Olympic hockey insight
DANIEL NUSKEY
Issue date: 2/23/10 Section: Campus News
With the 2010 winter
Olympics underway, many
events will be enjoyed by
viewers. However, there is
only one event that truly brings
out the competitive spirit of
every nation that participates:
men's Olympic hockey.
Many countries participate
in this event, but only
the elite survive.
There are many teams that
are considered the elite such
as Russia, Sweden,
Switzerland, Finland, and,
the most elite, Canada
Yet there's one team that
is more unique than the rest.
You either love them, or
you hate them with a fiery
and unruly passion: the
Americans.
The U.S. men's hockey
team is very different from
in years past.
The U.S. has a very young
nucleus, losing their veteran
leadership with Chris
Chelios and Mike Modano
retiring.
Now it is time for the new
generation to step up, and
leading the way is the New
Jersey Devils' forward
Jamie Langenbrunner as
captain. He gets help from
the Chicago Blackhawks'
right winger Patrick Kane,
Devils' left winger Zach
Parise, the Los Angeles
Kings' right winger Dustin
Brown, the Detroit Red
Wings' defensemen Brian
Rafalski, and goalie Ryan
Miller of the Buffalo
Sabres.
These young players fill
their roles very well on their
NHL Squads, and they will
have to translate that to
their Olympic team if they
hope to beat Canada and
win the gold. In order to do
so, goaltending is the area
the team will have to be
most solid at.
This makes Miller the
team's pivotal player.
During the current NHL
season, Miller is posting a
2.16 goals against average,
saving 1486 shots, and a
low save percentage.
The one negative that
could hinder the U.S.'s
chances of winning the gold
is cohesiveness and the
potential for some selfish
hockey. The U.S. men's
hockey team is made up
entirely of NHL players,
and all these players are
stars on their teams.
Olympics underway, many
events will be enjoyed by
viewers. However, there is
only one event that truly brings
out the competitive spirit of
every nation that participates:
men's Olympic hockey.
Many countries participate
in this event, but only
the elite survive.
There are many teams that
are considered the elite such
as Russia, Sweden,
Switzerland, Finland, and,
the most elite, Canada
Yet there's one team that
is more unique than the rest.
You either love them, or
you hate them with a fiery
and unruly passion: the
Americans.
The U.S. men's hockey
team is very different from
in years past.
The U.S. has a very young
nucleus, losing their veteran
leadership with Chris
Chelios and Mike Modano
retiring.
Now it is time for the new
generation to step up, and
leading the way is the New
Jersey Devils' forward
Jamie Langenbrunner as
captain. He gets help from
the Chicago Blackhawks'
right winger Patrick Kane,
Devils' left winger Zach
Parise, the Los Angeles
Kings' right winger Dustin
Brown, the Detroit Red
Wings' defensemen Brian
Rafalski, and goalie Ryan
Miller of the Buffalo
Sabres.
These young players fill
their roles very well on their
NHL Squads, and they will
have to translate that to
their Olympic team if they
hope to beat Canada and
win the gold. In order to do
so, goaltending is the area
the team will have to be
most solid at.
This makes Miller the
team's pivotal player.
During the current NHL
season, Miller is posting a
2.16 goals against average,
saving 1486 shots, and a
low save percentage.
The one negative that
could hinder the U.S.'s
chances of winning the gold
is cohesiveness and the
potential for some selfish
hockey. The U.S. men's
hockey team is made up
entirely of NHL players,
and all these players are
stars on their teams.
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