Bronx33
12-20-2005, 09:55 AM
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news;_ylt=AqvY8D6Oky1l11SzL0e.vpbNycIF?slug=ap-usmenshockeyteam&prov=ap&type=lgns
By IRA PODELL, AP Sports Writer
December 20, 2005
Twelve newcomers and a 44-year-old defenseman will be shooting for the United States' first Olympic gold medal in 26 years.
Chris Chelios is the old man of the group, chosen Monday night in St. Paul, Minn. The 23 NHL players will head to the Turin Olympics in search of gold that has eluded the United States since 1980.
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Rick DiPietro, the New York Islanders' 24-year-old goaltender, was the youngest player chosen by general manager Don Waddell. Chelios will have hit his next birthday by the time the first puck drops in February in Italy.
All three U.S. goaltenders are Olympic newcomers, making that key position the team's biggest question mark.
Of the remaining 20 players -- 13 forwards and seven defenseman -- 11 have been to the Olympics, including two four-time participants and four making their third trips.
"Not only do we feel we have a lot of speed and the grit, but enough scoring," Waddell said. "We think our depth on defense is as good as it's ever been. And when you get in these short tournaments, a hot goaltender can lead you a long ways."
One noticeable omission on defense is Boston's Brian Leetch, a two-time Norris Trophy winner and three-time Olympian who missed time earlier this season with a knee injury.
"We did a rating system all year and these guys deserved to be here," Waddell said. "It wasn't that Brian was a bad player or anything like that. It was just that these guys performed better."
John LeClair (Pittsburgh), Jeremy Roenick (Los Angeles) and the recently retired Brett Hull were three familiar forwards left off the squad.
"I know nobody on that team has more points in the National Hockey League than me. So if they want to go that way, good luck," Roenick said.
He was clearly agitated by the slight, commenting on the situation after helping lead the Kings past Vancouver 4-3 on Monday night.
"To not have the opportunity to go back one more time and try and win the gold is obviously, in my opinion, very disrespectful," said Roenick, who has 1,133 points in 1,156 career regular-season games. "They can beat me down and say I'm over the hill or say that I don't have it anymore, but to me, I know that I do."
Waddell met with assistant GM Paul Holmgren and the rest of his staff Sunday night to make the final decisions. Defense and goaltending sparked the most debate.
"We said all along that we were going to base this team on not so much what was the history of players ... but how guys were actually playing," Waddell said.
Chelios, a Detroit defenseman, made his Olympic debut in 1984 and returned in 1998 and 2002 when NHL players were permitted to play.
"A defenseman that's only two years younger than me?" Waddell said. "No, I did not imagine that when we started this whole process."
USA Hockey was the first national federation to announce its roster. Team Canada will be next on Wednesday, and the remaining countries in the 12-nation tournament will make their selections known later this week -- the deadline set by the International Ice Hockey Federation.
For the third time, the NHL is taking a lengthy break to allow its players to take part in the Olympics.
The American forwards are anchored by veterans Mike Modano (Dallas) and Doug Weight (St. Louis), who both played in 1998 in Nagano and four years later at Salt Lake City.
Modano leads the Stars with 30 points in 30 games, while Weight holds the Blues' lead with 23 points in their first 27 games.
The U.S. finished well out of the medal round the first time NHL players went to the Olympics and left Japan in disgrace after causing property damage. The Americans rebounded on home ice in 2002, losing the gold-medal match to Canada.
New Jersey sparkplug Brian Gionta, who at 5-foot-7 has benefited greatly by the NHL's new rules that will be used in the Olympics, and fellow small speedster Jason Blake of the Islanders will be making their first Olympic appearances. Mark Parrish was the third New York player chosen.
"I think you're going to see a pretty fast-paced, competitive team," said coach Peter Laviolette, a former Islanders coach.
Besides the Islanders, Philadelphia and New Jersey also had three players chosen.
Erik Cole, who plays under Laviolette with Carolina, will join Craig Conroy (Los Angeles), New Jersey's Scott Gomez, and Philadelphia's Mike Knuble as first-time Olympic forwards.
Chris Drury (Buffalo) returns after a 2002 appearance, and Bill Guerin (Dallas) is making his third trip along with Minnesota's Brian Rolston.
St. Louis left winger Keith Tkachuk hopes to make his fourth Olympic appearance in red, white and blue -- but that depends on his knuckles, which are black and blue. Tkachuk is expected to miss four-to-six weeks after being struck in the right hand by a puck last Friday.
Injured players can be replaced until Feb. 10, and teams can bring a three-player taxi squad to Italy in case players are knocked out.
Tkachuk and Chelios would be the first four-time Olympians in U.S. hockey history.
The defense corps is a mix of old and young, starting with Chelios and ending with 25-year-old players Jordan Leopold (Calgary) and John-Michael Liles (Colorado). They are joined by Philadelphia's Derian Hatcher and Detroit's Mathieu Schneider -- 1998 returnees -- and Aaron Miller (Los Angeles) and Brian Rafalski (New Jersey), holdovers from 2002.
DiPietro is likely to receive the bulk of the time in goal once the American team opens against Latvia on Feb. 15. Philadelphia's Robert Esche has battled inconsistency and injury so far this season, and he is currently sidelined by a nagging groin injury.
John Grahame, who took over for Nikolai Khabibulin with Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay, is the third goaltender.
By IRA PODELL, AP Sports Writer
December 20, 2005
Twelve newcomers and a 44-year-old defenseman will be shooting for the United States' first Olympic gold medal in 26 years.
Chris Chelios is the old man of the group, chosen Monday night in St. Paul, Minn. The 23 NHL players will head to the Turin Olympics in search of gold that has eluded the United States since 1980.
ADVERTISEMENT
[-78161]
Rick DiPietro, the New York Islanders' 24-year-old goaltender, was the youngest player chosen by general manager Don Waddell. Chelios will have hit his next birthday by the time the first puck drops in February in Italy.
All three U.S. goaltenders are Olympic newcomers, making that key position the team's biggest question mark.
Of the remaining 20 players -- 13 forwards and seven defenseman -- 11 have been to the Olympics, including two four-time participants and four making their third trips.
"Not only do we feel we have a lot of speed and the grit, but enough scoring," Waddell said. "We think our depth on defense is as good as it's ever been. And when you get in these short tournaments, a hot goaltender can lead you a long ways."
One noticeable omission on defense is Boston's Brian Leetch, a two-time Norris Trophy winner and three-time Olympian who missed time earlier this season with a knee injury.
"We did a rating system all year and these guys deserved to be here," Waddell said. "It wasn't that Brian was a bad player or anything like that. It was just that these guys performed better."
John LeClair (Pittsburgh), Jeremy Roenick (Los Angeles) and the recently retired Brett Hull were three familiar forwards left off the squad.
"I know nobody on that team has more points in the National Hockey League than me. So if they want to go that way, good luck," Roenick said.
He was clearly agitated by the slight, commenting on the situation after helping lead the Kings past Vancouver 4-3 on Monday night.
"To not have the opportunity to go back one more time and try and win the gold is obviously, in my opinion, very disrespectful," said Roenick, who has 1,133 points in 1,156 career regular-season games. "They can beat me down and say I'm over the hill or say that I don't have it anymore, but to me, I know that I do."
Waddell met with assistant GM Paul Holmgren and the rest of his staff Sunday night to make the final decisions. Defense and goaltending sparked the most debate.
"We said all along that we were going to base this team on not so much what was the history of players ... but how guys were actually playing," Waddell said.
Chelios, a Detroit defenseman, made his Olympic debut in 1984 and returned in 1998 and 2002 when NHL players were permitted to play.
"A defenseman that's only two years younger than me?" Waddell said. "No, I did not imagine that when we started this whole process."
USA Hockey was the first national federation to announce its roster. Team Canada will be next on Wednesday, and the remaining countries in the 12-nation tournament will make their selections known later this week -- the deadline set by the International Ice Hockey Federation.
For the third time, the NHL is taking a lengthy break to allow its players to take part in the Olympics.
The American forwards are anchored by veterans Mike Modano (Dallas) and Doug Weight (St. Louis), who both played in 1998 in Nagano and four years later at Salt Lake City.
Modano leads the Stars with 30 points in 30 games, while Weight holds the Blues' lead with 23 points in their first 27 games.
The U.S. finished well out of the medal round the first time NHL players went to the Olympics and left Japan in disgrace after causing property damage. The Americans rebounded on home ice in 2002, losing the gold-medal match to Canada.
New Jersey sparkplug Brian Gionta, who at 5-foot-7 has benefited greatly by the NHL's new rules that will be used in the Olympics, and fellow small speedster Jason Blake of the Islanders will be making their first Olympic appearances. Mark Parrish was the third New York player chosen.
"I think you're going to see a pretty fast-paced, competitive team," said coach Peter Laviolette, a former Islanders coach.
Besides the Islanders, Philadelphia and New Jersey also had three players chosen.
Erik Cole, who plays under Laviolette with Carolina, will join Craig Conroy (Los Angeles), New Jersey's Scott Gomez, and Philadelphia's Mike Knuble as first-time Olympic forwards.
Chris Drury (Buffalo) returns after a 2002 appearance, and Bill Guerin (Dallas) is making his third trip along with Minnesota's Brian Rolston.
St. Louis left winger Keith Tkachuk hopes to make his fourth Olympic appearance in red, white and blue -- but that depends on his knuckles, which are black and blue. Tkachuk is expected to miss four-to-six weeks after being struck in the right hand by a puck last Friday.
Injured players can be replaced until Feb. 10, and teams can bring a three-player taxi squad to Italy in case players are knocked out.
Tkachuk and Chelios would be the first four-time Olympians in U.S. hockey history.
The defense corps is a mix of old and young, starting with Chelios and ending with 25-year-old players Jordan Leopold (Calgary) and John-Michael Liles (Colorado). They are joined by Philadelphia's Derian Hatcher and Detroit's Mathieu Schneider -- 1998 returnees -- and Aaron Miller (Los Angeles) and Brian Rafalski (New Jersey), holdovers from 2002.
DiPietro is likely to receive the bulk of the time in goal once the American team opens against Latvia on Feb. 15. Philadelphia's Robert Esche has battled inconsistency and injury so far this season, and he is currently sidelined by a nagging groin injury.
John Grahame, who took over for Nikolai Khabibulin with Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay, is the third goaltender.