For a gold medal, would they do it?
With the Olympic hockey championship on the line and an Avalanche teammate in their sights for a potential injury-causing hit, would Colorado players do the dirty work?
The question gave pause to several players. Does the honor of playing for one’s country supersede the allegiance to a player’s employer, the one who writes the million-dollar checks?
To Avalanche left wing Antti Laaksonen, the answer is yes.
“I wouldn’t try to hurt him but, yeah, I’m going to hit him and try to take him out,” said Laaksonen, a member of the Finnish team. “It doesn’t matter who it is. There’s only one team when you’re in the Olympics – your own.”
The Avs have 10 players participating in the Games at Turin, including goalie Vitaly Kolesnik who has spent most of the season with Colorado’s minor- league affiliate. That number was reduced by the recent season-ending injury to Finnish defenseman Ossi Vaananen. The Philadelphia Flyers had 10 players selected but Michal Handzus withdrew Monday from Slovakia because of a shoulder injury.
It is an honor for the Avs to have so many players at the Games, but also a risk for injuries and players being tired for the playoff stretch.
Many games in Turin will feature Avalanche players competing against one another, raising a potential dilemma. Will Avs players – consciously or subconsciously – take it easy on one another?
“I don’t think so,” Laaksonen said. “It’s a lifetime chance to get a gold medal at the Olympics. You have to play your best and play hard to get it.”
Avs defenseman John-Michael Liles, playing for the United States, said he won’t be looking at the faces of his opponents – just their sweaters.
“You’re playing against just another guy at that point,” Liles said. “You never go out there and try to be dirty, but you play hard. Anybody on any other team would do the same thing.”
But what if a hit from one Avalanche player on another ends his NHL season with an injury?
“You can’t think about that,” said Avs veteran Rob Blake, a member of Team Canada. “You can’t live in fear of that. Injuries happen, but I think maybe with the international rules and the bigger ice sheet, the chance of injury is a little less.”
During the 1998 Games in Nagano, the Avalanche’s Joe Sakic sprained a knee ligament and was sidelined several weeks. That year the Avs were eliminated in the first round by Edmonton, and some theorized the team was fatigued after sending a league-high nine players to the Olympics. For that reason, Avs coach Joel Quenneville will closely monitor the minutes of his Olympic players down the NHL stretch.
“It’s obviously an issue,” he said. “But I think we’ll be OK. We’ll have a nice break in the schedule in March.”
The Avs have no games scheduled March 14-18.
Laaksonen said the players at the Olympics will have an advantage over the ones who don’t go. The NHL’s collective bargaining agreement states teams have no authority over non-Olympic players from Monday until Feb. 22. It will be up to the players to stay in shape on their own.
“I think the (Olympic players) will be sharper,” Laaksonen said. “I don’t want to sit 10 days during the season. That’s too long for me. Especially when it’s midseason, getting ready for playoffs. You want guys to be on the ice.”
Minnesota Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said teams worry about their players being injured at the Olympics, but the risk is worth it because the Games are a showcase for the sport.
“You want the guys to go and do the best they can for their country,” said Lemaire, whose team will be represented by Marian Gaborik. “If you win it all, it’s a great achievement. But with us, when you do have a top player going, you want him to come back healthy.
“If he goes and gets injured and misses the rest of the season, it’s not going to do his country any good, and it sure isn’t going to do us any good.”
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-820-5454 or adater@denverpost.com.
