Men’s hockey
This may be the deepest, most competitive hockey tournament in history, laced with NHL stars and future legends. The Avalanche will sprinkle 11 players on eight Olympic teams. The Canadians are the class of the field. An American medal would be a true accomplishment.
U.S. Olympic team
Goaltenders:
Rick DiPietro, 24, Winthrop, Mass.
Robert Esche, 28, Utica, N.Y.
John Grahame, 30, Denver
Defensemen:
Chris Chelios, 44, Chicago
Derian Hatcher, 33, Sterling Heights, Mich.
Jordan Leopold, 25, Golden Valley, Minn.
John-Michael Liles, 25, Zionsville, Ind.
Aaron Miller , 34, Buffalo, N.Y.
Brian Rafalski, 32, Dearborn, Mich.
Mathieu Schneider, 36, New York
Forwards:
Jason Blake, 32, Moorhead, Minn.
Erik Cole, 27, Oswego, N.Y.
Craig Conroy, 34, Potsdam, N.Y.
Chris Drury, 29, Trumbull, Conn.
Brian Gionta, 27, Rochester, N.Y.
Scott Gomez, 26, Anchorage, Alaska
Bill Guerin, 35, Wilbraham, Mass.
Mike Knuble, 33, Toronto, Ont.
Mike Modano, 35, Livonia, Mich.
Mark Parrish, 29, Minneapolis
Brian Rolston, 32, Flint, Mich.
Keith Tkachuk, 33, Melrose, Mass.
Doug Weight, 35, Warren, Mich.
Sure bet:
Canada
Captained by Joe Sakic, the class of the Olympic field is the team from the Great White North. Canada is staunch on the blue line with Rob Blake and Chris Pronger. It is thick in goal with Martin Brodeur and Marty Turco. And offensively, they have all the glow of the Aurora Borealis – Jarome Iginla, Joe Thornton, Martin St. Louis and Dany Heatley lead the charge. Anything less than gold will be deemed a dark disappointment in the land of hockey.
Who to watch
Czech Republic
The NHL’s points leader returns to spearhead the Czech team’s drive to recapture a gold medal, which it won in 1998. Jaromir Jagr could form an electric line with New York Rangers teammate Martin Straka and the Avs’ Milan Hejduk. And hey, who’s that in goal? Just Dominik Hasek.
Sweden
This season, Philly’s Peter Forsbeg has been mentioned as an MVP candidate. In Italy, he’ll add even more fuel to his end-to-end game. The former Avs star gets help from countrymen Markus Naslund, Daniel Alfredsson and Detroit net pest Mats Sundin.
USA
They are talking gold. But winning the Olympic tournament seems more likely to come in 2010 when a fresh wave of home-grown talent blossoms. Still, the 2006 team is a gritty bunch with just enough scoring punch and speed to have a crack at reaching the podium. Look for Colorado’s fast-rising defenseman, John-Michael Liles, to be a key contributor on the power play. Liles is among the NHL’s top 10 scorers from the blue line this season.
Did you know …
Chris Chelios was 18 when Team USA won its “Miracle on Ice” gold in 1980. Three of his Turin teammates, including Liles, were not born yet.
Canada is so deep that Brian McCabe, who leads NHL defensemen in scoring, isn’t on the active roster Neither is Eric Staal, sixth overall among NHL scorers. Both are on the Canadian taxi squad.
Colorado connection
John Grahame, Denver
He has notched 19 wins for Tampa Bay this season, propelling him onto the American roster likely as the No. 3 goalie. His roots run deep in Denver. Grahame attended Overland High School. His mom, Charlotte, works for the Avs’ front office. His dad, Ron, is the University of Denver’s associate athletic director.
Olympic spirit
The moment was so big it was immortalized on a stamp. On Feb. 27, 1994, Sweden and Canada were tied 2-2 after three periods of the gold-medal game. Nothing was decided after overtime or a shootout. In a sudden-death shootout, Sweden’s Peter Forsberg beat Canada’s Corey Hirsch. Paul Kariya missed his penalty shot and Sweden took the gold. Sweden issued a postage stamp, a depiction of Forsberg’s goal from above the ice.
Women’s hockey
Welcome to round 3 of an epic fight. During the sport’s 1998 Olympic debut, the United States stunned Canada 3-1 to grab gold. At Salt Lake in 2002, Canada claimed its first gold with a 3-2 win over Team USA. The two hockey powers should clash again in the 2006 gold-medal game.
U.S. Olympic team
Goaltenders:
Pam Dreyer, 24, Eagle River, Alaska
Chanda Gunn, 26, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Defense:
Courtney Kennedy, 26, Woburn, Mass.
Angela Ruggiero, 26, Harper Woods, Mich.
Lyndsay Wall, 20, Churchville, N.Y.
Helen Resor, 20, Greenwich, Conn.
Caitlin Cahow, 20, New Haven, Conn.
Molly Engstrom, 22, Siren, Wis.
Jamie Hagerman, 24, N. Andover, Mass.
Forwards:
Krissy Wendell, 24, Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Kim Insalaco, 25, Rochester, N.Y.
Jenny Potter, 27, Edina, Minn.
Julie Chu, 23, Fairfield, Conn.
Kelly Stephens, 22, Seattle
Kathleen Kauth, 26, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Kristin King, 26, Piqua, Ohio
Katie King, 30, Salem, N.H.
Natalie Darwitz, 22, Eagan, Minn.
Tricia Dunn-Luoma, 31, Derry, N.H.
Sarah Parsons, 18, Dover, Mass.
Sure bet:
Canada
How good are they? Danielle Goyette will carry the Canadian flag in Turin. After that, she’ll light the lamp. During her career with the Canadian national team, Goyette has 101 goals and 99 assists in 153 games. Teammate Hayley Wickenheiser, the top scorer in team history, is back to try and reclaim the squad’s 2002 gold medal. Canada has dominated the Americans over the past year, but Team USA did beat them 1-0 in the 2005 World Championship.
Who to watch
USA
With Cammi Granato cut from the roster, Angela Ruggiero has emerged as the team’s leader. The defenseman from Harvard is back for her third Olympics. She has a nose for big goals in big games, and she was named by The Hockey News as the best women’s player in the world. In nine world championships and two Olympics, Canada and the United States have met in every gold-medal game. Canada has claimed eight of the world titles, and each team has won Olympic gold. Another rematch is looming.
Finland
The Finns took bronze in 1998 but, according to Ruggiero, “they can skate with us now.” During eight world championships, Finland has won the bronze all but twice.
Sweden
They have grown into a more physical club after winning the bronze medal in 2002. Expect Sweden to again challenge Finland for the third and final podium spot.
Did you know…
In Olympic women’s hockey, body checking is not allowed – although body contact is permitted when players try to play the puck first. All women are required to wear full face masks.
Talk about an old rivalry. The first international women’s hockey tournament was held in 1916, pitting Canada and the United States. During the first women’s world championship in 1990, Canada beat Team USA 5-2 for the gold.
Where are they now?
Cammi Granato, mainstay of Team USA in the 1998 and 2002 Winter Games, is part of NBC’s NHLcoverage team, commenting from the bench area and interviewing players and coaches during games. She will be a part of NBC’s hockey coverage team in Turin.
Olympic spirit
In 1998, Canada and the United States were en route to their first gold-medal showdown when they met in a meaningless preliminary game. Team USA won 7-4 in a nasty game that set the tone for years to come. At the time, Canadian coach Shannon Miller summed it up this way: “I don’t want to use the word hate in sport because I think that’s too strong to say how we feel about each other. But you could say there is a very intense dislike.”
