04 December, 2003 by admin

Today, we are continuing with articles about Nagano 1998. (G6,G7)

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Hasek just can't be beat
(text in blue box)
NAGANO - Is there a way to beat Dominik Hasek on a breakway? Nobody has been able to do it at the all-star game skills competition this year when it did not matter. Nobody was able to do it into the Olympics semi-final when it did matter. Joe Sakic, who is one of the National Hockey League's premier scorers but missed the game with a sprained knee, thought he had a way. But he couldn't pass it along. "Joe Sakic was trying to get a message down and he couldn't do it." Team Canada forward Mark Recchi said. "He said to come down with speed and slow right down. Then Hasek would be in his crease, and that gives you more room to try to put it upstairs because he does obviously fall right down."

No answer
So why wasn't the message delivered? "No one had a phone." Sakic was standing in the stands. Had the Canadians advanced to the gold-medal game, he was going to dress and sit on the bench. But for the game against Hasek, no one thought that his advice might be valuable. Hasek team mate Jaromir Jagr also had a tip for the Team Canada shooters. "if I were going in on Hasek, I wouldn't make any moves, he said. " would just shoot and hope that it goes in." As for the Czech reaction when they found out that Wayne Gretzky wouldn't be shooting, defence man Peter Svoboda said, "There are so many great players on their side, the coach had to make a decision. "I guess we were surprised. But it's hard for us to make a comment on that. They made the decision and they've got to live with it."
-Strachan

The Dominator
* Hasek stopped all five penalty shot attempts in the shootout with Taem Canada whose shooters had combined for 1,654 regular-season goals.

* * Hasek stopped four of six penalty shots he has faced in NHL regular-season play. The only shooters to beat him were John MacLean and Jere Lehtinen. Interestingly, Team Canada's Mark Recchi was stopped on a penalty shot by Hasek in NHL play.

* * In the NHL skills competition, Hasek stopped 18 of 20 penalty shots. The only players to beat him were Pavel Bure and Joe Sakic.

Oh-no! for five (middle part)
1) Theoren Fleury misses. High snapshot deflected by Hasek.
2) Ray Bourque misses. High snapshot deflected over net by Hasek.
3) Joe Nieuwendyk misses. Deke to the right misses net entirely.
4) Eric Lindros misses. Deke to the left clanks of post.
5) Brendan Shanahan misses. Deke to the right goes way wide.


Nobody likes shootouts
Napsal Al Strachan
Toronto Sun
The shootout format is like deciding the winner of a World Series game by a home-run hitting contest. Or worse still - a home-run hitting contest with a mushy ball. After all, when the shootout starts, the ice surface has seen of high-level playing. By that time, it's pretty well carved up. But it is one of many stupid ideas that are part of the Olympics and the players have no say in the matter. "I really wasn't a big fan of it," Team Canada forward Steve Yzerman said. "Yes, it is exciting from the spectator point of view, but I really have not been in favour of it and I am less in favour of it now." Even Peter Svoboda whose Czech team got a victory over Canada on a shootout, wouln't endorse it. "it is said that sometimes the game has to come down to a shootout but we'll take it," he said "We won, so it's great. But I'd like to see the games finish in overtime, add another 10 minutes or so.' Brendan Shanahan was one of the few Canadians to have been through a shootout before at the 1994 World Championship. I did not like it when we won in 94 and I don't like it today,' he said. "I do not know if there is a hockey fan in the world who wasn't enjoying that game. "We've got the great players and a great game going, and you settle it with a skills competitions. "They scored in the middle of the third period and I really feel that from that point on, and especially in overtime, we had taken control. "Most of the overtime was played in their end, so it's too bad that it couldn't have gone longer."

written text: (G7)
Roy takes loss hard
(right orange box)
NAGANO - More than an hour after Team Canada's 2 :1 shootout loss to the Czech Republic, goaltender Patrick Roy finally emerged from the dressing room. It took him that long because he had been one of the players picked for a doping test. It's understandable choice. He was absolutely brilliant, as he usually is in crucial games. But he does not need any foreign substances to do it. He just gets into a mind set and shuts the door. He out duelled Dominik Hasek through 70 minutes, having to face tougher shots, then came within a half inch of extending the shootout indefinitely. "That goal, I mean it hit both posts and went in, he said shaking his head. "I couldn't believe it. I have to be honest with you. I thought I played well (Czech opening shooter Robert) Reichel came at me and I backed up. I thought I was in the right spot but he had a great shot. It hit the inside of the post, hit the other post and went in. "I think it was a great break for them. You know how much difference there is between that one being in or out?" He held up his forefinger and thumb a centimetre apart. After that, Roy was flawless, stopping Pavel Patera, Martin Rucinsky and Jaromir Jagr. "I knew I was in a little bit of trouble when I gave up the first goal." Roy said. "But I said to myself, let's keep it that way and give the team a chance to come back." It did not happen. "On a breakaway, you just want to do everything well. You want to glide, cut the angle, come back and try to make it tough as possible on the other guy. That's what I tried to do on the other shooters. I made the save on Patera and Rucinsky, and Jagr hit the side of the Net.' Roy wasn't too happy about Slegr's goal either, the one that opened the scoring halfway through the third period. Roy was screened and never saw the shot. "I think that was a big break for them," he said "The guy takes a slapshot from the blue line and it went in. I thought it was more a bad luck than anything else." Roy found the loss hard to take. I am very disappointed," he said. It was the only chance in my life to get a gold medal and it's gone. You can't be too happy about it. We did not come here to go after bronze. That's not the objective.' It was Roy's first experience with a shootout, a concept he opposes. However, he did find it had its moments. "It was fun," he said, "but when you don's win, it's not as much fun."
- Strachan