Olympic Hockey Blog
Ryan Suter grew up in Madison, WI. Madison is a great place for shopping, eating and watching sports. Whats better then watching the Badgers playing pretty much anything, especially hockey? Hockey fans need to camp outside in the elements just to try to get tickets to the Badger games. Ryan Suter knows this. He spent a year playing hockey for the Badgers.
A true Wisconsinite at heart.
But with being named to the USA Olympic hockey team on New Years day, he has some big skates to fill. Ryan, his dad and uncle have all worn the number 20 on their back with the Team USA on the front. His uncle has represented the US in 1998 Nagano and 2002 Salt Lake City games. His dad? Oh yah, he won that gold in 1980 Lake Placid. Can Ryan follow in his dad's footsteps and get the gold?
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With the way that the Sedins have been playing these days, they may be an unstoppable force come Olympic time. Although it has been known throughout the league that they are both very good players, the duo have been on fire with the Vancouver Canucks this year and for the first time in their careers, have begun to get the recognition as being superstars.
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As Team Sweden tries to defend their gold medal, Ohlund will don the tre kronor for his fourth Olympics. Ohlund will return to the city of Vancouver rejoining the Sedins to represent Team Sweden in a city where he played for 11 years. It's kinda like returning home...
no commentsRyan Miller has been the best goaltender in the NHL this season so far and as such will serve as the #1 goalie for the US Olympic team as well. To play such an important role on the team means Miller will need the appropriate equipment, in particular, a kick-ass goalie mask featuring a flexing Uncle Sam with USA tattooed on his biceps.
The mask was made by Warwick Mask & Equipment Inc. of Port Huron, Michigan and was designed by Miller himself.
Pretty goddamn dope!
Cross Posted with permission from The Slanch Report
slanch entertains all comers with sports news and opinion beamed directly from his brain to your brain over at The Slanch Report in addition remarking on Bad ASS goalie masks for Bloguin's Olympic Hockey Blog.
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He may look like a drowned rat when wet, but this edgy forward is one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL right now. Meet Ryan Kesler, Team U-S-A
no commentsThe Canadian Press reported yesterday, that if the Team Canada men's hockey team reaches the podium during the Olympics, they are eligible to receive bonus cash. The Canadian Olympic Committee decided that any athlete who wins a medal should be eligible to receive the money, even if none of the Team Canada players are amateur athletes.
Canadian athletes will be awarded $20,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. But unlike most sports, the hockey team are professional players with only 3 players that make less than $3.5 million US. The combined NHL salary of Team Canada comes in at $120 million based on this season.
"As you can imagine, there was considerable debate about whether or not athletes who professionally make a lot of money should be able to avail themselves of this,'' Rudge said Monday.
"Everyone was unanimous that if we were going to do a program, this is to say thank you and reward athletes for their performance at the Olympics. Every athlete should be able to have the opportunity to receive the money.
"We certainly understand how much money NHL players get, but they're going to spend a heck of a lot of money on getting their families and that there to watch them,'' said Nicholson.
"More importantly, they play at world juniors and men's worlds and we don't pay them any money for that. They're on Team Canada - when they're in the village we want them to be exactly the same (as other athletes).
"They're going to have the option hopefully when we're on the podium that they can give those dollars back (to charity) or do what they see is fit.''
I'm sure other countries do this as well, and some players will end up donating their money back to charity, but perhaps Hockey Canada President Bob Nicholson should have stopped before he said that NHL players are going to spend a heck of a lot of money since every athlete, professional and amateur is going to spend a heck of a lot of money at the Games.
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Sweden's Loui Eriksson is a one of the NHL's best kept secrets... outside of Dallas. While Canadians James Neal and Jamie Benn get lots of press as the hot young wingers on the Stars, Loui Eriksson has quietly been the right hand man to red hot Brad Richards, as well as arguably the top weapon on the Stars roster. While the average NHL fan doesn't think of Loui when they're listing the game's most talented right wings, his skills were not overlooked by his native Sweden. Eriksson will be making his Olympic debut in Vancouver, and is expected to contribute the same two-way prowess to the Tre Kronor that he displays every night in the Lone Star State.
Stars fans often compare Loui Eriksson to teammate and Scandinavian legend Jere Lehtinen of Finland, only with an arguably more dangerous offensive upside. While it's unlikely he'll ever compete with Lehtinen's three Selke Trophies as the NHL's best defensive forward, he has definitely taken over the lead checking role from the aging Lehtinen in Dallas. Loui Eriksson has been called Jere Lehtinen 2.0, and this Stars fan won't disagree with that assessment. Drafted 33rd overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft from Sweden's Frolunda Indians, Eriksson made his professional debut in 2005 for the AHL Iowa Stars. After playing one season in the AHL, Loui scored his first NHL goal in his first game as a Dallas Star on opening night of the 06-07 season. It didn't take him long to establish himself as a top NHL player, leading the Stars in goals in his third NHL season, with 36. Currently in his fourth NHL season, Loui sits first in goals (21) and second in points (48), playing on the Stars top unit with Brad Richards.
What strikes me the most about Eriksson's play is his intelligence. The kid oozes hockey sense, and is hardly ever caught out of position. Some believe this is due to his training in the Swedish hockey development program, while others believe it's because he's a cyborg sent from the future to destroy those of the wrong colored sweater. These Olympics should be special for Eriksson, as it will be an opportunity for him to suit up alongside his idol, Peter Forsberg. No word yet on if Eriksson will allow Foppa to wear his famous #21, or if he'll keep it for himself... (just kidding, before I get angry comments.) Eriksson is pretty much a utility knife on the Batman belt of the Swedish Olympic Team, just as capable of netting the game winning goal as he is of shutting down the top offensive players of the opposite.
In this tournament, you should expect Eriksson to play the technical, methodical, intelligent, two-way hockey that Sweden has had such success with in the past, as he hopes to contribute to his home nation's successful defense of their 2006 Gold Medal.
Cole Jones covers the Dallas Stars at The Other 6 Seconds in addition to his work on Bloguin's Olympic Hockey Blog.
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Photo from nbcolympics.com
Name: Ryan Malone
Birth Date: Dec 1, 1979
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, PA
Nickname: Bugsy, Taters, Ryry
With an average age of 26.5, Team USA is a young team. Although they are one of the underdogs heading into the Games, you can't really count them out. Brian Burke assembled a team that can compete at both a skill game and a physical game. Ryan Malone has both, and coming in at the age of 30, he also brings leadership. And tattoos.
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