29 January, 2004 by admin

Today, we are continuing with articles about Nagano 1998. This is the last part of our serial!

GOLD-MEDAL MATCHUP
Russia vs. Czech Republic
Scotty Bowman's pick: Russia
The things that concern me most about Czechs is they may feel the win over Canada was their gold-medal game. Of course you always give them a chance to because of goalie Dominik Hasek, but do they have another game in them? They are on the high right now. Jaromir Jagr could still be a big difference but the Russians have two good offensive lines. They've got Alexei Zhammov and Valeri Kovalenko and Alexei Yashin. But the've also got a good checking line with Sergei Nemchinov, German Titov and Valeri Zelepukin. I would say as long as the Czechs can come with the same game they did yesterday, it should be interesting. However, it would be hard to go against the Russians in this situation. With their offence, the Russians have to be favoured, through Hasek could frustrate them.

Rocket science
Bure fuels interest in Olympic classic
By STEVE SIMMONS - Toronto Sun
NAGANO - The last time Pavel Bure looked this explosive, the Vancouver Canucks were going to a seventh game of the Stanley Cup final in New York. And for the Russian team at the Winter Olympics, this is its game 7, the gold-medal game tonight against the Czech Republic.
Led by Bure's spectacular five-goal performance - he was doing the ice dance without a partner - the sometimes reticent, often controversial and usually paradoxical leader propelled the Russians to a 7 - 4 win over Finland to advance to the championship game.

Old-time hockey
It is a steal phrase from the movie Slap shot, like old-time game. Russia and Czechs playing in an Olympic final. "I don't remember the games," defenceman Boris Mironov said." I am too young to remember all the great Russian-Czech games.' "But I read about them in books."
Yesterday, a book could have been written exclusively on Bure, who turned the semi-final game into his own personal shootout. Instead of ending up like the Canada-Czech game, which was determined by penalty shots, Bure had his own kind of shooting - scoring three of his goals on pure breakaways and, on the large ice, using speedthat is rarely witnessed in National Hockey League buildings.
"Today it was something unbelievable,; said Dimitri Yuskevich, the Maple Leafs defenceman, who is playing a strong role for the Russians. "Today was a one-player game. We watched Pavel. He did everything. It was something to see. "I do not think he can do that against the Czechs. I do not think you can score five goals on Dominik Hasek."
You can, but it usually takes three or four games to do so. You can if the goaltender at the other end is Jarmo Myllys, who was clearly outmatched by Bure. "Pavel was unbelievable today but this is unbelievable feeling for a lot of us." Said Darius Kasparaitis, the Lithunian defenceman, who somehow is playing for Russia.' It feels great to be in gold-medal game, to prove that we're still one of the best hockey nations in the world. Before I left for the Olympics, all I kept reading about was how this Russian team is bad, how we will not finish in the top four, how all the hockey players are upset.

Unlikely captainn "That stuff made all of us mad, It brought us together as a team."
It's a team led by the unlikely captain, Pavel Bure. "We knew about Pavel Bure." Finnish coach Hannu Aravirta said. "It's not enough to know what the coach knows. You can't win the game with that knowledge. We didn't work on the ice all the time. We made too many mistakes.'
The five goals in a game is not the most Bure has scored, but the most since he was 12. Playing for the championship of Moscow as a youngster, he scored nine goals in a game.
"it was easier then," he said. Tonight, it may not be so easy. The Russians, who beat the Czechs 2 - 1 in the round robin, now have to beat a team that knocked off the U.S. and Canada in a back-to-back playoff games.
"We can't sit and think about Dominik Hasek," Bure said.
"We have to think about what we have to do. We have to play Russian hockey."

Dominik the last domino
By Chris Stevenson Ottawa Sun
NAGANO - Alexei Yashin Figures you're asking the wrong guy if you want tips on how to score on Czech goaltender Dominik Hasek.
"I don't think I have scored on him in four years," Yashin said after he and his Russian teammates ousted Finland to advance to tonight's gold-medal game against the Czechs. "he is a tough goalie, but if you play in his face, he lets in some goals. It's simple. You have to make him nervous, play in his face. When he doesn't see the puck, it's not good for him. Getting in his face will be our best opportunity.
Both teams have their fine weapons in fine form, making the gold medal game a great matchup of defence against offence. Hasek put on a goaltending performance for the ages when he stopped all five Canadians in a shootout yesterday, and Russia's Pavel Bure is coming off a five-goal performance in the 7-4 win over the Finns. "Tonight was my night," Bure said.
As well, both Czech coach Ivan Hlinka and Russians mentor Vladimir Yurzinov are getting a commitment from their players in the defensive aspect of the game. While both teams had fractured dressing rooms at the World Cup, the players and coaches on both teams have managed to create environments that have allowed the former east-bloc nations to reassert their abilities.
"He has brought the atmosphere and the attitude together,' said Yashin, who trains in the off-season with Yurzinov in Finland , where he coaches.
"It did not matter, if the players were from Red Army, Dynamo, Wings or NHL."
A good example is Russian star Sergei Federov, who has been willing to let Bure be the scoring star.
"My role is little different her, I's playing more defensively which is okay." said Federov, who hadn't played in eight months before joining Russia for the tournament. He since has signed a six-year, $38 million offer sheet with the Carolina Hurricanes.
"I'll help the team any way that I can. I'm very happy and excited going to the final. I think the key for us is we've shown a lot of team character.
"We've had our ups and downs, but I think there is still something in reserve for us to play better."