http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtNn7gCQIOA

Czechoslovakia won the silver medal in the last Olympics, and was the world champion team in both 1976 and 1978. This was only two days following on from the US team had battled to a 2 to 2 tie with Norway, another game not everybody really thought they had a chance to win. For the hockey faithful in America, this was beginning to be the foremost Olympics since 1960.

Maybe the group gave a place to live advantage to the hockey team, allowing them to put their emotions into the game so that it improved their play. As coach Herbie Brooks said, “We’d our minds going flat-out and our legs in check.” His style was hard and fast skating, and working together as a team, and in that game each player showed how well he understood that style of hockey. The Olympics ice hockey rink is 100 feet wide, which suggests there is a good number of open ice, and Coach Brooks style tended toward breaking toward open ice and skating hard. He had adopted the European style of hockey in order to be able to fight against it most in effect. As he said “We had to cram two to three years of practiced playing this way into five months of exhibition games.”

There are invariably key players on hockey teams, and Coach Brooks knew he would need a really good goalie, who from time to time could give a superior functioning. Jim Craig, the former Boston University goalie, came through against Czechoslovakia. The opposing team goalie, Jiri Kralik, didn’t have a good night. The total US team was young, with a typical age of twenty-two, and maybe a new team didn’t have adequate practiced to know that they weren’t skilled enough to beat the top European teams.

When all of the teams arrived in Lake Placid, right wing Dave Silk spent a little while looking over the other teams and nationalities. He saw that the Czechs had “Russian muscles”, which meant that it wasn’t hard for them to hold a defenseman at bay during the game. He found the East Germans the most unsettling, for they used their time free to play a game called Submarine, where they kept sinking American battleships. Coach Brooks knew that his team was comparing on their own and told them “You go up to the tiger, spit him in the eye, and then shoot him.” The strong hand of the coach, the amazing effort of the young team, and the enthusiasm of the bunch allowed the team to bring home the gold medal.

Canada was all over the German club from the drop of the puck out shooting them 14-4 in the first but would only leave the period with a 1-0 lead on a Joe Thornton goal.

But unlike in the game against the Americans the Canadians would finish their chances in the second. Scoring three straight goals in a span of only 6:18.

Canada’s first goal of the period which lead to a 2-0 lead was off the sick of Shea Weber as he unleashed a cannon from the point that would actually go though the mesh of the net and the play would have to be reviewed to see if it did go in. But there was no question to the goal as this blazing shot from the point went right though the netting.

Jerome Iginla would put home the next two Canadian goals that would add up to a 4-0 lead.

The Germans would get one back on a wrap around attempt for a 4-1 game as they started getting some shots on goal. Only being out shot by one in the period they still trailed by three in the game. Down three goals the Germans new it would be a tough feat to come back from as they haven’t scored more than three goals in a game during the tournament.

Crosby, Richards, Niedermayer and Nash would all tally in the third to put this game well away for an 8-2 whipping.

Roberto Luongo made his return between the pipes after Martin Broduer’s under par outing to the US. He will be in goal again against the Russians. Luongo faced a total of 23 shots letting in two while Canada put up 39 shots on goal putting home eight.

The Hockey world will all be watching when the two Hockey powers go at it. Who you ask? The Russians and the Canadians. While many expected this game would be for Gold, it comes three rounds early. One of these two teams will go home with nothing.

Weather it’s the Penguins and Capitals or the Canadians vs the Russians this is the Super Bowl of Hockey! Crosby vs Ovechkin in a best vs best battle. Winner will move on the Loser goes home or in Canada’s case they won’t have to travel to far with a loss.

For more Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Articles http://www.puckvideo.com

* Stanley Cup Winner – 1991, 1992 (Pittsburgh)
* Hart Trophy (MVP) - 1999
o Finalist: 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006
* Art Ross Trophy (Leading point scorer) - 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
* Lester B. Pearson Award (Players’ MVP) - 1999, 2000, 2006
* NHL First Team All-Star - 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006
* NHL Second Team All-Star - 1997
* NHL All-Rookie Team - 1991

Other

* Olympic gold medal winner for the Czech Republic in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano
* Olympic bronze medal for the Czech Republic in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin
* IIHF World Champion - 2005
* IIHF European Club Champion - 2005
* Golden Stick Award (1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) holder, which is the highest trophy an ice hockey player can get in the Czech Republic. When he won his 6th Golden Stick in 2005, he surpassed Dominik Hašek for the most such awards in Czech and Czechoslovak history; and in 2008, he won his 9th.
* Czech Sportsman of the Year 2005, a trophy awarded by journalists in the Czech Republic
* IIHF World Championship All-Star Team - 2005
* In 1998 he was ranked number 37 on The Hockey News’ list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. This made him the highest-ranked player to have been trained outside Canada. Jagr, who was only 26 at the time, was additionally the second-youngest player on the list, older only than 25-year-old, No. 54-ranked Eric Lindros.

Feb. 15-Feb. 28—Olympic break.

April 11—Regular season ends.

Budaj stopped 39 shots, and Chris Stewart scored two goals in the Colorado Avalanche’ 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.

Milan Hejduk and Chris Durno, with his first NHL goal, also scored for the Avalanche. Alex Auld made 29 saves, and Steve Ott scored for the Stars, who suffered just their third regulation loss in December.
Colorado Avalanche right winger Chris Stewart, back, fires a shot between the legs of Dallas Stars defenseman Matt Niskanen for an empty-net goal in the third period of the Avalanche’s 4-1 victory in an NHL hockey game in Denver on Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009.

Budaj played an average of 45 games the previous four seasons but has become the forgotten backup with the stellar play of No. 1 goalie Craig Anderson. Budaj made just his seventh start of the season against the Stars, but he made it memorable with one of his best games in his five-year career.

“He played excellent,” Colorado coach Joe Sacco said. “He made some keys saves down the stretch.”

Budaj kept Dallas off the boards for most of the game with two big stops on defenseman Jeff Woywitka. The first came on a rebound late in the second and he made a glove save of Woywitka’s shot on a Stars’ 4-on-2 rush with 16:25 left in the third.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsgNLhfkLa4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0hEpchvDhk