The Rangers Tribune

2010 Vancouver Olympics: Jokinen Leads Finland to Bronze Medal against Slovakia

For a while in this game, it looked like Marian Gaborik and Team Slovakia was going to walk away winners of the Bronze Medal in this year's Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. However, Olli Jokinen (shaved the 'stache) and the Finns had other plans, staging a fantastic two goal comeback and then adding the game winner late in the third.

For those of you who elected to stay up and watch this game, you were treated to a stimulating battle between two hockey teams that have come a long way over the past two weeks. It is upsetting to see one team go home empty handed, but also nice to see players like Teemu Selanne on Finland capture the Bronze since they will not be returning to the Olympics in their careers. The Rangers own Olli Jokinen may also be one of those who has played in his last Olympics this year. He had two goals in the game tonight.

Slovakia overcame Russia in the preliminaries, upset Sweden in the quarterfinals, and almost were able to defeat Canada in the semifinals. But somehow they do not medal in the tournament despite playing the dark horse role effectively. That, really, is sports in a nutshell. Not always fair, not always the Cinderella story. The phrase "the best team won" does not apply to tonight's game because both squads played tremendously.

As for Marian Gaborik, who was not expected to play in the game after suffering a lower-body injury on Friday, I must say played quite well. His skating was not at 100 percent, that is for sure, but he had a goal and plenty of chances. Many of those chances came in the final minutes of the third period when his team was throwing everything they had at the Finns, but goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff, who was pulled for poor play against Team USA the day before, seemed to be robbing the Slovaks left and right.

So the Bronze will go to Finland and Silver and Gold will be determined Sunday afternoon in the Main Event. That will be Canada versus the USA at Canada Hockey Place. I will have full coverage of that game starting around 9 AM with a pregame preview so keep tabs on the site all day long.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

2010 Vancouver Olympics: USA and Canada Clash in Game of a Lifetime as they Battle for the Gold

The past day was probably the longest in the lives of all Canadian and American hockey fans as they patiently waited for their rival teams to compete for the Gold Medal in a game that promises to have emotions running high. Well, the day has finally come as the two clubs will clash this afternoon in one of the most meaningful tilts of their professional careers. To me, it feels much like a game seven of a Stanley Cup series; win and you are the best, lose and you live in the shadow of the champion for the next few years.

Team USA is coming off of a dominating performance against Team Finland on Friday, in which they won 6-1 to move on to the Gold Medal game today. Forwards such as Paul Stastny and Patrick Kane, who were supposed to be the primary scorers for the U.S. entering the tournament, both broke out of their streak of dormant offense in that game. Kane had two goals and Stastny a goal, and hope to continue to find the back of the net behind Canadian goalie Roberto Luongo this afternoon.

The United States offense is going to have to run solely on effort and resiliency if they are going to put pucks in the net. The Canadian defense is just too strong to try and create chances with individual efforts. That is what the Russians attempted to do this past week and look what ended up happening to them.

This means the forecheck will be key. The U.S. must get pucks in deep past the Canada defense and work their offense from there. When doing this, the Americans have been very effective, as they were against Finland on Friday. They were all over the Finns, pressuring them into turnovers, just as Phil Kessel did to Mikka Kiprusoff on the first U.S. tally minutes in.

In goal, Ryan Miller has not had to actually break a sweat in this tournament other than in the Canada game last week. You should expect him to have his hands full once again today and if Team USA pulls out the win it will more than likely be because of him. Miller made 42 saves in last Sunday’s match, as opposed to 14 or 15 in all other contests he has played in the past two weeks.

The Canada powerplay is lethal, as you would expect with their loaded lineup. So this means Rangers forwards Ryan Callahan and Chris Drury are going to be out there every time the home team is playing with the man advantage. These two have been one of the pleasant side shows on this U.S. squad, sacrificing the body to block shots and help their team win. General Manager Brian Burke, who it would be fantastic to see win Gold after what he has been through, loves that sort of stuff in his lineup, which is why it should not have come as such a surprise that both players made the team in January.

The main players for USA to keep any eye on for Team Canada will be Ryan Getzlaf and Jarome Iginla up front, and Don Boyle and Drew Doughty on defense. These four individuals have been playing argually the best hockey of their careers. Notice I did not mention star center Sidney Crosby among those names. That is because he has yet to show up in the tournament.

Neither team should have any problem getting up for this game. The hype is off the charts and this is the main event everyone, I mean everyone is talking about. Canada will look for revenge from Sunday, while the United States will look for revenge from 2002 when they were stripped of the Gold Medal from their foes up North. The building will be electric as will the benches down on the ice. This simply is not an event you are going to see very often in your lifetime so enjoy it while you can.

The game will be televised nationally here in the States on NBC, and nationally in Canada on CTV. Also, instead of a live chat here, join me and many others over at the Blueshirt Banter Open Game thread to discuss this afternoon’s match-up, in addition to the usual updates at twitter.com/RangersTribune.

Check back at 1:30 PM for a little something to pump you up for today's game.
(Photos courtesy of Getty Images and Reuters)

USA - Canada Pregame Motivational Speech

Here is a little something to get you ready for today's Gold Medal match-up between Team USA and Team Canada set to start in just under two hours. I am sure many of you have already seen some version of this, but below is miniature Herb Brooks, who has become a YouTube sensation ever since his parents taped him making the famous speech from "Miracle on Ice" in their living room. He has appeared on morning news shows, the Minnesota Wild locker room, and he also spoke to Team USA before last Sunday's game with Canada. In this video, they put him in a locker room scenario with the emotional background music playing. If this does not motivate you, then I do not know what will.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD2GwkoCzw4]

If you have not already, read my pregame preview in the below post.

2010 Vancouver Olympics: USA falls short of Gold, Loses to Canada in Overtime

It may not have been the result Team USA wanted, but quite honestly, it is much better than the rest of the world thought they would do. The Americans should be satisfied with the Silver Medal, and I think thy will be after they have some time to think back and reflect on things. But for now, watching the Gold Medals placed over the heads of their Canadian rivals will surely kill them inside.

The first period may not have been what everyone expected. It was tightly played, seventy-five percent of shots were being blocked, and neither goaltender really had to be excellent in net. It took close to 13 minutes for that first and only goal to be scored, as a bit of confusion on the Americans part on a faceoff led to Mike Richards fighting through a crowd to get a spin-around shot on U.S. goaltender Ryan Miller. Miller made the kick save but Blackhawks’ Captain Jonathan Toews was there to follow up on the rebound to make it 1-0. For the first time in the entire tournament, Team USA trailed in a game.

The final shot count in the period was 10-8, further showing how tight the two teams were playing out there. The highlight of the period for USA was when defenseman Brooks Orpik sent Canadian forward Dany Heatley into the American bench. Team USA did not get many great scoring chances in the first stanza and they did not take many risks. Their forecheck was effective when they did get it going, however.

USA found themselves in a 2-0 hole early in the second when Ryan Getzlaf made a marvelous play to feed teammate Corey Perry who was breaking to the net. Perry beat a sprawling Miller glove side to put the Canuckleheads up 2-0. After a great penalty-kill and a less than satisfying powerplay by the United States, they got another chance with the man advantage, and this time they weren’t going to let it go to waste.

Patrick Kane’s wrister from the boards was deflected by Ryan Kessler to cut the Canadian lead to 2-1. Funny enough, Kesler and Canada goalie Roberto Luongo are teammates, so I am sure that one will be discussed in the Canuck locker room when they re-gather as a team later this week. In fact, as the period went on, more and more snarl was shown by each team, only making the battle even greater.

It took until 24 seconds were left on the clock for the United States to tie this game, but they were able to do it in dramatic fashion. Devils forward Zach Parise banged home a rebound past Luongo and nearly leaped over the boards in excitement. I think that was the loudest Rangers fans have ever cheered for a New Jersey Devil in their entire life.

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, it was Sidney Crosby who won the Gold Medal for Team Canada in overtime. A loose puck was picked up and placed behind Ryan Miller. At the moment, it may have killed the players on the United States squad. However, they have to pick their heads up and realize something here.

No one picked them to medal. No one wanted them to win. Everyone counted the U.S. out of this tournament and they were made fun of by Canadian fans when the roster was picked. Now, after two weeks of tournament play, they are the second best hockey team in the entire world. They go home with silver, but silver is much better than what was expected.

Congratulations to Brian Burke, congratulations to Ron Wilson, Scott Gordon, John Tortorella and all of the members of the organization. This did a ton for the sport of hockey in the United States, where it may not be all that popular. There is absolutely no shame in this loss. And you must say Congratulations to Canada, because it was not an easy road to Gold for them.

That wraps up our Olympic Hockey Coverage here on the site. It was a ton of fun bringing it to you, especially when I was able to do so live from Vancouver. Thank You to everyone who read.

Finally, back to New York Rangers hockey!
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Gaborik Injured? Leaves Game Early as Slovakia falls to Canada

Everyone got what they wanted as Team USA and Team Canada will square off in the Gold Medal Game on Sunday afternoon at Canada Hockey Place. However, from a Rangers standpoint, there is a more important matter right now. Forward Marian Gaborik, after playing in the first two periods of the game, did not return from the locker room for the third period last night. There was no explanation from Team Slovakia or Gaborik himself as to why he was nowhere to be found. I am not going to jump to conclusions, but I think we all know what the probable reason is.

If this happens to be injury related, it is exactly what we feared heading into the games in Vancouver. Prior to the Olympics, the Blueshirts leading scorer was suffering from a thigh laceration as he made contact with goaltender Henrik Lundqvist's skate blade during a shootout drill in practice. Gaborik missed three games with the Rangers leading up to the break.

It is the third period of the semifinal game and his team is down by just three. I could tell you right now that he did not sit out because of a hang nail. Something pretty significant would have had to keep Marian Gaborik from playing in a situation such as that one. He lives to play in big moments like that.

Nothing seemed to be aggravating Marian during the second period and he also did not receive any big hits in the contest. There were no signs of an injury at all, in fact, so this one remains a mystery at the moment.

Again, I am not going to jump to conclusions, but this is not looking very good. We will see if he is in the lineup when Slovakia takes on Finland for the Bronze Medal later today. Will have any updates as they become available.

Gaborik Injury Ruled Lower-Body

As I reported earlier this morning, New York Rangers forward Marian Gaborik did not return from the locker room after the second period intermission in last night's Slovakia-Canada semifinal match-up. While nothing was officially confirmed at the time, Steve Zipay of Blue Notes is now reporting that the sustained injury has been deemed lower-body. Possibly his groin, which was nagging the star winger during the preseason, but that has not yet been confirmed.

What has been confirmed, though, is that it is an injury, like I predicted last night, and is definitely a concern for the Rangers back here in New York. Gaborik, along with Henrik Lundqvist, will be the most important players for the Blueshirts going down the stretch here, especially if they are in search of a playoff position. Having to play without him handicaps this team majorly.

This from Zipay:

Gaborik, who has 35 goals and 34 assists, went into the Olympics with a 20-stitch gash on his upper right thigh from Lundqvist's skate in practice on the 9th and despite that, the Rangers' leading scorer almost made it through the Winter Games.

But for those of you snowbound or otherwise engaged late last last night, Gaborik suffered a lower-body injury late in the second period of Slovakia's 3-2 loss to Canada and didn't appear in the third.

One unofficial posting inferred that Gaborik, who has accounted for almost 25 percent of all the Blueshirts goals this season, sustained a groin injury. No word at this point on whether he will play tonight in the bronze medal game against Finland. I'd think it's doubtful.

I already have this story up on Blueshirt Banter and I think some of the readers may have fallen out of their computer chairs. So please, hold on to the handles when reading this article.

Will have more as it comes in.

Rangers Claim Alex Auld off Re-Entry Waivers

Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that the New York Rangers have claimed goaltender Alex Auld off of re-entry waivers from the Dallas Stars. Auld, 29, will become current starting netminder Henrik Lundqvist's back-up, allowing Chad Johnson and Matt Zaba to remain with the Wolf Pack (AHL) and compete at that level on a nightly basis. Which is probably the best thing for their development right now.

In 21 games played this season with the Stars, Auld has recorded nine wins, along with a save percentage of .894 and a goals against average of 3.00. The Blueshirts will assume a $500,000 (125,000 considering games remaining) cap hit with the move, which saves them about $350,000 compared to what they were paying for Chad Johnson. Remember, acquiring a player on re-entry waivers means paying only half of that player's salary, which makes this an ideal situation for GM Glen Sather, who is a bit cap tight with the trade deadline approaching.

It was clear that one of Auld or Marty Turco was going to have to be moved from the Stars organization after they went out and traded for Kari Lehtonen. Luckily for the Rangers, this sort of just fell into their lap and finally solves a problem that has been present for the past three months. Auld will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Gaborik Will Play for Slovakia

Mixed emotions here as we have just found out that Marian Gaborik will be in the lineup for Team Slovakia as they take on Finland for the Bronze Medal tonight. Earlier today it was reported that the Rangers leading scorer suffered an undisclosed lower-body injury in last night's semifinal game against Team Canada. Either it is not as bad as everyone originally thought, or Gaborik is looking at this as a game seven scenario for his team and is toughing this one out.

Whatever the case may be, it is relieving to see that he is at the very least able to lace up the skates and hit the ice. At the same token, you do not want him to further injure himself in this game, which is my main fear heading in. Am I surprised he is playing? No, not at all really. These players from overseas value representing their country more than they do their National Hockey League teams, so you really cannot question him for making the decision to play.

If he happens to go down, which we will keep our fingers crossed doesn't happen, I will be sure to let you know. Check the site after the game for postgame analysis as well as Marian's status.

2010 Vancouver Olympics: USA Has Gold Medal Game in Sight as they Take on Finland in Semis

Win this game and you could capture the Gold. That will be the message within the Team USA locker room this afternoon as the United States will take on Mikka Kiprusoff and Team Finland in the semifinal round of the Men’s Hockey Tournament. Finland will likely give the U.S. a bit more of a challenge than Switzerland did, although that game was close, so the Americans will have to be sharp in this contest. The later game will determine who USA would play if they were to win this game, but it would likely be a rematch against the Canadians on Sunday.

Team USA responded with a great effort after being criticized by general manager Brian Burke after the win over Team Canada last weekend. They played with grit, the defense was strong, and of course, Miller was solid in net. Like I said, I still think Burke made that comment so the team would not feel all high and mighty after defeating their rivals. It is very easy for a squad to enter a game thinking they are automatic winners just because they are the favorites. USA did not make that mistake on Wednesday.

This match has some history to it going back to the 2006 Olympics in Turin. The Finns were the ones who eliminated the Americans in a less than satisfying run for the U.S. hockey team that year. You would hope that the United States will get their revenge today, because not medaling in the tournament would be devastating after getting this far. By the way, allow me to clear up what I said in the postgame recap of Wednesday’s win. The U.S. was guaranteed a medal game, not a medal after that victory. I think some people may have misunderstood that so I apologize for not making it clear.

Zach Parise finally got things kicked into gear in the tilt with the Swiss, netting two goals on the day. Well that is great, but what about the rest of the primary offense on the team? They were ineffective yet again. Patrick Kane and Paul Stastny are the two individuals who come to mind that must pick up their offensive game. They are getting by without them now, but as Team USA progresses through the tournament, they will need more and more of their lineup contributing. So far, about half of the team’s forwards have been no-shows.

I still feel that Rangers forward Chris Drury has been one of the better performers on the team. He has two huge impact goals in four games played, his penalty-killing has been tremendous, and he has even got it going in the opposition’s zone with the hard forecheck. Drury, for a player that has been looked at as a fourth liner, has been instrumental in USA’s immaculate record thus far in the tournament.

Goaltender Ryan Miller should have a fairly light game this afternoon and allow me to explain why. So far, Team Finland has been all about playing defense. They do not score many goals, they do not generate much offense. What they do execute well is their defensive play. So the pressure shouldn’t be on Miller in this one, it should be on the United States offense. That goes back to what I said above about more of the forwards contributing.

There is a good chance that this will have to be a situation where USA will have to grind out a win, much like we see when the Rangers play the Devils in the NHL. I doubt it is high scoring and I doubt either offense generates much. Once again, it may be a frustrating but exciting match-up at the same time.

Lastly, I will have the live chat up once again today, starting ten minutes prior to puck drop. For those who chatted last time, you already know that it runs for the entire game and is open to anyone. We had a record 25 readers in our last chat and had a ton of fun. We will be looking for a similar environment today. Make sure you stop by!

Oh, and before I forget, I am sure you picked up on the changes to the sidebars here on the site. All I did was split the one long bar into two smaller on both sides of the text. All features that were available prior to the change are still there, just in different spots.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Live Chat: USA vs Finland (2-26-10)