Ice hockey: Olympic Games… a notch above NHL, says Holland – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Vancouver (AFP) – Bringing home the Olympic hockey gold is not a sprint to the finish but an exercise in managing nerves and overcoming hardships, says Canada associate general manager Ken Holland.
“People want us to win in six straight games but teams that win the Olympics are the ones that handle the adversity the best,” Holland told AFP while watching the Canadian players practice at Canada Hockey Place arena ahead of Sunday’s gold medal clash against the United States.
“When we first got here we expected bumps in the road. We had a huge emotional game against Russia. We survived a big scare from Slovakia. All these experiences prepare you for future ones.”
Canada will attempt to become the first team to win Olympic hockey gold on home ice in 30 years when they meet the USA.
As GM of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, Holland guided his club to a Stanley Cup championship in 2008.
He said the NHL playoffs are intense but for a short tournament nothing compares to the Olympics.
“We have been to the Stanley Cup finals two years in a row and we have got just seven players in this tournament. You have got all the top players from all the top NHL lines here. Everybody is so good,” Holland said.
“The checkers on these Olympics teams are 30-goal scorers in the NHL. The speed of these games is another notch above the NHL game.”
Holland said it hasn’t been difficult for management to get the Canadian players to buy into what they are trying to achieve at the Vancouver Olympics.
Forwards like Dany Heatley are counted on for scoring with the San Jose Sharks but he has been a physical force for Canada throughout this tournament.
“We told the guys if you don’t play on the power-play here then you have to contribute in another way. Maybe take a defensive role, block shots, throw checks,” Holland said.
It can work the other way too. Forward Brenden Morrow has never been a big scorer in the NHL but he scored a key goal in Canada’s 3-2 win over Slovakia in the semi-finals.
“The goals are a bonus and come from the law of averages,” said Morrow. “If you work hard enough then you get some bounces. My goals are never pretty but they come from winning the battles.”
That’s exactly the kind of thinking that Holland and coach Mike Babcock, who also coaches the Red Wings, are looking for in their players.
“We told the players at the start of the tournament that when it is over no one is going to remember what you did. They will remember what the team did. It is about the team and the country,” Holland said.
Holland, who played goal in the NHL for the Red Wings and Hartford Whalers, said he’s not worried about Canada’s goaltending in these Olympics.
“Roberto Luongo in the last five minutes against Slovakia made some key saves and a gigantic one on Pavol Demitra,” Holland said of Luongo, who was under seige in the last eight minutes of the third period in Canada’s 3-2 semi-final win over Slovakia.
“We haven’t been outplayed yet so our goalie hasn’t had to steal a game for us.
“I am sure Roberto would like to have the first goal against Slovakia back. But at the same time he made huge saves when the game was on the line.”
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