Sunday, February 17, 2002
Not the Greatest game on earth
By BRUCE GARRIOCH -- Team Sun
SALT LAKE CITY -- The Great One was a hot one yesterday.
After a disastrous 5-2 loss to Sweden in the opener of the Olympic Games, Team Canada executive director Wayne Gretzky was in no mood to laugh, and he understands why people across the country are upset.
If the loss wasn't enough bad news, a hip injury may sideline captain Mario Lemieux tonight against Germany, but the decision to play will be left up to him.
"We can't hang our heads. I'm probably like everyone else in Canada because we're all surprised," said Gretzky. "But anything that's worthwhile getting is hard to get. We came in and we knew this was not going to be a cakewalk. We need our guys to play great, but we have to play better as a team. That's what is going to carry us.
"I've been around since 1981 when we got beat 8-1 (by Russia in the Canada Cup). I've seen the reaction and I see what's being said in my sleep, so I don't need to be there to know what's going on."
"I probably, from the outside, would be saying the same things everybody else is: It was a stinker of a game and we deserve all the abuse that we've taken today and all the criticism that we've gotten. But this group will be a good group and we really can't look back."
Yesterday, Gretzky met individually with the players after coach Pat Quinn.
He didn't like the way the Canadians handled themselves on the international ice surface and didn't believe they were aggressive enough to make things happen.
"It's easy to play the game from where we all are, but what really surprised me was our puck pursuit and our puck support was just horrendous," said Gretzky.
"I don't know how many times we saw (guys) go in and take the man and they had two Swedish players there to get the puck. We didn't support at all and that part was more disheartening for me than anything."
But, he didn't stop there, then issuing a challenge to Canada's best players to step it up.
"When you get to this level where you're in the Stanley Cup finals or the Olympic Games, then your best players have to dictate the level of play. The best player on the ice was (Mats) Sundin and he dictated the game. His team followed him and went to another level," said Gretzky.
"We didn't get to that other level. The good news for everyone is we got beat fair and square, but we probably didn't have 15 or 16 guys have their best game. The thing we know is that we didn't play our best game. We outchanced them 18-9, but stats are for losers, that's not a very indication of the game. We have to be better."
Gretzky said the most important factor is Canada still has time to raise its game. He noted that at the Olympics in Nagano in 1998, the country was one of the top teams in round-robin play, but then fell apart in the quarter-final.
"These guys are great players and they know we didn't play our best game," said Gretzky. "The biggest message the players need to know is that we weren't physical enough. Mats was by far the best player on the ice, but I don't think any of our guys touched him.
"I thought far too many guys were looking for Mario in places where they should have taken the opportunity themselves. I think we need to simplify our power play. We were 0-for-4 and it was horrible. Sweden deserved to beat us, but we didn't give them an honest game."
2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
