team, for example, could be enjoyable – especially if Ozolinsh, the wandering defenseman, uses his unique skills to take over a game on the international-sized ice sheet.
Jaromir Jagr can be the best player in the world when he wants to be, and he wants to be at the Olympics. Seeing Slovakia face the Czech Republic sometimes brings out ill will … at least in the stands. And there isn’t a more exuberant group of fans than those for Switzerland, who do everything but yodel.
