NHL players shake off cobwebs, train for Innsbruck
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Mike Modano finally has something to play for again and it’s pretty cool, even if it isn’t the Stanley Cup.
Sporting a summer tan in mid-April thanks to the labor lockout that canceled the NHL season, Modano hit the ice on Saturday with most of his teammates on the U.S. national hockey team to practice for the first time for the World Championship next month in Innsbruck, Austria.
“It’s been a long winter,” said Modano, star forward of the Dallas Stars. “This gave me a little bit of an incentive to work out and keep skating. When this thing’s over, I’ll probably feel good about myself, that I decided to play in it.”
The relief in the air at Herb Brooks Arena was palpable at every turn.
“Everyone was just relieved to see the guys, tell stories, catch up,” said goalie Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders, who has tried to stay in shape by rollerblading and skiing. “We’re laughing all the time. I was going stir-crazy, so this is good.”
“It’s been absolute torture,” said forward Mike Knuble of the Philadelphia Flyers, fresh from a season in the Swedish Elite League. “When it’s out of your hands, it’s really frustrating. You try and be an optimist throughout it all. At times in February, it was a pretty low point. When they finally canceled the season, it really hit home. Now, the World Championship is something new to think about, kind of something to refocus on.”
Only seven members of the U.S. team that finished third in last year’s World Cup were selected for this team: Modano, DiPietro, Doug Weight of the St. Louis Blues, Aaron Miller of the Los Angeles Kings, Jeff Halpern of the Washington Capitals, Jordan Leopold of the Calgary Flames and Ty Conklin of the Edmonton Oilers.
Modano, six weeks shy of his 35th birthday, the 34-year-old Weight, and 33-year-old Miller are former Olympians and the elder statesmen of the team.
“We’re a little younger, but almost all have played in the worlds,” said Peter Laviolette, in his second year as head coach.