An article to go with, from TSN.ca. Oh, an for all those Hockey Enthusiasits, watch for Sydney Crosby: The Next Great One.
Canada chasing elusive gold
Canadian Press
1/3/2005
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (CP) - A Canada-Russia final is a sexy prospect for any Canadian hockey fan, given the storied hockey history between the two countries dating back to the Summit Series of 1972.
Canada and Russia are becoming almost regular combatants for gold at the world junior hockey championship as they will meet in the final for the third time in four years Tuesday (TSN, 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt) and for the fourth time in the last seven.
Russia beat Canada for gold in 1999, 2002 and 2003. While Canada has won the most recent Olympic men's and women's gold medals and men's and women's world championships, the world junior title has become an elusive jewel in the international hockey crown.
Canada has finished second the last three years and last won gold in 1997, which capped a run of five straight gold.
''We've been on the podium the last number of years, but we've not been able to win the gold medal,'' Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson said. ''It would certainly be the one prize that we're looking for here tomorrow.''
There are a dozen players on this Canadian team that were 20 minutes from winning gold in Helsinki last year before U.S. scored three goals to win 4-3.
The veterans have steadfastly refused to draw comparisons between this year and last year, but there was a lesson to be learned there.
''No one is really thinking about what happened last year, but at the same time, we know what we've got to do now,'' captain Michael Richards said.
The final will come down to Russia's offence against Canada's defence, special teams and goaltending.
Canada's mantra at this tournament has been defence first and that will be especially important with Russia, against whom you play a run-and-gun game at your peril.
''Everything is really important tomorrow from a defensive standpoint,'' Richards said. ''We've got to try and limit their time and space like we've done the past couple games and really not letting them gain the blue-line and giving them too much room to make some plays because they can do some things with the puck that are pretty amazing.
''We've got to try and shut that down.''
Russian winger Alexander Ovechkin and centre Evgeni Malkin, the top two picks in last year's NHL draft, play on two different forward lines and will give Canada's defence a run for its money. Watch for iron-shouldered Canadian defenceman Dion Phaneuf to be on the ice whenever Ovechkin is.
Canada must stay out of the penalty box as the Russians lead all countries with 10 power-play goals. If the Canadians are going to play a low-risk game offensively, they must take advantage any time a Russian is in the penalty box.
That is where 17-year-old Sidney Crosby comes in as the Rimouski Oceanic forward has been at his most dangerous when Canada is up a man. He leads Canada in power-play goals with five.
Whenever it comes down to a one-game-takes-all, goaltending is pivotal. While Jeff Glass hasn't seen a lot of shots so far in this tournament, the Kootenay Ice netminder has faced even fewer quality scoring chances from opposing teams because of the smothering defence in front of him.
Ovechkin more or less challenged Glass when he said: ''They (Canada) have good forwards and good defence. Nobody knows about their goalie so we have to prove our forwards are better.''
Responded Glass: ''I'm not going to get wound up about what he says. He's proven himself. He's the first overall pick. He's a great hockey player. I'm not going to get caught up in all that stuff.''
Russian goaltender Anton Khudobin was the key player in his team's two wins over the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League all-stars in November. Both games went to a shootout and he didn't give up a goal in either one before he was recalled to his Russian club team.
''He played unbelievable,'' said Crosby, who didn't play in those games because of injury. ''He was the reason they won those two games. He kept them in the game the whole time. We're going to be tested there as well. We're going to have to make sure we're driving the net.''
This Canadian team is the most mature and talented junior squad the country has had in a long time because of the NHL lockout and a spike in talent of players born in 1985.
Canadian head coach Brent Sutter has preached being ''mentally strong'' throughout the tournament.
''It's important for us to stay controlled,'' he said. ''The kids have been great about that right from the get-go. That's the mental toughness part of it.''
Expectations have been high for this team and Sutter doesn't expect that pressure will prevent his team from performing.
''Pressure, whatever you want to call it, it's a great challenge and with great challenges come great opportunities,'' he said.
Tuesday's game will be close to a home game for Canada. Hundreds of fans are expected to commandeer the 11,700-seat Ralph Engelstad Arena because the U.S. isn't in the final.
''I think the first couple of minutes we're going to feed off their emotion, the adrenaline from the crowd,'' Richards said.
(sorry - flash back to "Not another teen movie"