Tuesday, February 19, 2002
Canadians starting to play more like a team
By TERRY JONES -- Edmonton Sun
SALT LAKE CITY -- At one point when they were down 2-1 to the Czechs here last night, the Canadians looked frustrated enough to go back to the village and bust a little furniture.
But in the end it was a 3-3 tie and Canada was proceeding into the elimiation round of the Olympics against Finland with a whole lot more to take with them than they had after their first two games.
And they had two things they didn't have last Olympics: Mario Lemieux and Paul Kariya.
It was those two stars who created Canada's first two goals last night, Kariya setting Lemieux up for both.
This was what the Anaheim Mighty Ducks star figured it might be like playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins owner.
"Mario really lifted our spirits,'' said Kariya.
Lemieux certainly hasn't moved his feet like he did this night, not since he came back from an injury. And to watch him backcheck, skating and taking the body late in the game, was almost a vision.
"When I played with him in Calgary in September, when we got together as a team, I couldn't believe how fast he was," said Kariya. "To do what he did tonight is inspiring for a team. And when you have a guy like that backchecking that hard ...''
Kariya said it was nice to get the line going.
"Myself, I'd been rushing things and not being patient with the puck,'' he said.
It's like that with the whole team, he suggested.
"We're finally starting to do the right things with the puck,'' said Kariya. "We're starting to attack as a group.''
It was the first game, he said, that Canada really played as a team.
"Talent means nothing. You see it time and time again in sport. Teams that play as teams win. In hockey it's no different.
Joe Nieuwendyk, who scored the game-tying goal late in the third period, said he believes something happened in this game.
"We really got our battle level up and our emotion level up. I think we go on from here feeling good about ourselves for the rest of the tournament,'' he stressed.
Eric Brewer said it felt like a win.
"They got a lucky goal which went off Al MacInnis's skate. Whatever, we definitely feel we're getting better. And to watch Mario do what Mario did tonight ... that's huge for everybody to watch him break out.
"And Joe ... that was a typical Joe Nieuwendyk goal. That was a great test for us.''
2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
