Thursday, February 25, 2010
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Matt Slocum/Associated Press
Russia's Alexander Ovechkin shakes hands with Sidney Crosby after Canada's victory Wednesday.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Hockey matchup of the century?
Yeah, maybe for a minute or two.
After that, it was no mas.
Canada got two goals from Corey Perry and a bunch from other players to obliterate, humiliate and eliminate Russia, 7-3, Wednesday night in an Olympic quarterfinal meeting that many had predicted would be the gold-medal game.
"It's the show that everybody wanted," Perry said. "And we gave them a show."
It surely was soaked up: The overflow crowd of 19,300 at Canada Hockey Place, standing and screaming in a setting unlike many in North American sports, was complemented by what television analysts predicted would be the largest audience for any program in this nation's history.
"A pretty amazing atmosphere," Sidney Crosby said. "You grow up here learning about the Canada-Russia rivalry, but you could really feel it in this building. And we responded to that. We came out energized."
Canada stormed to a 4-1 lead after one period, 7-1 in the second.
It also was the first professional faceoff between the Penguins' stars, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but that storyline was diffused just as quickly: Crosby had no points, though he generated several chances. Malkin had one assist and was largely responsible for one of Canada's early goals.
Malkin and defenseman Sergei Gonchar, the Penguins' other representative in the game, declined to be interviewed, as did most of the Russians.
Alexander Ovechkin, the only player generally seen at Crosby's level in the NHL, delivered a dud with no points, three shots, a minus-2 rating, and he took more hits than he gave from the big, bruising Canadians.
He spoke briefly.
"I'm disappointed. What do you think?" Ovechkin said before turning to walk away.
Crosby was asked if he had another one up on his rival, this after the Penguins beat his Washington Capitals in a Game 7 last spring.
"That's up to you to decide," he answered. "We won a quarterfinal game. It happened to be against Russia. It was a great battle for us, but we're moving forward."
Bottom line from this event: Canada is back.
Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Evgeni Malkin controls the puck as Canadian defenseman Shea Weber gives chase.
All the ugliness of that preliminary round -- needing a shootout to beat Switzerland and the loss to the United States -- was discarded, and the Canadians again are gold-medal favorites. Even if they have to get through upstart Slovakia, which toppled defending champion Sweden, 4-3, late Wednesday night. And even if they must, thanks to those early travails, play five games in seven days to pull it off.
"A lot of things are starting to come together," defenseman Chris Pronger.
"I thought we did a good job using our speed, forcing turnovers, playing well defensively, and we made the most of our opportunities," Crosby said. "Really, a solid game for everybody. And it happened right at the start."
The crowd got going during warm-ups, and Canada clearly fed off it, delivering big hits, clicking on passes, firing pucks at will for a 42-28 edge in shots and, in general, reaching a gear it had not previously displayed.
All that energy paid off just 2:41 into the game, when Ryan Getzlaf steered Dan Boyle's pass behind Russia's Evgeni Nabokov. At 12:09, Boyle's screened wrist shot made it 2-0 and, 46 seconds later, Rich Nash's finish off a two-on-one break made it 3-0.
The latter was Malkin's mess: He turned over the puck just inside Canada's blue line, then gave far less than his best effort to get back. Nash blew by Malkin and others to get open for Jonathan Toews' pass.
By the time it was 6-1 early in the second, Russia coach Slava Bykov finally pulled Nabokov after stopping just 17 of 23 shots.
"I didn't do my job," Nabokov said. He answered reporters' questions for more than 20 minutes.
For Russia, the embarrassment is multiplied by the fact their nation will host the next Olympics in 2014, and many of these players have lobbied the NHL to continue participating.
It was difficult to gauge how the players felt about it because so few would be interviewed, but forward Pavel Datsyuk might have hinted at some discord with this line: "Am I disappointed? Yes. Surprised? No."
Even with Russia's superb group of forwards, its defensive depth and goaltending had been projected as weaknesses, and that proved true. But Bykov's coaching rated just as low. Most glaring, he gave extensive playing time to the quarter of the roster culled from Russia's Kontinental Hockey League, and those players, especially the defensemen, had been exposed early as performing well below their NHL teammates.
The forwards bear blame, too: Russia's power play -- with a lineup that looked like a video-game dream come true -- went a total of 3 for 19 in the Olympics, including Gonchar's meaningless goal in this one.
Dejan Kovacevic: dkovacevic@post-gazette.com. Find more at our Kovacevic at the Olympics blog.
Team Canada lays a 7-3 whupping on top-ranked Russia
Canada faces Slovakia on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
By Wayne Scanlan, Canwest News Service
Vancouver Sun
http://www.vancouversun.com/
February 25, 2010 5:16 AM
Canada's Rick Nash scores on Russia's Evgeni Nabokov during first period action in the men's hockey quarterfinals at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver, BC during the 2010 Winter Olympics, February 24, 2010.
Photograph by: Jean Levac, Canwest News Service
VANCOUVER — It wasn't the gold-medal game . . . it just felt like it.
Thirty million Canadians will say they were there. And maybe they were — in the hearts of 20 Canadian players who felt their push.
The best of Canadian hockey was on display in this victory for the ages: Passion. Heart. Hunger. Will.
The Canadians came at Russia like a Tsunami.
"We were at the boiling point as soon as the puck dropped," said Canadian forward Eric Staal.
As for the top-ranked Russians, they didn't even come to a simmer, as Canada hung one of the most embarrassing defeats on Russia in its Olympic history. Officially, the 7-3 rout is Russia's second worst Olympic loss — behind a 5-0 beating by Finland in 1994.
"Unfortunately, our Olympic Games are over," said Russian head coach Vyacheslav Bykov, "and I apologize for how it happened."
Russian superstar Alex Ovechkin, targeted at every turn, and especially pounded early by Rick Nash and Shea Weber, looked like he wished he were somewhere else. To paraphrase Pedro Martinez, the Canadians whipped No. 8 like they were his 'daddy.' One Weber hit broke Ovechkin's stick. Subsequent hits broke his spirit.
"OOOOO-vvie!!" fans chanted, mockingly, in the third period.
And then, "We want Swe-den!!"
Finally, "We want gold!"
In fact, Canada will play Slovakia in Friday's semifinal, after they knocked off the defending gold-medal champion Swedes 4-3 later Wednesday night.
Make no mistake, Russia wanted this one, too.
But Canada wanted it in the worst way, here on home ice, after Russia ruined the 2006 Olympics by beating Canada 2-0 in the quarter-finals, then went on to win two world titles over Canada.
This sweet victory was a long time coming. At the Olympics, Canada hadn't defeated the Russians in any form — as Russia, the Soviet Union or United teams since 1960, that black-and-white TV era when Canada was represented by the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen. That was also a rout, 8-5. Canada's overall Olympic record against Russia just improved to 2-9, but 1-1 since the NHL joined the Olympics in 1998.
Yes, it's been 50 years since Canada celebrated an Olympic win over this nation, and if that number rings a bell, it should. It was also 50 years between Olympic gold hockey medals when Canada won at Salt Lake City in 2002.
All day long, the city anticipated this match, and clearly so did Canada's team, storming up ice from the opening faceoff. The Russians had to wonder what hit them (usually it was Brenden Morrow or Mike Richards or Jonathan Toews or Shea Weber . . .).
Ovechkin would have loved to upstage Sidney Crosby and his Canadian team in their own rink, but it was not happening, especially with Evgeni Nabokov springing leaks in the Russian net. The goal he let through off Morrow's backhand, after Russia scored to close to 3-1, was horrific as well as fatal for the Russians. Canada got the bounces it did not get against the USA.
Where's Mike Keenan when he's needed? Nabokov should have been hooked after Morrow's goal, if not earlier. Mercifully, Ilya Bryzgalov relieved Nabokov after Canada's sixth goal, a slapshot by Weber. Corey Perry scored two goals, as he and Anaheim teammate Ryan Getzlaf put on an offensive show, with some dazzling passing plays. Defenceman Dan Boyle got it started, setting up Canada's first goal and then scoring the second one himself.
"We wanted to play that physical game," Perry said. "We grinded, played that cycle game. That's what we have to do to be successful."
Toews said the Canadians knew pressure would fetch rewards.
"An offensive team like that," Toews said, "is going to turn pucks over. We weren't going to give up and give them a chance to come back."
The pressure on Russia's defence was designed to limit stretch passes to their dynamic forwards. Mission accomplished. Russian goals by Dmitri Kalinin, Maxim Afinogenov and Sergei Gonchar made things mildly interesting as far as drama, but really, it was over when Canada pumped four past Nabokov in the first period.
Ovechkin was supposed to be saving himself for Canada (or maybe it's the 2014 tournament in Sochi?). Ovechkin did little in the three preliminary games, and throughout, he's been miserable. Par for his Vancouver behaviour, Ovechkin spoke to Russian media post-game, then brushed off all other inquiries, twice blowing through the mixed zone.
Canadian head coach Mike Babcock was heard spinning lovely pre-game yarns about this game turning into the Sid vs. Ovie show, which was a smokescreen, of course. Babcock had no intention of running Crosby's skill line against Ovechkin, Alex Semin, and Evgeni Malkin. That assignment went to a new bulldog line of Nash, Toews and Richards. Nos. 61, 16 and 18 didn't check Ovechkin, they put him on, and wore him out. The Toews line started the game and starred in it — an especially gritty, effective performance by Toews, the young Chicago Blackhawks centre, who has found his tournament niche.
Oddly, despite the buildup of Sid vs. Ovie, neither protagonist played much of a role. Crosby did not score a point in the rout.
Still, what a chapter for young fans, just catching on to this Canada-Russia rivalry thing, rooted, in the Cold War days when Father David Bauer's amateur nationals tried their best, then finally Canada's NHL pros were assembled in 1972, and won a cliffhanger eight-game series on Paul Henderson's historic goal.
No need of a miracle finish this time. It was over early, allowing fans to savour every delightful nuance of an eternal hockey beat down.
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