|
|
 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
Marathon season In-season Olympic break makes for a long regular season
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Teemu Selanne compares the upcoming hockey season with a long, cold swim under a sheet of Olympic ice. "Nobody gets to take a breath," the San Jose Sharks' Finnish star said. For just the second time, the National Hockey League will lock its rink doors in February to allow the world's best players to represent their countries at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Taking 12 days off in the heart of hockey season has led to a hectic schedule featuring many games in short periods of time, harsh road trips and questions about the arrangement's fairness. While stars and non-stars alike don't look forward to the task ahead of them, most say that all the hard work is a small price to pay for a chance at Olympic glory. "You play this game for the Stanley Cup and a gold medal," United States captain Chris Chelios said. "Whatever we have to do to make it work, we'll do it." The NHL has been of two minds about the Olympics since the first shutdown for the Nagano Games four years ago, which allowed all of the game's best players to participate. Before that, the U.S. teams often were comprised of college players -- including the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team that defeated the Soviet Union. Commissioner Gary Bettman loves a chance to showcase hockey's top stars playing at their highest level in front of millions who might not otherwise watch the sport. On the other hand, the shutdown creates months of logistical hassles. Even with a complete suspension of league activities from Feb. 15-24, the NHL will end its regular season on April 14, just one week later than last year. To pick up the difference, the NHL designed an always-busy schedule that borders on brutality, particularly for many West Coast teams who log more travel mileage than the Eastern teams. Six games are scheduled for Feb. 13, nearly all involving teams with elite players who will open Olympic play at The E Center in West Valley City, Utah, just two days afterward. In addition to the two North American teams, Sweden, Finland, Russia and the Czech Republic will bypass the preliminary round, which starts on Feb. 9. The gold medal game is scheduled for Feb. 24. Two days later, 26 of the NHL's 30 teams have scheduled games -- 10 of them on the East Coast. Canada's Eric Lindros, the Czech Republic's Jaromir Jagr and American Brian Leetch all will be needed half a continent away just 48 hours after the conclusion of an exhausting tournament. "This schedule, the way it's built now, with five games in seven nights sometimes -- I don't know how teams are going to deal with it," San Jose general manager Dean Lombardi said. "That's a lot to ask. I know we won't be as fresh on some nights. Depth will be an incredibly important thing." But the players won't be the only ones tested. Consider the challenges facing Maple Leafs coach-GM Pat Quinn, who will also be watching his team's opponents all season for possible inclusions to the Canadian team he will coach in Salt Lake City. While several players already have been named to most Olympic teams, many spots are still open in North America and Europe. That makes the first four months of the NHL season essentially an extended audition for the chance to play for gold. Canada GM Wayne Gretzky, Czech Republic GM Ivan Hlinka and U.S. national team coach Herb Brooks all will be carefully scrutinizing dozens of players on the bubble of inclusion, which could lead to outstanding early season performances. Everyone from young Canadian forward Alex Tanguay to veteran U.S. defenseman Derian Hatcher will have an extra jump in his step, hoping to catch the eye of his national team's boss. The elite players will deal with the situation differently. Canada will be captained by soon-to-be 36-year-old Mario Lemieux, who plans to save his strength strategically this season by skipping many back-to-back games to be fresh for the Olympics and the postseason. Then there's Sweden's Peter Forsberg, who has drawn his countrymen's ire by sitting out the start of the NHL season in a sabbatical that may last through the Games. Some think Forsberg, who plays for the Colorado Avalanche, will rediscover his love for the game just in time to compete in the Olympics. The NHL has done its part, but the two North American teams still worry about a lack of practice time. They don't expect to get more than one full practice before their opening games. Both held four-day training camps shortly before NHL training camps opened, and there's talk that the teams may get together in Los Angeles during All-Star weekend -- the week before the Olympics begin. A proposal to hold a small international tournament instead of an All-Star game was shot down. "It's going to be a long haul," said Dallas' Mike Modano, who will skate for the U.S. team. "We have to look at it as though we're doing it for a reason. It's going to be a tough season, but the Olympics are something you can't say no to."
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
