Monday, February 11, 2002
Saving Lemieux
Capt. Canada may alter sked to rest for Czechs
By DON BRENNAN -- Ottawa Sun
Mario Lemieux' routine of skipping the second of back-to-back games may be altered at the Winter Olympics so the Team Canada captain can play against the defending champions.
Lemieux will play tomorrow night at the Corel Centre against the Senators in a final tuneup before heading to Salt Lake City, but could sit out Team Canada's second game next Sunday against one of the teams that emerge from the qualifying tournament.
The next day, Canada plays the Czechs, who won the gold medal at Nagano in 1998.
"I think (Team Canada GM Wayne Gretzky) has already talked to him," Senators coach Jacques Martin, who is also an associate coach with Team Canada, said yesterday.
"We play our first game against Sweden (on Friday), then the qualifier Sunday before playing the Czechs Monday. I think Gretz is going to talk to him about (not playing in) the qualifier. We have the Czechs the next day and he may not play in back-to-back games."
SPLIT WEEKEND DUTY
Lemieux wasn't in the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup in a 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers yesterday after playing in Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils.
He comes to Ottawa on an unspectacular, un-Lemieux-like pace, having picked up just one point and one shot on goal in his last two games.
In 21 games this season, Lemieux has six goals and 22 assists for 28 points.
'87 CANADA CUP STAR
Lemieux hasn't participated internationally since starring in the 1987 Canada Cup. He has never played in the Olympics, and said he didn't even watch the '98 Games.
"I was in Florida that whole year and didn't get a chance to see it," Lemieux told reporters in Pittsburgh last week.
As Canada's captain in Salt Lake City, he will be the team's go-to guy -- whenever he can go, that is.
"Everybody's going there thinking we're going to win the gold medal," he said in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We'll do whatever it takes to do it.
"I want to do whatever it takes to win a gold medal. If that means I have to skip a game here or there ... it's up to the coaches. I'll do whatever they want."
Lemieux also insisted he has no immediate plans to retire.
"I'm going to be around at least another year," he said.
2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
