Friday, March 1, 2002
Golden glory frozen in time
By RANDY SPORTAK -- Calgary Sun
Where were you Feb. 24, 2002?
For an entire generation, huddled around their TV sets, mesmerized by a hockey game that made the entire country stand still, it is an historic place and time they will never forget.
For the 23 players who won Canada's first Olympic men's hockey gold in 50 years, there will always be a special feeling of being part of a selective club. They'll be linked to a moment a country will remember forever.
"It was hard for us to think about (the impact) because you're so focused on the game, but coming back to Canada right after the Olympics, it's been amazing," said former Flames defenceman Al MacInnis, in town yesterday with the St. Louis Blues.
"People on the street are coming up to you or in restaurants saying it's the best hockey game they've seen in their life, so you know the effects of the game and it's totally amazing.
"I don't think it would have been the same if we would have gone back to St. Louis or anywhere else in the U.S. From living in the U.S. for eight years, there's nothing you can compare it to. There's not a sporting event, whether it's the Super Bowl or the World Series, that compares to what this meant to Canada."
As much as Canada is on a high, everybody knows a reversed score in the gold medal game would have been another disaster.
Just like the disappointment of the country's dream team in Nagano four years ago caused much hand-wringing, a silver medal wouldn't have come with a silver lining.
"It's amazing the difference one game can make, it can mean being buried or being at the top of the mountain," MacInnis quipped. "At times, it may be a touch unfair but it goes with the territory."
Turning 39 this summer, MacInnis is a completely different person than the defenceman who claimed the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when the Flames won the Cup in 1989. Thanks to age and experience, he has a deeper appreciation of this achievement.
"When you're a younger player, like a bunch of us were back in '89, you always feel there's going to be another chance to win another Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, that next year hasn't come," he said. "The hardest question I've been asked the last few days is to compare the two. You really can't. Winning the gold medal and participating in something that one-third of the country watched is pretty amazing.
"I still don't think we've seen the full effect one hockey game can have on our country and I'm sure we'll be talking about this for a long time."
Whether NHLers will be given the chance to compete for Olympic gold in 2006 is still up in the air but MacInnis, who also played in 1998, would love to see it happen.
"It was great hockey. The way it should be played," he said. "I think it was an unbelievable tournament and some of the best hockey that's ever been played in years. You'd have to go back to the '87 Canada Cup and then '72 to appreciate the hockey that was played out there. With the way the hockey went and the way everything went, it'd be pretty tough not to send teams to the next Olympics.
"I think it's something everybody can look forward to, players, fans, media. Let's hope it's not the last time they send NHLers to the Olympics."
As much as everyone north of the 49th will want to talk about the Olympics for a long time, MacInnis now has to focus on another goal. A second Stanley Cup is still on his wish list, and he knows he must overcome the Olympic hangover and help lead a competitive, though inconsistent, Blues team for that to happen.
"We have 20-some games left and they'll go by in the snap of a finger."
Just like 13 years between golden moments.
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2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
