Carlson's Chance In Sochi

Carlson celebrates his game winning OT goal vs. Canada in 2010

In the February issue of USA Hockey Magazine, they featured their picks for 2014's Team USA to represent in Sochi at the Winter Olympics. The games officially open February 6, 2014, a year from now. On that list to represent the United States is a Washington Capitals' defender, John Carlson.

Our Take: Team USA’s youngest defenseman will also provide the red, white and blue with a presence along the blue line. The 6-foot-3 Carlson is one of the league’s up and coming defensemen.

There is still a long way to go to see if any NHL players will even be allowed to go to Sochi, but Carlson would be on the short list of defensemen to make America's team. He has international experience from the World Junior Championship in 2010. His gold medal winning overtime goal against team Canada (in Canada) has endeared himself to USA hockey fans and deserves consideration by Team USA's brass to take him to Russia.

His quickness and good puck handling skills are a plus for any team. Carlson is a shining beacon to the USA developmental program that is beginning to pour out championship teams. The USA junior program has cranked out two gold medals in the last four years, four medals (2g, 2b) since 2007. The Olympic men's hockey program has also benefited by winning silver in Vancouver just three years ago.

But ask John Carlson about being on the short list to make the trip to Russia and it is as far from his mind as Sochi is to Washington, D.C.

"Obviously everyone wants to play there, it would be great," Carlson said after practice Friday. "But, I am just trying to keep my head here right now and work as hard as I can everyday try to help make this team (Capitals) better. I think that is everyone's goal in here, we don't need any distractions."

Carlson's talents have been overshadowed this year by a tough losing streak with the Capitals. He has been on the ice for at least a goal against in every game of the season thus far, although not all of the blame could fall on him. For him, Sochi is this far off thing and he seems content to keep it right there.

"We need to stay focused to what is ahead of us right now."

If the budding defenseman needed any advice, he does have another once budding defenseman just four stalls down from him in Tom Poti to give him guidance.

"It is a great experience," Poti said of his time he played at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. "You get to meet all the different athletes from different countries and see how they train and how they get prepared for their events."

Poti at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympics

Poti was a young defenseman playing for the Edmonton Oilers at the time. Like Carlson, Poti also came up the ranks through the World Junior Championships playing in 1995 and again in 1996. On an Olympic team that featured some of the all time USA greats like Phil Housley, Mike Modano, Chris Chelios, Brian Leetch, Brett Hull, Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk (just to name a few), the stacked team won silver.

They lost to an equally stacked Canadian team featuring Joe Sakic, Mario Lemieux, Martin Brodeur, Jarome Iginla and Brendan Shanahan (just to name a few).

"They were a pretty good squad," Poti recalled. "We had a great team as well. We went 7-0 in the preliminary round and the only game we lost was the gold medal game. It was frustrating to lose to those guys but we gave it our best shot.

"If [Carlson] gets the chance to go just embrace it, have a blast with it. He will remember every second of it."

Both Team USA and the Washington Capitals could sure use some of that explosive quickness and hard shot from the point. What Carlson can take out from his international experience does help him here in the NHL.

"Every new league you play in, it's different, a different style of hockey," Carlson said. "You take a lot out of it and also you play against a lot of really good players."

While the prospect of getting that opportunity to represent his country in Russia excites the young defenseman, Carlson remains committed to his team here in DC. The 2014 Olympics are a year away after all.

"I mean, I don't think anyone wouldn't [be excited to make the team]," Carlson smirked. "It would be awesome."

Olympic Winners And Losers

What a finish in men's hockey in Vancouver. From the intense preliminary games, to a gold medal finish between two rival countries, you could not ask for a better Olympic tournament. The following is my list of winners and losers over the last two weeks. It will be my last look at the XXI Winter Games of the Olympiad as the NHL returns and heads down the homestretch.

The winners:

Team Canada - The pressure of winning gold in front of the home crowd nearly did them in. They started sluggishly having to beat the Swiss in a shoot out and a shocking loss to USA in the preliminaries. But they turned it around. Minus a few close calls, they demolished their biggest rival in Russia in the quarter finals sending them home with no medals. And they played the two most watched and most revered games against a new up an coming rival in Team USA. It would be an assistant captain scored a goal that sent a country into a frenzy. Congratulations to Canada for winning the gold medal.

Team USA - Not expected to do much (in fact many experts had not put USA in the top 4 at this tournament) USA did much better than that winning silver and gave the home country's team fits in both games they played against them. The team played a scrappy, aggressive style that propelled them to the gold medal game. They were never out of any game they played, and even when they were down 2-0 to Canada, they found a way to tie it and send it to overtime. Well done boys!

Ryan Miller (USA)- What a tournament. He may only leave with a silver medal, but Miller was by far the best goaltender in the tournament. Just in the medal playoff round, Miller only allowed four goals past him. That includes the three goals that beat him in the gold medal game. He was also named the tournament's MVP and took a stroll with the other Olympic athletes at the closing ceremonies.

GM's Brian Burke (USA) and Steve Yzerman (Canada) - When putting a team together for international play, you are going to break some hearts of your fellow countrymen. But both Yzerman and Burke were able to build teams that dominated the tournament. USA towered over their competition outscoring the competition 24 to 9 in six games and Canada dominated by outscoring their opponents 33 to 16 in seven games. Both teams had little trouble getting to the gold medal game.

Jonathan Toews (Canada) - He had 8 points for Team Canada, the most of any player. One goal and seven assists for the first time Olympian, Toews opened the scoring in the gold medal game. He had a spectacular tournament.

Ryan Kesler (USA) - He played the best two way game than any other player in the tournament. Kesler would only finish with a pair of goals, but one of those goals epitomizes the USA hard work ethic that got them to the gold medal game. He hustled to the open puck behind Canada's Corey Perry and knocks into an empty net sealing the win for USA. He was a spectacular back checker as well as a good forechecker for Team USA.

Olli Jokinen (Finland) - The Finnish forward had a pretty quiet tournament. That was until he scored a pair of goals against Slovakia helping Finland to win Bronze. Just when you thought Jokinen did have a big game in him, he comes up with two great goals.

The City of Vancouver - I mean what a great host city. Not only is it a beautiful city, but they understood the game of hockey and gave a standing ovation to both Ryan Miller and Ryan Kesler. Class act.

Alex Ovechkin's hit on Jaromir Jagr - The hit heard around the world and pretty marked the beginning of the end for the Czech Republic in these winter games. It was the talk of the tournament, even if Russia faltered down the stretch.

Which brings us to this tournament's losers:

Team Russia - A major disappointment as Russia didn't make it to the medal round. It might not have mattered as the faced power house Canada in the quarterfinals, but they didn't even show up for the game. Letting in 4 first period goals and losing 7-3, the Russians left with more questions about their goaltending, coaching and players. You can only help but wonder what changes will come from this disappointing finish.

Jaromir Jagr - The Czech came back to play for his country and looked good. That is until he got bonked by Ovechkin. Then he just couldn't help his team out when they needed him most. Jagr finished with 2 goals and one assist in five games played. He was hoping that maybe he could make a return to the NHL, but after seeing him in this tournament, maybe not.

Team Sweden - A favorite for a medal, they couldn't get out of the quarterfinals against a less talented Slovakian team. Their goaltending looked human, they struggled for goals and the defense was just not a factor. Their bright spots were Capitals Nick Backstrom who lead the team with 6 points, a goal and five assists.

Team Latvia - There had to be a team that couldn't buy themselves a win. That team was Latvia. Although they played the Czech Republic tough only losing by a goal in the medal playoff round. Latvia has pulled out upsets in the Olympic games before, but they couldn't do that in Vancouver.

Gary Betteman - Make a decision on Sochi already. If Betteman hasn't realized what having NHL players in the Olympics does for the sport, then he needs to cease being a commissioner. Let 'em play Gary, let 'em play.

In all, it was a great Olympics for hockey. The ratings, I am sure, will reflect that. While it got off to a slow start, its midpoint and ending couldn't have been scripted any better. It marks a great tournament for the Americans, who exceeded expectations.

Now that the games are behind us, it's off to more important things. Like the Stanley Cup. The Capitals will get all of their athletes (if they have not returned already) for a couple of practices. They will return to the NHL schedule on Wednesday night when they face Olympian and American hero Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres. The Caps are only a point ahead of San Jose for lead in the league. But they have a 13 point lead in the Eastern Conference. New Jersey will be trying to chase them down in the conference.

Russia Bombs

The most anticipated game of the Olympic games turned out to be nothing more than a dud. Thanks to some poor plays in the first period by the Russians. Canada took it to their arch rivals. They scored 4 goals against the Russians in the first period, added three in the second and Canada continues on to play for a medal. Meanwhile the Russians' end up scratching their heads and leaving empty handed.

It would be the combination of KHL and NHL players for Russia that seemed to keep them off kilter all tournament long. Slovakia beat them in the preliminaries and they just didn't play dominate over the Czech Republic. Questions about the coaching, the players and the goaltenders swirled around Russians' heads as they packed up and headed home.

The Canadians did play a very good game, not to take away from their win that keeps them in the hunt for gold on home soil. But this wasn't the kind of game we expected by Russia. The anticlimactic conclusion leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of hockey fans who were drooling to see both teams on the same ice. Instead of an epic game, they got an epic stinker.

They weren't just beat in the score, or in shots, the Russians were outplayed in every aspect of the first 30 minutes of the game. Alex Ovechkin would finish with no points against Canada and was a -2. Alex Semin would be blanked as well. It would not just be a player here or a player there, it was a total team breakdown.

What the problem could have been was Russia's coaching. It seemed suspect that it took Slava Bykov, Russia's bench boss, six goals to pull Evgeni Nabokov. The lines did not gel, the passion wasn't there and the players didn't seem prepared at all at the onslaught Canada brought in the first period. That comes down to who would prepare them, who would get the chemistry going, it came down to coaching. They didn't seem to get that support from their Russian coaches.

Canada played a rough, knock-them-off-the-puck style of play. The Russians could not handle the aggressive and physical nature of their opponents. Then mistake beget mistake. Before all was said and done, Canada built a significant lead. Insurmountable as it would turn out.

With the very short schedule the Olympics crunches its games in, it is hard for any team to get chemistry with their lines quickly. For Russia, it just didn't pan out for them. They didn't make it a game. There is something more sad about that, than just another blow out game.

Olympic notes:

• USA continues its march to the finals. They defeated the Swiss 2-0. It has been the second time the Americans have played Switzerland and beat them by two goals.
• Team USA will face Finland after their 2-0 win against the Czech Republic in a goaltending duel.
• Canada will face either Sweden or Slovakia following their late game outcome.
  
• In one night, Capital Olympians are saying good-bye to Vancouver. Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Semyon Varlamov and Tomas Fleischmann were all eliminated on the same day.
  
• Dan Boyle took exception to a hit by Alex Semin. Boyle got up and slew footed Semin to the ice. Both were given minor penalties. It is unlikely Boyle's slew footing will be reviewed or any more punishment will come from it as the IIHF does not review minor penalties.
  

USA Upsets, Russia Wins On Super Sunday

If you are taking in all the action at the Olympics, you will know that heavy favorites for gold are Canada and Russia. Canada on their home ice, Russia still basking in the winning glow at the World Championships. Both seem hard to beat. But no one expected that USA would come in and tilt the ice their way. But the Americans did just that with an upset win against heavy favorite Canada.

I always use the saying that a coach once told me when I was playing hockey. "Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard." That saying does apply to the boys from US. They simply outworked their neighbors to the north, on their soil. Here are some thoughts from that game and the other two games today.

Russia 4, Czech Republic 2

• Russia badly needed this win after dropping to Slovakia a couple of nights before. They made up for it by defeating the Czech Republic and doing it in dominating fashion.
• Alex Ovechkin didn't score a goal, but his presence was felt all game long. Whether it was a big hit, or a couple of helpers, he played a monster game. He laid out Jaromir Jagr as the forward cut up the ice with his head down. That set up the clinching goal on the transition. Ovi has had 2g, 2a through 3 games in the preliminary round.
• Jagr was a non factor in this game. Not only did he get his bell rung by Ovechkin, he just couldn't get any kind of flow going. The rest of the team followed suit.
• Russia wins their group and gets a first round bye.

USA 5, Canada 3

• Riding a hot goaltender, and I mean smoking hot, Team USA got the upset of the tournament so far. Ryan Miller turned away 42 shots to help the cause.
• Miller played out of his mind. He let in a softie or two, but besides that, he bent but never broke against the Canadian onslaught. He made some spectacular saves, including one that was Varlamov-esque on Rick Nash. Nash had an open net after a fantastic pass from Sidney Crosby. Miller was badly out of position but reached back with his stick and somehow kept the puck from going into a wide open net.
• Ryan Kesler made good on his promise. He played a spectacular two way game, blocking shots and was dynamite on the backcheck. He also beat out Corey Perry in the waning moments in the game to get the puck into the empty net. If they gave out stars of the game, I am certain Kesler would have gotten second star, if not the first.
• Brian Rafalski had another giant game for the US. Scoring two goals in this tilt, he helped USA dictate the goal pace for the game. Just when you though his career took a turn toward retirement, he comes up clutch in a big game.
• There were other players that were considered just role players that made a difference playing in this tournament. Chris Drury was one of them. He scored a momentum changing goal for USA. Before the tournament started, the coaches told him not to expect a lot of ice time. Drury's play has earned him the right to be a regular on the checking line.
  
• Canada just can't seem to get their bench revved up, unless they score. Miller's performance in net deflated Canada's high powered offense. Ryan Getzlaf seems so close to being a threat in each game he has played, but he hasn't really made a difference when it counts most.
  
• USA won their group, earn a first round bye.

Sweden, Finland

• Will update this after I take in the game tonight.
  

USA Cruises, Too Close For Canada, Russia Stunned

It was only day three in the tournament, but the Olympic Men's Hockey is looking more and more wide open as two of the power houses that played last night were caught off guard. Close games by Canada and Russia against teams that are not favorites to even medal made for some pretty heavy drama. It is setting up some important and what could be very close games over the weekend. Here are my thoughts on the games yesterday.

USA 6, Norway 1

• It wasn't perfect, but it was enough. A good first and third periods gets the easiest win of the day for team USA. Besides a shaky second period, the Americans bookended it with 3 goals each to do away with Norway.
• Patrick Kane finally got a goal, but it was his line mate that had a spectacular game. Zach Parise was all over the ice, making room and creating chances for the top line. Parise didn't score, but did have a pair of assists.
• US goaltender Ryan Miller looked a bit out of sorts. Not sure if was because he faced so few shots, just 11 shots and only 2 shots in the first and third periods. He did let in a shortie, but the Norway player just had a spectacular shot that snuck in on the far post.
• The defense were very aggressive through out the game, which created a lot of odd man rushes. I doubt they will pinch as much as they did with Norway when they face Canada, but it needs to be shored up by then.
  
• Good win for USA considering another power house in their group struggled against a team that US didn't have too much trouble with in Switzerland. It sets up for a big game between Canada and USA on Sunday.

Canada 3, Switzerland 2 SO

• Canada showed they didn't like being hit, some stupid penalties seemed to catch the Canucks off guard. Chris Pronger took exception to a hit late in the second and was going to be called for retaliation. But the Swiss scored not long after. Canada may be looking forward to US, but the Swiss game should have been much easier for them than the final result.
• Sidney Crosby had the game winning shoot out goal. It would be his second chance at beating Jonas Hiller in the shoot out. Martin Brodeur was able to make the stop to give Canada the win and two points in their round robin group standings.
• Speaking of Hiller, wow! He had a spectacular third period, bending but never breaking. The Swiss owe a lot of their success in the game to their goaltender. He made some outstanding saves in the third forcing overtime and then the shoot out. Player of the night for sure.
• The pressure to win for Canada is hurting them more than it is helping. Every little play is being scrutinized by their countrymen. I think this team would have much better success if it wasn't played in Canada.

Russia 1, Slovakia 2 SO

• Slovakia played a well coached, very comfortable game against the gold medal favorite. They stunned Russia with a 2-1 shootout win in a spirited and intense game.
• Alex Ovechkin scored in the shoot out, but it was failure in the two chances after his first attempt. He was a monster in this game, going after Zdeno Chara hitting him a couple of times, laying him out more than once. He was very physical, but it was hard for him to put puck on the net. The Slovaks did a fantastic job of jumping or getting sticks into the shooting lanes.
• Simply, the Russians did not get many quality shots on net on Jarolav Halak. But Halak made the saves he needed to. After Russia scored their goal to give them a 1-0 lead, the team seemed to let up a bit. A bit too much as Slovakia tied up the game.
• The Russian choices in the shootout confused some. With dynamic players who have a high percentage in the shootout, they instead went with the players that are ranked very low in that category. Ovechkin did score on his first attempt, but in the NHL he is only 16.7% in the shootout this season. Pavel Datsyuk, who had a chance and didn't score, Alex Semin, and Evgeni Malkin (who also missed on his chance) have much better percentages were seldom used.
• The road for Russia gets tougher. They need a win against the Czech Republic to ensure a spot in the medal round. That makes for a more intense game on Sunday for the Russian squad.
• Although very fashionable, Ovechkin's flaming 8 and sheep skates didn't last too long. After problems with the blade holder (the part of the skate that holds the blade under the boot) he had to use a different skate. He had one flame skate and the other was normal for half of the game.
  

Some amazing games yesterday will lead into some good games (I hope) today and on Sunday. While a lot of people only see two teams in the gold medal final, Russian and Canada, other games like Canada/USA and Russia/Czech Republic will make for some must see hockey in the tournament thus far. Hockey fans can only find fault in the coverage, because the hockey to this point has been outstanding.

It Just Gets Better/Tougher From Here

Alex Ovechkin will not admit it. Most of the Russian players will down play it. But Russia may be the team to beat in this year's tournament. Their first test against Latvia was not a perfect game for them. They have some growing to do, some chemistry to find with their teammates. But if a 8-2 drubbing is not perfect, I hate to see what the end game will look like for Russia.

The biggest concern for every team in this tournament is quickly learning to mesh with your line mates. Team USA's top line of Patrick Kane, Zach Parise and Paul Stastny got off to a dominating start against Switzerland, but they didn't produce any goals. Gaining that chemistry is important for all the teams, but especially those teams stacked with NHL players.

"To be honest, right when I found out [who I would be playing with] I started to think," Parise said. "You start to think about the way Stastny plays and where he likes to go on the ice. What does Kane like to do. You start to think what you can do to help these guys and make the line better."

For three of the big power houses, USA, Canada and Russia, they faced rather easy foes to open the Olympic games. Soundly beating the Swiss, Team Norway and the Latvians respectfully has proven that these three are the heavy weights, but it's tough to know just how good these teams until they face one another.

That will be tested by Russia first on Thursday when they play a much better national team in Slovakia. "Our game is not perfect yet," Russian forward Ilya Kovalchuk told reporters following their 8-2 victory over Latvia. "We need to play simpler in defense. Our next opponents will make us do that."

When the international powerhouses start to face one another, the games will be more intense, more scrutinized and a whole lot more fun to watch.

Team USA's Upcoming Schedule:

Feb 18, 12:00 n - vs. Norway
Feb 21, 4:40 p - vs. Canada

Team Canada's Upcoming Schedule:

Feb 18, 4:30 p - vs. Switzerland
Feb 21, 4:40 p - vs. USA

Team Russia's Upcoming Schedule: (Ovechkin, Semin, Varlamov)

Feb 18, 9:00 p - vs. Slovakia
Feb 21, 12:00 n - vs. Czech Republic

Team Sweden's Upcoming Schedule: (Backstrom)

Feb 17, 4:30 p - vs. Germany
Feb 19, 12:00 n - vs. Belarus
Feb 21, 9:00 p - vs. Finland

Team Czech Republic's Upcoming Schedule: (Fleischmann)

Feb 17, 9:00 p - vs. Slovakia
Feb 19, 4:30 p - vs. Latvia
Feb 21, 12:00 n - vs. Russia

All times are Pacific (local Vancouver time)

USA, Canada Off To Good Starts In Olympics

The Olympics have arrived, and more importantly Men's hockey started their tournament with Team USA, Canada and Russia dropping the puck. Since you haven't come here for the results here are a few thoughts on the nights action of the games I saw.

USA 3, Swiss 1

• Ryan Miller looked good in net, but not great. Could be just some first game jitters. But he made the saves he needed to, even if he only saw 15 shots. The only goal he let in was of his own doing. He stuck his stick to stop a cross ice pass, but the puck jumped over his pads and in the net behind him.
• Chris Drury played well for being one of the senior members of this USA team filled with youngsters. He also did well on the PK, and seemed to have a scoring chance every time he hit the ice.
• Bobby Ryan scored the first goal of the tournament as USA's forecheck broke the Swiss down in their zone. He beat his Anaheim Duck teammate Jonas Hiller top side.
• All the goals USA scored came from players 6'2" and taller. The big guys Brian Burke chose paid off early for the Americans.
  
• Some one should keep an eye on Roman Wick, the Swiss player with their only goal. This kid is fast and talented. He didn't directly score the goal, but he did give the Swiss an offensive threat. He was deserving of a one of the game's 3 stars, if they only did that for international play.
• Good start for Team USA. We can only hope they can build off that win as they face some of the tougher teams in their group (yes, we are talking about Canada).
  

Canada 8, Norway 0

• Canada looked pretty shaky in the first period going 0-2 on the power play and blanking in the first frame. That would change in the second period with a power play goal by Jarome Iginla. The flood gates would open with 3 goals in the second and 5 more in the third.
  
• Norway's goaltender Paal Grotnes played very well. He was square to the shots and his team played pretty good team defense around him. He was calm and collected even after the goals that may have made it easier for the Norway players. He was pulled after letting in four goals.
  
• Roberto Luongo played okay, considering he spent more time watching than actually doing. He wasn't controlling his rebounds as well as he should have. That could be a bigger problem against a better team.
• 17 different players made it to the score sheet for Canada with at least a point. 4 of those players had 2 points and Sidney Crosby had three assists.
  
• Unlike the USA/Swiss game, this one had commercial breaks between whistles. It often came back with play already in process. CNBC also game in late in the first period with just a couple of minutes left in the first frame. Not great coverage, but better than nothing.
• Mike Richards had a good game with a goal and did a good job both ways.
• It is hard to really judge this team considering this is just Norway. Not one of the power houses going for gold. They will not play USA in their group until Feb. 21st.
• Crosby led all Canadians with three assists and three points. He also took a strange penalty at the start of the third period as he took out Norway's smallest player 5'7" Mats Zuccarello Aasen. It was a two minute roughing minor.
  

Russia 8, Latvia 2

• Alex Ovechkin had a strong game netting two goals. He was paired up with Washington teammate Alex Semin and Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk. I am not going to lie, he would have had the hat trick if Nick Backstrom was on his line.
• While Ovi tops the list of players from the NHL, it was the KHL players that seemed to get Russia off to a good start. Former Cap Sergei Fedorov had a pair of assists and his countryman, Danis Zaripov, had a couple of goals as well.
  
• Russia looked good, probably the best start of the tournament so far as the Russians came out to a early 3-0 lead in the first. The game fell into a lull in the second period but when Latvia scored early in the third, the Russians answered back (following Ovechkin's lead) with three goals. In fact in a span of 2 minutes and 2 seconds 5 goals were scored, two for Latvia, 3 for Russia. 5 goals on 5 shots straight.
• Latvia showed signs of some pretty good pressure, but they were just outmatched by Russia's talent.
  
• Evgeni Nabokov played well through out. But he did let in a couple of softies. Again, it is hard to gauge how good or how bad these teams are against foes that are not at the same talent level.

A Game For The Ages

The 2010 World Junior Championship could have been another snoozer. Canada could have blown everyone away and win their sixth straight gold medal in this tournament and we could have all called it a day. But what fans didn't count on was the two epic games these two teams played. One for first place in the round robin, the other for the gold medal.

Canada played almost a "Oh hum, here we go again" tournament before they played the USA. Canada went on to win games 16-0 against Latvia, 6-0 versus Swizterland, and 8-2 against the Slovakians. Other teams cowered before the Maple Leaf logo. But the dominance seemed to falter on New Year's Eve.

The Americans took it to Canada jumping to a quick 4-2 lead and seemed to have everything under control in the third. Perhaps it was that bit of over confidence that was USA's downfall. The lead would be consumed by Canada's talented forwards. USA would fall in the shootout and Team Canada would win the round and, more important, get a day of rest.

For the USA, the path would not be an easy one to make it to the gold medal game. They had to play the next day in an elimination game against Finland, then try to defeat a heavily favored Sweden the next night. Team USA defeated the odds by handling the Fins 6-2 and made it to the gold medal game by upsetting the Swedes with 3 third period goals.

For the Canadians, the path was a bit easier. They got the day of rest between the round robin and the elimination games and faced a easy target in Switzerland who had upset Russia in the previous round. Canada skipped their way into the gold medal game by drubbing the Swiss 6-1.

That set up for an epic gold medal game between the two rivals. There were four game tying goals, two lead changes, USA going up 5-3 and Canada storming back to take the game into overtime. The excitement grew with each goal, the anticipation was palpable. Whether it was Canada or the USA who scored the winning goal, this was a very special game to watch, even more special to see a team you root for is playing in a game of this magnitude.

In the end, it was a Caps' prospect that had to be talked into playing in the tournament by his teammates in Hershey. John Carlson scored the game winning overtime goal to cap a riveting series between the two teams and where Canada won the round robin, the USA was more than happy to take home the gold.

Games like the one between Canada and the USA for the WJC gold medal come few and far between. It is a game in the hockey world that will be talked about for sometime, until the next WJC, of course. NHL Network will replay the game today at 6 pm if you missed any of the action. Even if you know the outcome, it's worth a look as both countries have much to be proud of in a game such as this.

Caps Stop Losing Skid, Name Ovechkin Captain

Capitals 4, Canadiens 2
Game Summary

Just hours after naming Alex Ovechkin the franchise's 14th captain, the Washington Capitals got the win for their new leader by defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. But it would be the supporting cast that gets it done for the Caps leaving Ovi without a point.

Alex Semin scored a pair, the game winner and the insurance goal. Add goals by Tomas Fleischmann and a lucky bounce off a Eric Fehr shot and the Caps put a stop to their three game losing streak. Even though Ovechkin was held off the scoresheet, the new captain's presence was felt. He had a monster hit in the third and created some great scoring chances. There was nothing wrong with his speed as he was all over the ice.

Michael Neuvirth is slowly becoming the Caps "go to" goaltender. He had 24 saves. As he gets more time in the net for the Caps, the more calm and collected he looks. He is standing great in the crease and is very sound and square to the shooter. When he is in trouble, his flexibility and his athleticism is making up for any missed steps.

Fleischmann had a heck of a game, closing quick on the puck and making some great plays with the puck. Very deserving of the game's first star. His pass to Semin to set up the insurance goal broke the backs of the Habs. Flash finished with a goal and two assists.

Overall the Caps played a gritty and emotional game. A great game to play to get themselves out of their 3 game slump. There were a fair amount of scrums with the Habs after plays. The intensity seemed to boost the Caps play. That emotion is something they seemed to lack on the western road swing.

Caps Notes:

• On a night that they named Ovi captain and beat the Habs, Caps' prospect John Carlson scores two goals including the game winner in overtime as Team USA defeats Team Canada in the World Junior Championship Gold Medal Game.
• Tarik reports that Dave Steckel has signed an extension with the Capitals after the game.

If Anyone Is Paying Attention...

...Canada and Russia will be in the IIHF World Champoinship tournament in Bern, Switzerland. The United States lost to Russia in the semifinals 3-2 in a closely played game. Robert Esche (KHL) started in net for the Americans while Ilya Bryzgalov (PHX) played outstanding in net for the Russians.

U.S. got on the board first with a Dustin Brown (LA) goal. But Ilya Kovalchuk (ATL) couldn't be kept down and scored the tying goal, then the Russians took the lead. U.S. came back to tie it at 2. However, the Russians would come away with the win and a chance to defend their title against Canada.

But it's not over for Team USA.

"We came here to get a medal," said Ron Wilson, coach for the U.S. "The tournament isn't over for us."

They will play Sweden in the Bronze medal game.

If you want to see the game, they are being broadcasted in the United States on the US channel which is a NBC digital channel available through some cable and satellite providers. Contact your provider for more detials. The US channel usually shows olympic sports like track and field, cycling and 2009 IIHF World Championship tournament.

Canadians Tap Caps' Prospects

Team Canada made their last rounds of cuts. Stefan Della Rovere made the cut and will represent his country in the World Junior Championship held in Ottawa. You will be able to see him on the NHL network as well as all of Team USA's games.

Apparently it suppose to be in high definition, but Comcast just has the NHL Network in boring standard vision. It's Comcastic!

Here is what Canada is hoping to see more of this with Della Rovere:

USA Hockey U-20

USA Hockey is holding their under 20 evaluation camp over the next week or so. So far it seems a pretty good start. Playing in Lake Placid NY, the two squads (blue and white) split their games with Finland and Sweden on Tuesday. Blue squad beat Finland 4-1 in the first game and the white squad lost to Sweden 2-3 in the second game.

Ryan Bourque (whose brother Chris, as you know, is playing in Hershey) scored a couple of goals and impressed in the first games. Both of his goals in the win against Finland on Tuesday were on the powerplay. At 5'7" and 170 lbs., he is not much bigger than his brother, but he did play in all 7 games at the Junior World Championship in Russia and netted an impressive 2 goals and 5 points.

If you want to find out more about USA Hockey and camp, check out their 2008 U.S. NJEC Blog.

In Case You Hadn't Heard...

...Russia won gold at the World Championships thanks to an Ilya Kovalchuk overtime snapper. Alex Ovechkin had the primary assist on the game winner and Canadian hearts are breaking everywhere. Although, I don't really sympathize with our neighbors to the north, remember 2002? Yea, I do. Sucks doesn't it.

What is more exciting than Russia winning the gold and three Capitals players with some big points in the process, is the rivalry starting between Canada and Russia. It's making for some very exciting hockey on the international stage. Maybe NBC would have gotten better ratings showing the gold medal game rather than a Penguins blow out? Hmmm.

I guess that is the frustrating part, here was a game for the ages. Russia down 4-2 going into the third period. Canada look to have the gold in their back pockets when it all fell apart. In the end when the dust settled, the Russians win 5-4 in overtime in an instant classic game. Yet, not a single channel on the US dial carried the broadcast. That was a shame.

It was the best hockey I witnessed in some time on the international level. I don't think the Canadian players should have been so down hearted, they played a hell of a game and in the end they retain the number one spot in the IIHF world rankings. Not too shabby.

If you haven't seen the entire game, I urge you to do so. TSN.ca has been awesome in their coverage of the tournament. You can check out the game in it's entirety here. If you just want the highlights, you can go here instead.

Alex Semin was the tournament's point leader as far as Capitals' players are concerned. He had 6 goals and 13 points, including two goals in the gold medal game. Ovechkin, Sergei Fedorov and Mike Green all had a great tournament and tied in points. Ovie had 6 goals and 12 points, Green had 8 assists and 12 points, Fedorov had 5 goals and 12 points.

While everyone talked about the domination of the Ryan Getzlaf, Rick Nash, Danny Heatley line, it was the Capital connection of Semin, Ovechkin and Fedorov that seemed to steal the show in the end. Throughout the tournament the three of them combined for 49 points, and a +32.

Other Capitals in the tournament:

Tomas Fleischmann CZE - 7 GP, 2 goals, 5 points, +6
Sammi Lepisto FIN - 7 GP, a goal and an assist, +2
Cristobal Huet FRA - 5 GP, 91.12 save%, 3.60 goals against
Nicklas Backstrom SWE - 9 GP, 3 goals and 7 points, +1

As far as Team USA's early exit, that is a hard draw to play the Finns twice and two very heartbreaking games. But the young core can only get better, and maybe good things are in store come 2010 in Vancouver. I still would have liked to see Craig Anderson in the net a bit more, and Tim Thomas' injury I think hindered a chance at a medal. Not that Robert Esche is a bad goaltender, it just would have been nice to see a fresh face in the US net.

International Officials Screw It Up Again

Team USA may not have played well to beat their Finnish counterparts, but the officials certainly didn't help matters. After allowing an obvious non-goal after the puck entered the net from the side, the officials also turned their backs on several obvious infractions on both sides or calling the slightest infraction. In the end the US will have to lick their wounds with a 3-2 loss as the game ended on a violent note.

The highlight of the game was Robert Esche (that's right I said Robert Esche) had the glove save of the century on a Finnish forward that made his way past the defense. The Finn made a move to the back hand and only Esche's glove was there to make the save and did it ever. TSN.ca has the highlights.

Following the game John Tortorella ripped the officiating. Classic JT.

In other World Championship news, Alex Ovechkin seems to be finding his groove. He had a goal and an assist against the Swedes on Saturday. In fact the Capital line of Sergei Fedorov, Alex Semin and Ovechkin seems to generate pure offense for the Russian squad, if Feds isn't doing blind passes to the front of his net.

Nick Backstrom had an assist in Swedes surprise win over the Czechs. So far he has 3 goals and 6 points in the tournament. Tomas Fleischmann scored in that game as well for the losing side. Backstrom's point total matches what Mike Green is doing for Team Canada, who also has 3 goals and 6 points. If I am not mistaken, Semin leads all Capitals in the World Championships with 7 points (3g, 4a).

Canada Barely Escapes USA

Team USA had about the best starts you can think of in a tournament. But Canada quickly grew a 3-0 lead before the United States roared back and tied them 4-4 in the third. That is when Dany Heatley buzzed a one timer past Craig Anderson (who replaced Tim Thomas in the third) with just 47 seconds left to play. Things got a little testy at the end of the game with a few roughing calls being given past the buzzer, but it was a relative and Canada beats the US 5-4.

The best player on the ice for either team was Cam Ward, who had to make some pretty spectacular saves to keep Canada in the game. Thomas was switched out in the third period after tweaking a groin muscle and Anderson took over. Both played well, considering. The Rick Nash line was pretty dominate throughout the game, but when they went for a change Team USA would dictate the play.

I think the game was closer than Team Canada wanted, but the US did not disappoint. Team USA was shaping up to be a resilient group that played hard and never gave up. A good sign when the elimination rounds start.

In other World Championship news, Alex Ovechkin scored a goal and Sergei Fedorov had an assist in Russia's 4-1 win over Denmark. It was Alex Semin's first game without a point. And in the Czech's win over Italy, Tomas Fleischmann had an assist.

There was a really good article on Nick Backstrom on the IIHF website. You can check that out here.

And Tarik got the skinny on Cristobal Huet's intentions this offseason. Sounds like there is a good possibility of seeing Huet in a Caps' sweater next season.

USA Too Much For Latvia

Team USA started their World Championship quest for gold with an impressive opening game. The US attack was at it's best, beating their opening opponents Latvia 4-0. In their retro 1960's jerseys, the United States scored in every period and out shot the Latvia squad 49-24.

All four goals were scored on the powerplay. Team USA's passing was crisp and they were able to keep the Latvians in their end for much of the game, besides a stretch in the first period and in the middle of the second when the Latvians found some life.

Tim Thomas gets the shutout and Patrick Kane finished with a goal and two assists. Lee Stempniak was pulled down and granted a penalty shot, but failed to convert in the second period. Dustin Brown, Zach Parise and Patrick O'Sullivan were the other scorers for USA.

Russia pounded Italy 7-1. Capitals Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin and Sergei Fedorov connected to help lead the Russian club for their first win. Semin had two goals, an assist and was a +4. A clean shaven Ovie scored a goal and Fedorov had an assist.

The Russians wore their retro jerseys which had the old Soviet Union logo of CCCP. “It was a little strange to have the CCCP logo there, but we had the Russian one too,” said Ovechkin of the retro look. “We consider it like a gift to the older players.”

Team USA Starts WC Quest Today

Team USA will start their quest for WC gold today at 7:15 pm EST at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, NS, Canada. Their opponent will be Latvia. The Americans will start off in the B group which includes Latvia, Slovenia and Canada. While team USA has loaded up on young talent, they aren't even the favorites for their group or for gold or silver. Canada and Russia have those honors.

But the youngsters can make some noise. Especially now, which seems this is the year where the torch has been passed to a new generation of hockey players. Team USA's development program has paid dividends with gold and solid competitive edge in the U18 group for the past couple of years. Now many of those players have come to age.

While there still seems to be the standard veterans that pepper the line up, like Robert Esche (who didn't play in the NHL this season, but in the Russian Super League) and Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils), now there are new faces in the USA sweater. Young talent like David Booth (Florida Panthers), Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks), Peter Mueller (Phoenix Coyotes) and James Wisniewski (Chicago Blackhawks) get their chance on a bigger stage. Former Capital Jeff Halpern takes captain honors from current Capital Chris Clark, who is still nursing a bad groin.

It's all about experience, something that will be needed in two years time when the Winter Olympics rears it's ugly head. How these youths perform will be something to take some interest in now and could predict Team USA's chances in 2010. The group Team USA has been placed will be no easy task with Canada in the mix and will most likely be the toughest team to play on their home soil.

Team USA's chemistry seems okay as they won easily against Team Sweden in an exhibition game 5-1. Their camp in Portland, Oregon seemed to be productive and the team gelled well. They would have to, with the two favorites Russia and Canada picked to play in the gold medal game with inflated rosters. One thing is for sure, this new group should prove to be an exciting bunch to watch, and of course they are my dark horse for the gold medal game.

O' Canada

Canada romped the Finns 4-2 for gold in the IIHF's World Championship winning their 24th gold medal overall in hockey. It ends two weeks of relatively obscure hockey across the pond in Moscow. Russia holds on to win in the Bronze Medal Game beating Sweden 3-1. If you are wondering how our Capitals did, well wonder no more. I did all the stat digging for you. I am sure the boys over at On Frozen Blog who were there have a better scoop than me.

Alex Ovechkin
Ovie finished with just one goal and two assists. He was a +1, and assessed 29 PIM. Not his best work. He might have been a little shaken up though after a shocking hit on a Swiss player after stepping out of the penalty box. The player hit left the game with a concussion.

Although he didn't have the numbers, he was a very potent offensive threat for Russia. He always seemed to be on the ice for a Russian goal, but also on the ice for goals against Russia. Ovie had 3 points, but 14 other Russian players matched that or were better. The numbers just weren't there for Ovechkin.

Chris Clark
He captained the U.S. squad and had a great start to the tournament, only to lose his scoring touch late in the tournament. Clark finished with 2 goals and one assist. He was USA's grinder in this tournament, always in front of the net and mixing it up along the boards.

The Americans gave a much better performance than in the Olympics in Turin. But their medal hopes were dashed after a shoot out loss against Finland. The Finns went on to beat Russia and lose to Canada in the gold medal game.

Brian Potheir
Not a huge stand out on the American squad, Potheir did make a difference on speeding up the defensemen for this tournament. Potheir never produced any offense other than one assist but while Team USA's defensemen of the past were big bruisers Potheir added speed and offensive threat that the Americans have a hard time producing.


Milan Jurcina
I didn't see a whole lot of Jurcina, but I heard he had quite the tournament. He had a goal and an assist and was a +6. He played well against some top lines and always seemed ready to help produce.

In big game situations, Jurcina responded well. Staying defensively sound and helping his team score in clutch situations. He is certainly coming into his own as a defensemen, and hopefully that can translate into next season rewards.

Nicklas Backstrom (future Capital)
So he is not a Capital yet. And I am not going to count my chickens before they hatch. Backstrom's father promised his boy would be in a Capitals' uniform next season, but other sources say he may stay in Sweden for another year.

That being said, Nick had an okay tournament. Although his team Sweden did not medal, they did play well. Backstrom finished with 1 goal and 5 assists, proving he is a set up man, and most likely will play that role on the Capitals squad. Backstrom held his own against some NHL Caliber teams and his feisty attitude should fit in with a scrapper of a club like the Caps.

All in all it was a pretty good tournament, Canada can breath a collective sigh of relief now that the gold is in their pocket and USA Hockey looks pretty good considering they went with a younger squad. Maybe one of these days they will broadcast the Championships next time here, but don't hold your breath.

By the way, we could be looking at the opening lineup for the '07-'08 season.

USA Earns Respect With Win

Team USA is looking a lot better than a little over a year ago. In Turin Italy, they just couldn't gel, couldn't get going. At the World Championship, it has been a different story. That might be held to the fact that this is a younger and grittier team than during the Olympics. With a win over the Slovaks in the qualifying round, the Americans are showing that they can contend for top spot.

Although Capitals' Cris Clark and Brian Potheir did not contribute, Milan Jurcina did get an assist for the Slovakian team. Phil Kessel did get on the scoreboard for Team USA as did Andrew Hutchinson, Brandon Boschenski and David Backes.

On this continent, Vancouver's season ended strangely after Roberto Luongo broke concentration raising his arm after a heavy Anaheim hit along the boards in second overtime led to a easy Duck tally that ended the series. Anaheim is the first team to survive the Conference Semifinals, finding themselves in the Western Conference Final for a second consecutive year.

Americans Can't Rally - Sans Internet

I broke my internet. So posting will be harder for me to do for the next week or so until they fix it. It kind of a bummer to not be able to check email, post on here, or find out what the heck is going on in Moscow.

Last I heard, Team USA couldn't get past the Czechs, losing 4-3 after a late rally. Details are here.