Olympic hopefuls look for solid net dividends
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist’s mission to put the New York Rangers into the playoffs for the first time since 1997 prepares him well for the monumental task he will face as Sweden’s Olympic goalie.
He has to help about 9 million Swedes erase the 4-year-old memory of their country losing to Belarus in one of the greatest hockey upsets in Olympic history.
“There was a lot of discussion in the papers after that,” Lundqvist said. “Every tournament we played, it felt like we have to make up for it or something.”
Swedish goalies face the most pressure because Belarus’ winning goal came on a long shot that veteran Tommy Salo misplayed.
The Swedes had enough talent to compete for the gold medal then and now, but the reason they’re considered a prime medal contender in Torino is that Lundqvist’s strong play makes it appear he’s the goalie great they have been missing since Pelle Lindbergh died in 1985.
He’s the first Rangers rookie to win 20 games since Mike Richter went 21-13-7 during the 1990-91 season.
“We’ve definitely got a shot for the gold there (next month),” he says. “It’s going to be tough. There’s a lot of good teams out there. I mean, it’s so close, especially when it’s only up to one game in the quarters and semis and finals.”
Among Lundqvist’s many strengths is his ability to control rebounds, which is extremely important in a tournament that features the world’s best scorers.
“(I’ve played) a lot of international tournaments, and they help me prepare for the NHL, I think, facing good players. I think especially last year’s (world championships in Austria), long and short guys, good speed, the goalies, it helped me to get ready for this year and make this adjustment. I think especially to know in your head that you can compete against the best players in the world.”
How some of the other country’s goaltenders are playing:
“United States: One of the prevailing thoughts around the NHL is that the country’s hottest goaltender is the Buffalo Sabres’ Ryan Miller, who isn’t even on the team.
“All cards being equal, there could be strong debate for Ryan Miller being one of the three guys,” Team USA general manager Don Waddell says. “I have no problem saying that.”
When the final U.S. roster was set in December, Miller was coming off a thumb injury and Buffalo goalie Martin Biron was in the middle of a long winning streak.
Team USA officials wondered if Miller could get his job back, so they went with the New York Islanders’ Rick DiPietro, Philadelphia Flyers’ Robert Esche and Tampa Bay Lightning’s John Grahame.
Esche just came back from a groin muscle injury. DiPietro, injured for the first part of the month, has been 2-2-1 in January with a 2.87 goals-against average. Grahame is the most impressive this month with a 3-1 record, 1.55 goals-against average, .945 save percentage and two shutouts.
“We couldn’t tell you right now who is No. 1,” Waddell says. “The good thing is the decision doesn’t have to be made until Feb. 14. We will know a lot more then.”
“Canada: Considering that Canada has one of the tournament’s more impressive lineups, it’s noteworthy that No. 1 Martin Brodeur is one of the hottest netminders. The New Jersey Devils goalie is 9-1 with a 1.76 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in January. The Florida Panthers’ Roberto Luongo has been in the net for Canada’s last two world championships.
Canada has the Dallas Stars’ Marty Turco for overkill, but he hasn’t played well lately.
“Czech Republic: The Czechs are considered one of the favorites because they won last spring’s world championships and have top-notch goaltending. Their choices are the Ottawa Senators’ Dominik Hasek, who won gold at the 1998 Olympics, or the Nashville Predators’ Tomas Vokoun, who was in net for the world gold.
“Russia: Chicago Blackhawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin is out 4-6 weeks with a sprained knee, so the San Jose Sharks’ Evgeni Nabokov is likely No. 1. He’s 4-1 in January.
“Finland: The Atlanta Thrashers’ Kari Lehtonen is considered one of the world’s best young netminders, but he missed most of the first half with a serious groin muscle injury. Philadelphia’s Antero Niittymaki also has posted good numbers, but Calgary Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff’s decision to skip the Olympics to heal a nagging injury is considered a major blow for Finland’s medal chances.