Huffer’s hockey magic now installed in U.S. Hall of Fame
DULUTH, MN. — Keith (Huffer) Christiansen will command the spotlight during the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremonies Saturday, not because his fellow-inductees are any less significant, but simply because the ceremonies will be held in the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, which could be called “The House that Huffer Built.Ââ€
Christiansen, a former UMD scoring phenom, who went on to be captain of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team, and in pro hockey with the Minnesota Fighting Saints, will be joined by Murray Williamson – a former University of Minnesota All-America who coached Chrstiansen on that silver-medal-winning 1972 Olympic team – as well as Lane MacDonald, who didn’t play in the WCHA, but did star at Harvard, where he led the Crimson to a memorable 4-3 overtime victory over Minnesota in the NCAA titla game in the St. Paul Civic Center.
Christiansen, however, will take center stage at SaturdayÂ’s award ceremony, because it will be held at the DECC where it will be amplified by the renewal of the rivalry between UMD and Minnesota. The Gophers have been UMDÂ’s most intense opponent since before UMD entered the WCHA back in 1965.
Christiansen is unquestionably the brightest star in UMDÂ’s galaxy, not that there havenÂ’t been other outstanding individuals to wear the big Bulldog crest. Consider defenseman Tom Kurvers and scoring champion Bill Watson, who won back-to-back Hobey Baker awards, an award that Brett Hull and Derek Plante somehow missed later, but Chris Marinucci and Junior Lessard more recently won. Olympians Mark Pavelich and John Harrington, and NHL star defenseman Curt Giles, were UMD heroes before the Hobey was thought up.
Christiansen also did his thing in the days before the Hobey, and he would have been a slam-dunk, so to speak, for the award. Christiansen came from Fort Frances, Ontario, after first moving across the Rainy River to live with an uncle in International Falls, and lead International Falls to the 1962 Minnesota state high school hockey championship. He came to UMD in the fall of 1963.
In his freshman year, when UMD had made the move from Division III to independent Division I status, Christiansen took over the old Curling Club rink to lead a talent-thin UMD team in scoring with 16 goals, 20 assists for 36 points. It is more than coincidence that UMD opened his freshman season by sweeping home-and-home games from Minnesota – the first time the Bulldogs ever defeated the Gophers. UMD actually took three out of four from Minnesota that1963-64 season.
The pint-sized 5-foot-6 Christiansen established the textbook definition of what an assist in hockey should be, because when he got an assist, he didn’t leave much for the goal-scorer to do. As a sophomore, Christiansen scored 23-35—58 to again lead the Bulldogs in scoring. When he was a junior, UMD moved into the WCHA, and though they finished last, Christiansen’s 13-27—40 statistics again led the team.
Huffer’s signature season came as a senior, when, as captain, he scored 23-39—62 to lead UMD’s scoring for the fourth straight year. This time he also led the WCHA in scoring.
The defining game of Christiansen’s career, and reason enough for the fact that his No. 9 jersey hangs from the DECC rafters as the only number ever retired by the team. UMD was moving into the new Duluth Arena for its second WCHA season, and while the ‘Dogs rose only to sixth place, nobody could stop Huffer or his wings were Pat Francisco, now a Duluth businessman, on the right, and somebody named Bruce McLeod, now the commissioner of the WCHA, on the left. As if to underscore Christiansen’s impact, McLeod finished second and Francisco third in league scoring, and both his wingers still applaud Christiansen as a deserving WCHA most valuable player and All-America.
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That first WCHA game UMD played in the new facility was also the first game Glen Sonmor coached at Minnesota. Sonmor learned quickly enough what Christiansen could do to sign him a few years later to play for the Minnesota Fighting Saints. Sonmor, who later coached the Minnesota North Stars, also returns to the DECC – renamed from “Duluth Arena†— as color commentator on the Gopher radio broadcast.
Sonmor recalled that he came to Duluth that November 19, 1966 game, having already heard his fill of the raves and almost mythical praise for Christiansen. Sonmor needed some first-hand convincing, and got it swiftly. He took his Gophers down to the new arena for a morning skate, and, after finding some ice-plant problems had left water covering the ice, Sonmor took his shot at the Duluth Blue Line luncheon at noon that day.
“I said I was really worried, because…from all that I’d heard, Huffer Christiansen was the only guy who could walk on water,†Sonmor said.
Then, with a capacity crowd of 5,700 inside, and the ice properly frozen, they dropped the puck to start the game, and Christiansen put on a show. UMD blasted the Gophers 8-1, and six times ChristiansenÂ’s setups became goals. His six assists still stand as UMDÂ’s records for assists, and points, in a single game.
“I got lucky,†is the way Christiansen recalled that night.
His “luck†accounted for 75-121—196 in 102 games, which means he averaged 1.92 points per game over his four UMD years. The 196 points still ranks him eighth among all-time UMD scorers, even though expanding schedules mean four-year players could play as many as 80 more games than Christiansen did 40 years ago.
It wasn’t that Christiansen was merely a magician with his stick, although he certainly was that. He was short, but wide, and anyone who thought about simply blotting out that stocky tormentor with a bodycheck or a cheapshot knew instead that they’d better be prepared. Christiansen’s motto could have been “It’s better to give than to receive†when it came to uncompromising physical play.
When former Gopher coach and player Doug Woog played his first game against Christiansen, he said: “We both went into the corner and I reached for the puckÂ…The next thing I knew, he was gone, the puck was gone, and I had been punched twice in the face.Ââ€
UMD was just starting its Division I tenure, so other teams needed only to shut down one line to stop the Bulldogs. “We weren’t sneaking up on anybody,†said McLeod, who played his sophomore year with Christiansen, and still expresses amazement at Huffer’s style.
“He never boasted, he never put anyone down, he never had an air of superiority, he was so modest, and he was just one of the guys,†said McLeod, who added that the only time Christiansen came close to being critical was when McLeod and Francisco would try to get a little fancy.
“WeÂ’d come back to the bench,†McLeod said, “and Huffer would say, ‘Quit dinkin’ around out there. Just get open and put your stick on the ice. IÂ’ll take care of the rest.’ Ââ€
The same was true with the 1971 U.S. National team, when Christiansen centered Gary Gambucci and Craig Patrick – both of whom turned pro before the 1972 Olympics. Williamson made Christiansen the captain of that team, which included Tim Sheehy, Henry Boucha, Robbie Ftorek, goaltender Lefty Curran, and enough overall talent to capture the silver medal in Sapporo, Japan.
For someone so at ease befuddling opponents, Christiansen was always uncomfortable talking about his own accomplishments or ability, which he finally put on display at the professional level when he agreed to play for Sonmor and the Fighting Saints. “He was one of the greatest puck-handlers I ever saw, anywhere,†said Sonmor.
Christiansen later went to Switzerland to play, and he enjoyed the chance to take his family – wife Evie, and kids Brad and Marla – to Europe. He could have continued to play there, but he chose to come home to Duluth. “That was enough,†he said. “It was time to go to work.Ââ€
Christiansen has worked for KolarÂ’s new car dealership in Duluth for years, selling new Toyotas and Buicks. He said he never really wanted to coach. You get the feeling that he could still lace on the skates, find an old stick, and show youngsters how to extract a little magic.
In fact, several years ago, UMD staged a big summertime reunion game, and various players, including NHLers, came back to play. Hull was there, and he brought his dad, Bobby Hull. Christiansen, who hadnÂ’t even skated for a dozen years, put on his stuff. Everybody had a good time, and at one point, Christiansen got a breakaway. Bob Mason, another former International Falls and UMD star, nearly 20 years younger and in the midst of his eight-year NHL career, got ready. Christiansen closed in, his stick flashing as the puck seemed to be on a string, then he hesitated, giving Mason one of those patented head dekes. Then he waited. Mason waited too, then started to go down. In an instant, and Christiansen drilled the puck. Five-hole. Goal.
HufferÂ’s magic never left. And now itÂ’s safely stored in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.
Darwitz, Wendell give hometown flair to top Gopher line
Because of their similar goal-scoring and point totals, and their similar hockey-playing histories, itÂ’s easy to draw parallels between Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell, MinnesotaÂ’s top-line tandem of former state high school phenoms, 2002 U.S. Olympic teammates, and Patty Kazmaier Award finalists.
Their collaboration as linemates has created spectacular women’s hockey scoring totals, but hyperbole notwithstanding, their styles are strikingly different.
Darwitz is the shorter of the two, and she skates with quick, darting strides, combining great quickness with speed as she dekes around and through defenders while constantly looking for and creating offensive scenarios with alert puck-moving abilities. Wendell is bigger, with a more powerful skating stride that can boost her past defenders, although she also can go right over them is the situation demands it. Wendell also can pass, but her prime asset is her ability to keep the puck while blowing through traffic.
Where Darwitz tends to make a pass as soon as a teammate gets open, or even spots a pass to help spring a teammate, Wendell is more likely to beat a defender or two and pass after she starts running out of puck-carrying room. Darwitz leads the WCHA in scoring with 24 goals, 43 assists and 67 points, and with 31-57—87, she leads the nation in overall assists (57) and points (87). Wendell (35-47—82) is second in the national scoring column (82 points) and leads the country in goals (35).
An undefeated Women’s WCHA championship makes for a good story line. Minnesota has the title, and an unbeaten WCHA record, virtually in hand with two weekends to go, but for the Golden Gophers, the story IS the line – the prolific scoring line of Darwitz, Wendell and Kelly Stephens. A strong two-way player, Stephens would be a star senior on her own, but has enjoyed playing wing with her more-heralded linemates. Her 27-31—58 season statistics include 22-21—33 in WCHA games.
“TheyÂ’re good to me,†said Stephens, meaning her points reflect her linematesÂ’ unselfishness. “Each of them brings their own aspects to the game. ItÂ’s easy to get used to what they can both do, and I think we complement each other well.Ââ€
One of the lineÂ’s biggest accomplishments is that it has been able to flourish using only one puck. Wendell and Darwitz might be the two best centers in womenÂ’s hockey, but unless coach Laura Halldorson invents a new technique, thereÂ’s only space for one center on each line, and thatÂ’s Wendell, although Darwitz takes a number of faceoffs in certain situations.
The Gophers are 22-0-2 in WCHA play going into this weekendÂ’s home series against Minnesota State-Mankato, and a sweep would clinch the WomenÂ’s WCHA title. That might take off some of the glitter but it wouldnÂ’t affect the usual intensity for the season-ending series at Duluth. Minnesota-Duluth (21-3-2) is idle this weekend, standing second to Minnesota in the WCHA, and also in the national rankings. And like the Gophers, UMD depends on a big line for its offense.
“In my opinion, Minnesota’s line is the top line in the country, and Duluth’s line is the second-best line in the country, with Dartmouth’s big line the third best,†said North Dakota coach Shantel Rivard, not surprised that her ranking of the top three lines in the country matches the 1-2-3 team rankings. Rilvard’s perspective came because after losing 5-1, 4-1 at home to UMD, the Fighting Sioux went to Ridder Arena last weekend for 7-0 and 4-2 setbacks administered by the powerful Gophers.
Darwitz was a star in MinnesotaÂ’s fledgling girls high school hockey from seventh grade, and she scored an amazing 85 goals as an eighth-grader at Eagan. Wendell, meanwhile, played on boys teams up through her sophomore year at Park Center, then switched to the girls team, where she was pretty much a one-person wrecking crew, scoring 109 goals as a junior and 110 as a senior. The year after she graduated, Wendell skated with the U.S. National team, and so did Darwitz, who bypassed her chance for potential record-breaking junior and senior high school terms. They played on the same line for the 2002 U.S. team, and after Wendell led the team in scoring throughout the preliminary games, Darwitz led Team USA in the silver medal winning scoring column.
Both are now juniors, having skated together on the same line on Team USA and since starting at Minnesota. Stephens, who is from Shoreline, Wash., and played womenÂ’s amateur hockey in Vancouver, has become the perfect complement to Darwitz and Wendell.
TheyÂ’re not above heckling each other a little now and then, either. In SaturdayÂ’s 7-0 romp over North Dakota, Stephens scored a power-play goal to get the Gophers started. At 16:49 of the first period, after constant pressure at the North Dakota goal, Wendell banged in a rebound to make it 2-0 with Stephens and Darwitz assisting. On their next shift, Wendell caught a pass from Stephens and went end-to-end, plunging through the defense as she cut across in front and jammed in her second goal of the period. Early in the second period, Wendell drilled a long rebound from the right circle, making it 4-0 with a pure hat trick.
“My brother always said I had ‘puck luck,Â’ †said Wendell. “Some day you work so hard and get nothing, and today everything that came to me went in.Ââ€
Darwitz, who had assisted on WendellÂ’s third goal, fed Stephens to make it 5-0 later in the second period for her third assist of the night. Midway through the third period, Wendell took off again, flying up the left side and beating two opponents on an end-to-end dash. This time, at the last moment, she passed across the slot and Darwitz quickly converted. It almost looked as though Wendell figured she had enough goals for the day and would give one to Darwitz.
“ThatÂ’s the cool thing about our line, we always assist each other,†said Wendell. “I never thought about shooting that last time, I definitely was going to pass to her all the way.Ââ€
“Oh yeah?†joked Darwitz. “Well then why didnÂ’t she give it to me sooner? I was wide open the whole way.Ââ€
The next day, Darwitz got her 31st goal and an assist, while Wendell notched three assists, and Stephens got “only†one assist, but it was a classic, as she carried up the left side and feathered a pass across to Darwitz, streaking in on the right side for a shot that snared the upper right extremity of the net.
In hockey style, some coaches like to have a strong, physically dominating center who holds the puck, while others might prefer a quicker playmaking puck-mover. So if some observers and even some opposing coaches, think that Darwitz might be the best center in the country, why doesnÂ’t she play center?
“Because Krissy does,†said assistant coach Charlie Burggraf.
Good answer.
Sweden deserves gold in NHL-dominated Olympics
All across North America, media people are predicting the automatic gold medal for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics. After all, they won it last time, didnÂ’t they? And the team is comprised of the best NHL superstars, so Canada is the automatic pick. And the USA, also filled with NHLers, might be the perfect opponent in the gold medal game, just like last time, right?
Writing this before the menÂ’s portion of the Winter Olympics begins, my pick is Sweden. The Czech Republic will be tough too, and some have said the 1998 gold medalist Czechs might be a favorite.
IÂ’m picking Sweden.
I like Nicklas Lidstrom leading the defense corps, because he’s probably the best defenseman in the NHL. How can you not like goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, a rookie playing sensationally with the New York Rangers. Then there’s Daniel Alfredsson, Markus Naslund, Mats Sundin, and Henrik Zetterberg, and – oh yeah – maybe even Peter Forsberg. Those are among the reasons I like Sweden’s chances, but there are more.
We all can mourn the passing of the “true” amateur Olympic of 1980. I was fortunate enough to be assigned to Lake Placid to specialize in covering the hockey tournament, because there were so many Minnesotans involved. A great assignment became more fantastic than anyone could have predicted when Herb Brooks led his college guys to the miraculous gold medal.
True, the U.S. and Canada were about the only real amateurs, because of social customs around the world. In Sweden, Finland, and other European countries, players held down full-time jobs to play for teams in certain cities, and in the Soviet Union, the best players were placed on the Red Army team, where the only uniform and weapons they used were those of a great hockey team. By international rules, they were amateurs; by North American standards, they were pros.
All of that made the 1980 U.S. achievement more notable, because they beat a Soviet Union team that had beaten the NHL All-Stars 6-0 in the deciding game of their international series earlier that year.
But the Soviet Union is no more, the playing field has been leveled because all pros are now eligible. Never again will an amateur team be able to compete with the NHL superstars that are now scattered onto various Olympic teams for what is, essentially, an NHL all-star tournament. USA Hockey is a proud and capable organization, which used to create the system and select the players for Team USA, but now about all the organization has to do is make sure the red, white and blue uniforms all have the proper colors.
Come to think of it, a few years ago that even got changed — from the stunningly beautiful blue you can see on our nation’s flags to a darker (more macho?) navy blue. I didn’t think you could do that with a flag’s colors, but anything is possible these days.
The NHL runs the tournament, and the tournament’s public relations, and the NHL would most like to see Canada or the U.S. win the gold. Sure, the money and sites for most NHL teams are in the U.S., but make no mistake about it — it’s a Canadian-dominated game, under Canadian influence. It’s a Canadian Fact.
In 2002, the NHL wouldn’t release any players to their countries’ teams until a couple days before preliminary round games. So when the weaker teams, with fewer NHL players, had their own play-in tournament to gain the preliminary round — teams like Belarus, Latvia, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, who need those few NHLers more than stronger teams — were allowed to use those players in only one game. Games were decided because coaches chose to hold a star NHL player out, and were beaten in play-in games because of it. If Canada had forfeited all its games for some technicality, and had to participate in the play-in round for the games, do you think the NHL might have let them go a little earlier?
One of the other biggest changes to the Olympics of the 1980s is in tournament format. Back then, every game in the preliminary round was vitally important, because only the top two in each of two pools advanced to the medal round. Now, all eight preliminary-round teams play in the quarterfinals, so the entire round merely determines seeding. A team could go 0-4 in the preliminary round, then play well three times and win the gold medal. A team also could be the best through an undefeated preliminary round, then get upset in the quarterfinals and be deprived of playing for any medal.
That’s why, when I let only a little bit of sentimentality crowd my basic sense of fair play, I’m pulling for Sweden. Because I was at Salt Lake City in 2002, when Sweden and the United States were the best two teams in the tournament. Then, just like now, everybody in the North American media picked Team Canada. It was the best international team ever assembled, it had Wayne Gretzky running the team back before his wife placed illegal bets with his assistant NHL coach, and it had Mario Lemieux as the biggest-name of a galaxy of NHL stars.
The U.S., meanwhile, under the brilliant hand of Herb Brooks, stalked through its preliminary round, playing well and improving every game. After a scoreless first period in its opener, the U.S. beat a potent Finland 6-0 for a remarkable start. The U.S. then tied powerful Russia 2-2, with Brett Hull scoring to tie it in the closing minutes, after goals by Pavel Bure and Sergei Fedorov gave Russia and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin a 2-1 lead. Then the U.S. crushed Belarus 8-1 after trailing 1-0 through one period.
Finland came off the devastating 6-0 loss to the U.S. to bury Belarus 8-1, then the Finns shocked Russia 2-1. That meant the U.S. (2-0-1) was No. 1 in its pool, with Finland (2-1) second, Russia (1-1-1) third, and Belarus (0-3) fourth.
In the other pool, all of those Team Canada superstars played as if they really weren’t sure they could be bothered by showing up. They were flat out blitzed by Sweden, 5-2 in a game that sent shockwaves coast to coast — Nova Scotia to British Columbia. By the narrow count of 3-2, Canada barely slipped past Germany – Germany! Canada had all it could manage to get a 3-3 tie against the Czech Republic, being outshot 36-23. Sweden, other than a close 2-1 call against the Czech Republic, eased to the top seed in the pool at 3-0, followed by the Czech Republic in second, Canada third, and Germany fourth.
Before 1984, the round-robin pools would determine the top two on each side to advance to the medal round, so any loss could make a difference. In the medal round, teams were cross-scheduled, 1 vs. 2 and 2 vs. 1 against the other side, then they’d play 2 vs. 2 and 1 vs. 1. Usually, the final game would decide the gold medal. But 1980 caused a rise in U.S. arrogance level both on the ice and in media boardrooms, so U.S. television booked hours of hockey coverage, and every newspaper sent Olympic specialists to cover the Winter Olympics, and particularly the anticipated next miracle.
The U.S., however, lost its first two preliminary round games, precluding any chance of making the medal round. Hours of television coverage of medal-round games was basically unwatched in the U.S. Stung by that scenario, U.S. television paid huge sums to coax the Olympic Committee to change to a full-bracket tournament of eight teams in elimination games — quarterfinals, semifinals, and a gold-medal final.
The change was made, and evolved to where the full round-robin eliminates nobodyand no more meaning than pro sports preseason exhibitions, except to determine pairings for the “medal round†quarterfinals. Few people realized that in 2002, when, based on preliminary round play, the final looked likely to feature the once-tied U.S. against undefeated Sweden. Finland and the Czechs were potential spoilers, as were Canada and Russia, but if 2002 still used the historic round-robin concept, Canada and Russia would not have even made it to the medal round.
Winless Belarus, having lost 8-1 to both the Finland and the U.S., seemed to have no chance as No. 4 seed against the opposite bracketÂ’s No. 1, Sweden. But goaltender Andrei Mezin, playing with a ragged, old catching glove, and a memory of his six-year trek through the low minor leagues of North America pro hockey that peaked at the International Hockey League, pulled it off. Mezin stopped 21 shots in the first period, facing 47 shots in all, and Belarus stunned Sweden with a 4-3 upset. “TheyÂ’re way better,†Mezin said. “I didnÂ’t expect to beat them, but you always try to win.Ââ€
Mats Sundin had tied the game 3-3 on a breakaway at 7:54 of the third period, but you almost had to be there in the E-Center, or watching slow-motion replay, to appreciate the game-winner. Vladimir Kopat crossed the blue line and fired a slap shot. The puck hit Swedish goaltender Tommy Salo on the top of the facemask, and as Salo flinched, the puck popped straight up, and when it tumbled downward, it hit Salo on the back and bounced into the net at 17:36.
With only 2:24 remaining, Sweden was collectively too shocked, and had too little time, to respond, and Belarus had the biggest victory in its history, 4-3.
With one No. 1 seed out, the other No. 1 came through when the U.S. won a carefully efficient 5-0 victory over Germany to gain the semifinals.
Canada, still underachieving, got past Finland 2-1, while Russia edged the Czech Republic 1-0 in the other quarterfinals. All across Canada, writers were ripping the Canadian players for poor play; Wayne Gretzky angrily lashed out at them by somehow calling it an “American media plot” to discredit Canada.
The first semifinal pitted a fourth-seed, Belarus, against a third-seed, Canada, and the magic in MezinÂ’s glove was obliterated as the Canadians cruised to an easy 7-1 romp.
That led to perhaps the best game of the entire Salt Lake City games, as Team USA got goals from Bill Guerin, Scott Young and Phil Housley to lead 3-0 after two periods, only to have Russia storm back. After being outshot 38-11 through two periods, the Russians got a goal from Aleksei Kovalev at 0:11, and Vladimir Malakhov at 3:21 to close it to 3-2.
That’s how it ended, bringing to mind a shot by Sergei Samsonov that had beaten goalie Mike Richter, struck the right pipe, caromed across to hit the left pipe, and twirled above Richter, who was flat on his back. The Russians were sure it went in, and after a late penalty called on the Russians, defusing their chances, a post-game discussion led to Markhov being given a gross misconduct for his choice of words to NHL referee Bill McCreary. Acting properly under international rules, McCreary suspended Markhov from playing for the bronze medal in the third-place game, in which the Russians beat bedgraggled Belarus 6-2.
In the gold medal game, Canada finally found its form, although in some ways the gameÂ’s form met Canada more than halfway. For the full pre-game day, CanadaÂ’s officials, from Gretzky to coach Pat Quinn, to NHL executives, and to the Canadian players, repeated the insistence that since the game was Canada vs. the U.S., both teams could forget about the international quirks and play a good old NHL game after all.
Brooks tried his best to dispute that, insisting it still had to be called as an international game. But NHL “style” won out.
Meanwhile, across Canada a patriotic fervor attacked Brooks. He was asked about Canada’s favored NHL style of dump-and-chase, and he said that was a good tactic for some, but he chose to coach a different style. He was pressed, repeatedly, by Canadian media, but he was careful to say he respected that style, but prefered a different style. The story broke in Canada that Brooks had insulted Canada’s style, and it was carried nationwide. Canada’s nation, as well as its team, were properly inflamed by the artificial hype.
There were a lot of hits, a lot of up and down passion, but numerous penalties that were commonplace throughout the tournament were not called in the final game. McCreary let them play, as they say in sports. It’s a Canadian fact. Try as they might to regroup and play puck-possession, the U.S. was kept off-balance by the physical Canadian attack, but Canada did play well.
The U.S. led 1-0, but Canada took a 2-1 lead on goals by Paul Kariya and Jerome Iginla by the first intermission. Brian RafalskiÂ’s goal tied it 2-2 for the U.S., but Joe Sakic regained a 3-2 lead for Canada. In the third period, Steve Yzerman was called for tripping, and on his way to the penalty box, he fired off a loud and hostile tirade at McCreary. It seemed so out of character for Yzerman, who would make everybody’s good-guy list. Not to worry, there would be no additional penalty — no misconduct, and certainly no suspension. So Yzerman stewed for two minutes, then stormed back onto the ice at 15:43, and 18 seconds later the supercharged Yzerman set up Iginla for a goal to make it 4-2, puncturing the tension. Iginla set up Sakic for another with 1:20 to go, and it ended 5-2.
Canada, a team that didnÂ’t play well enough through the preliminary round to even make the medal round under the old rules, caught a huge break when the quarterfinal bracket left them with an easy semifinal against Belarus, then played one game that would be considered up to the form everyone had anticipated, and went home with the gold medal.
Flash forward to 2006. Canada doesnÂ’t have Mario Lemieux, or Steve Yzerman, and, in my view, is not be as strong as in 2002. The Canadians could, of course, overachieve this time. Most of the media expects it.
Team USA doesnÂ’t have Brett Hull, or Jeremy Roenick, or Mike Richter, and it also doesnÂ’t have Herb Brooks. Team USA has Mike Modano, and Brian Rolston, and several Minnesota NHLers such as Bret Hedican, Mark Parrish, Jason Blake, and former Gopher Jordan Leopold, but it does not have former Gopher Paul Martin, who is on something of a reserve squad in case of injury, while Chris Chelios, at age 44, and Darien Hatcher presumably play regular defense. So Team USA doesnÂ’t appear to be as strong as 2002, in my opinion. Fedorov, Samsonov, Bure and others are gone from RussiaÂ’s team, so they, too, don’t look as strong.
Ah, but Sweden – arguably the strongest team at Salt Lake City in 2002 – not only returns the best players from that team, but adds several of the new and younger Swedes who are tearing up the NHL. They’re my pick, and I’m sticking to it. Besides, it would only be justice, after what happened in Salt Lake City.
Schaublin stops Gophers, UMD offense erupts for split
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. — Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth are accustomed to teaching tough lessons to the rest of the WCHA, but this past weekend, they instead learned some hard lessons themselves in a series that may have come down to one breakaway both nights.
On Friday, UMDÂ’s Noemie Marin broke free beyond the Minnesota defense, but freshman goaltender Brittony Chartier came up with a huge save. Minnesota went on to win the first meeting of the season between the perennial WCHA womenÂ’s rivals 4-1, including an empty-net goal in the final minute.
On Saturday, UMD freshman winger Michaela Lanzl broke up-ice to gather in a perfectly placed bounce pass off the left boards, and zoomed in on a breakaway. Chartier set herself, but Lanzl made a quick move and scored, at 2:30 of the first period. UMD cruised to a 6-0 victory for a split as Riitta Schaublin, who couldnÂ’t be faulted on any of the Friday night goals, stopped all 32 Gopher shots on Saturday, making it the first time Minnesota had ever been blanked in Ridder Arena.
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Bobbi Ross, who scored three goals in the first game for Minnesota, analyzed the weekend after being blanked in the second: “It was a great feeling yesterday, but weÂ’ll have to put tonightÂ’s game behind us and not dwell on it.Ââ€
Marin, meanwhile, who played with the incomparable Canadian Olympian Caroline Ouellette last year at UMD, was blanked in the first game but responded with two goals and three assists in the second. She said the energy shift was obvious: “Everybody was cheering for everybody else on the bench. There was no selfishness. We have to build on this, and hopefully next time we can win both games.Ââ€
It was not earth-shaking that No. 2 rated Minnesota-Duluth and No. 4 ranked Minnesota split their WCHA womenÂ’s hockey series. What was surprising that the two games seemed devoid of the electricity that usually underscores each shift. “Usually, itÂ’s so intense that thereÂ’s some hostility every shift when we play Duluth,†said Ross. “It wasnÂ’t that way, and I was surprised.Ââ€
Ross and Chartier were personally responsible for seeing to it that the Gophers were properly wired for the first game. Ross scored a power-play goal on a deflection at 2:25 of the first period, and converted a pass from behind the net with a quick shot from the left circle for a 2-0 lead.
Jill Sales broke ChartierÂ’s shutout with the strangest goal of the weekend to open the second period. Sales, a defenseman, flipped a shot past a defending Gopher and it approached Chartier at about the speed of an easy double-play grounder to short. Chartier may, in fact, have taken a glance at where she intended to play the puck, but amazingly it skipped right between her legpads and UMD was back in it at 2-1.
Not to worry. Ross came right back to score again, completing a hat trick to make it 3-1 for Minnesota. UMD outshot Minnesota 32-21 for the game, including 15-3 in the third period, but actually, none of the shots seemed potent enough to beat Chartier, and the only remaining goal was by Marley Wournell into an empty net.
“It was a big win for us,†said Minnesota coach Laura Halldorson. “Brittony wanted that goal back, but Bobbi got it back. I thought it was a big factor when Chartier stopped that breakaway.Ââ€
A second UMD goal was disallowed. Allison Lehrke reached up and batted a popped-up puck out of the air with her glove. The puck bounced around among a couple of defensemen before it was knocked in by another UMD player. Lehrke was asked if someone handled the puck after she batted it down. “I donÂ’t know,†she said. “I got cross-checked right away and didnÂ’t see what happened.Ââ€
The goal was immediately waved off by referee Evonne Young.
UMD was without Lanzl in the first game. The former German National team star had an upset stomach earlier in the week, and was tested for appendicitis. She was cleared, but didnÂ’t feel 100 percent, so coach Shannon Miller kept her out of the first game. Miller acknowledged that missing a player of LanzlÂ’s skill was a detriment, but was more concerned with her teamÂ’s lack of fire.
“When you have an opponent that is your equal, you’ve got to be there every moment of the game,†she said.
So timid was UMDÂ’s offense that it misfired on all nine power plays. Minnesota, which has lost Natalie Darwitz, Krissy Wendell, Kelly Stephens and Lyndsa Wall to the U.S. Olympic team, and goaltender Jody Horak to graduation. “We donÂ’t need people to replace them,†said Ross, “we need a team effort, with all of us going as hard as we can.Ââ€
The second-game turnabout couldnÂ’t have been more complete. The Bulldogs responded to MillerÂ’s suggestion about the benefits of playing on their toes, and hit the ice running, and MinnesotaÂ’s defense resembled UMDÂ’s first-game corps, backing up from the start and making itself susceptible to a speedy forecheck.
The ‘Dogs outshot Minnesota 11-6 in the first period, and virtually all the 11 shots had more sting to them than any of FridayÂ’s 32. LanzlÂ’s quick-hands move on her breakaway came at 2:30. She shrugged about the goal. “Sometimes my hands just do it by themselves.Ââ€
Jessica Koizumi pounced on Ashly WaggonerÂ’s rebound to make it 2-0 at 15:16 of the first, and Lehrke made it 3-0 at 16:20. Lehrke went hard to the net and was hauled down just as Sara OÂ’Toole fed a pass from the left side. The puck glanced in off the hurtling bodies.
“Duluth played much better,†said Halldorson. “I was disappoinited at the way we started; their first goal knocked the wind out ofour sails, and then it sort of snowballed.Ââ€
It almost seemed that the Gophers took a few liberties in the first game because UMD’s “power play†was misnamed, at the very least. That changed with the change of styles in the second game. The Bulldogs took the first three penalties of the second period but killed them off. Then Minnesota’s Dagney Willen smacked Juliane Jubinville from behind into the corner boards. She was assessed an immediate five-minute major and game misconduct. Feeble no more, the UMD power play clicked three times. Marin scored at 10:13 on a rebound, and she scored again at 12:40. Before the major expired, Lanzl scored at 13:59.
UMD drew the last two penalties of the second period and all four in the third, but even the six consecutive power plays didnÂ’t matter. At the second intermission, UMD had outshot Minnesota 20-16 and led 6-0. In the third, they played a containment style, seemingly unbothered that the Gophers outshot them 16-2, because Schaublin stopped everything that came her way.
“The difference was that we came out on our heels last night, and tonight we played our game, on our toes,†said Miller. “Lanzl is a dynamite player, and she has a huge effect on our team. But all three of our lines were firing.Ââ€
The split left UMD rated No. 2 in the nation, and Minnesota No. 4 as the top co-contenders for WCHA laurels. Presumably theyÂ’ll still be there on February 26-27. ThatÂ’s when they meet again, in Duluth. The electricity, we can assume, will be ON.
Both Gophers, UMD needed rivalry sweep, but got split
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. — ThereÂ’s nothing like a good old-fashioned rivalry, such as when Minnesota faced Minnesota-Duluth at Mariucci Arena last weekend. You can throw away the record books when those two play. Come to think of it, both teams might prefer if you threw away the current record book.
Minnesota’s “Border Line†seems to have become borderline, while UMD shows indications of coming out of a lengthy scoring slump, but, as they say, none of that matters in a rivalry like this.
Minnesota-Duluth, located on the tip of Lake Superior, is a campus of the University of Minnesota, so Bulldog hockey games against the “Main U†annually are the biggest sports event in Duluth. There are seasons when UMD is Minnesota’s biggest rivalry, too, but from both competitive and regional impact, Minnesota also looms as the biggest natural rival for Wisconsin, North Dakota, and St. Cloud State.
A split of their weekend series only seemed appropriate, although it wasnÂ’t what either team wanted — or needed. Minnesota held off UMDÂ’s late rally for a 4-3 victory in the first game, and the Bulldogs secured a 2-1 victory in the rematch.
Scoring was no problem for Minnesota all season, thanks to the “Border LineÂ’s†three non-native Minnesotans — Ryan Potulny from Grand Forks, Dan Irmen from Fargo, and Kris Chucko from Burnaby (British Columbia), The line scored 20 of MinnesotaÂ’s 43 goals in the first nine weeks they were together, but it scored only one goal in the two losses to Michigan Tech, and its only goal during the UMD weekend was when a power-play rebound scramble tally Saturday was reappropriated to Chucko.
Unlike Minnesota, UMD didnÂ’t have hot scorers to going cold, so much as cold scorers trying to warm up. Marco Peluso warmed up to broil by scoring two of the UMD goals and assisting on the other in the 4-3 loss, and assisting on two of the three in the 3-2 victory.
The first game was scoreless through one period, then the teams erupted for four goals in less than four minutes early in the second. Derek PeltierÂ’s goal staked Minnesota to a 1-0 lead, Peluso countered promptly for UMD, and Garrett Smaagaard and defenseman Judd Stevens scored Minnesota goals for a 3-1 lead.
UMD goalie Josh Johnson played very well to hold the 3-1 deficit, but with eight minutes to go in the third period, Nate HagemoÂ’s power-play goal gave Minnesota a 4-1 lead, and the standing-room Gopher crowd of 10,149 started to taunt the Bulldogs with their “Nah, nah, nah, nah, goodbye†song. “When we got that power play goal, I thought the game was over,†said Gopher coach Don Lucia. “But they made some good plays – theyÂ’ve got some good players.Ââ€
UMDÂ’s less-heralded big line came through, when Evan Schwabe fed Peluso, whose backhander was blocked by Gopher goalie Kellen Briggs, but Bryan McGregor converted with 3:04 left. On its next line shift, Peluso drilled a long rebound with 2:15 to go, and the Gopher fans stopped taunting at 4-3, but Minnesota held on. “The bottom line was, we won the game,†said a relieved Lucia. “And it was a very, very important win for us.Ââ€
Equally important was UMDÂ’s response with a much more inspired effort the next night. “Much more aggressive, more physical,†said UMD coach Scott Sandelin. “We played so well in the first period that I wondered if we could sustain it for three periods.Ââ€
Senior Bulldog defenseman Tim Hambly walked in from the point to whistle a high, hard one past Briggs midway through the first period, and while ChuckoÂ’s goal tied it, UMD outshot Minnesota 17-15 in a chance-filled session. UMD took charge in the second period when Nick Anderson and Evan Schwabe scored for a 3-1 lead in the first four minutes.
Tyler Hirsch knocked in Jake FlemingÂ’s rebound at 9:15 of the second period, and it looked like the game was percolating toward a wild finish. But goalie Isaac Reichmuth stood firm, and UMD resolutely kept the puck in MinnesotaÂ’s end, outshooting the Gophers 12-6 in the third period and 45-33 for the game. An even larger crowd of10,303 was poised to cheer and jeer, but departed unfulfilled.
“ThatÂ’s as good as IÂ’ve seen a team play against us all year,†said Lucia. “They were getting to the pucks first, they got it out of their zone, and they took control of the game. We got 17 of our shots on the power play, but 5-on-5, Duluth had much more energy.Ââ€
Each team could take heart in how their victory brought them closer to where they were.
Minnesota had been cruising along No. 1 in the nation, and it appeared inevitable that the Gophers would make up its games-in-hand to overtake WCHA leader Wisconsin. But the Gophers were beaten twice at Mariucci Arena by Colorado College, and lost twice in their next home series to last-place Michigan Tech. Two straight series sweeps by visitors to Minnesota hadnÂ’t happened in 28 years, not since the late and legendary Herb Brooks coached the Gophers through a rebuilding season in 1977, the year after their second NCAA title in a three-year span.
Despite flashes of strong play, Minnesota is 1-5 record in its last three WCHA home sets, and12-8 in league play, as the Gophers learned the other side of the games-in-hand opportunity – you still have to win them to gain ground. Especially when Wisconsin refuses to fade at the upper reaches of the WCHA, and took a week off with a lofty 14-4 record, while onrushing Colorado College and Denver joined them in the “4-loss club†at 15-4-1 and 13-4-1, respectively.
UMDÂ’s struggles have been longer. A Frozen Four appearance last spring led to being declared the coachesÂ’ preseason pick to win the WCHA, and a 5-1 start and the No. 1 national ranking followed. Then the Bulldogs quit scoring, and sputtered through a 3-12-2 stretch — 2-9-2 in the WCHA. Some hope was rekindled when UMD won the second game at St. Cloud, then tied and won at Colorado College, so the split at Minnesota means the Bulldogs, who had won just once in nine games, are on a 3-1-1 rise, even though their 9-10-3 record means they are, still looking for .500, and playoff home-ice.
As for big rivalries: A revenge motive is part of the Badgers upcoming weekend, because half of WisconsinÂ’s league losses came on an early-season weekend at Mariucci. And, for this coming weekend at least, the Minnesota-Wisconsin rivalry is the biggest for both teams.
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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