wildboy26
12-23-05, 2:57 PM
Here is an article from SlamSports
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CP) - One of the more compelling storylines heading into the Turin Olympics is who the powerhouse Czechs will select as their No. 1 goaltender.
The defending world champions have the luxury of going with either Tomas Vokoun of the Nashville Predators or veteran Dominik Hasek of the Ottawa Senators. "I'm definitely going to fight for the job," Vokoun said this week in a phone interview. "It's up to the coaches, we'll see what happens. I definitely feel I have a chance. Usually in this tournament it's whoever is playing better at that moment when it comes to the starting goalie."
At the moment, both goalies are at the top of their game. Vokoun and Hasek sported identical 17-5-2 records heading into Friday's busy NHL schedule. Vokoun had a 2.46 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage while Hasek had a 2.11 GAA and .928 save percentage.
Hasek, who will turn 41 on Jan. 29, wasn't guaranteed anything when he spoke with Czech Olympic head coach Alois Hadamczik earlier this month.
"He didn't tell me if I'd be the starting goalie or the backup goalie or what his plans are," Hasek told the Ottawa Sun earlier this week.
Either way, both goalies will surely see some action given the compressed schedule of the Olympic tournament. All 12 countries play five games in the first seven days in the preliminary round. And if the Czechs reach the gold medal final, and many are betting they will, it's eight games in 12 days.
The 29-year-old Vokoun doesn't have Hasek's international resume or the hero status the Sens goalie still has in their home country after leading the Czechs the Olympic gold in 1998 at Nagano. But Vokoun is the man of the hour on the national side. He's played in the past three IIHF world tournaments for the Czechs, including last spring in Austria when he went 7-1-0 with a .953 save percentage and 1.08 GAA en route to winning the top goalie award and leading his country to the gold medal. His blanked Canada 3-0 in the final.
These will be Vokoun's first Olympics, and he's pumped about his country's chances. There's plenty of offence with forwards Milan Hejduk of the Colorado Avalanche, Robert Lang of the Detroit Red Wings, Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers collage of Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, Petr Prucha and Martin Rucinsky.
The blue-line features offensive star Marek Zidlicky of the Predators, Tomas Kaberle of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Filip Kuba of the Minnesota Wild, Pavel Kubina of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Marek Malik of the Rangers, Jaroslav Spacek of the Chicago Blackhawks and Frantisek Kaberle of the Carolina Hurricanes.
In short, there's really nothing missing on this team.
"It doesn't seem that way and hopefully there is nothing missing," said Vokoun. "But the names don't play the game, the players do.
"We need to be really prepared," he added. "We have the people that can do it but we have to make sure when we get there that we play as a team."
But he also points out that there are other countries loaded with talent.
"I think there's going to be three or four teams that are going to be very good and obviously Canada is probably the top team," Vokoun said. "But in this tournament, you just never know."
One decision Vokoun is close to making, meanwhile, is what equipment he'll wear in Turin. The new NHL rules which downsized goalie gear by 11 per cent don't apply at the Olympics.
"I haven't decided yet, but I'm inclined to staying with the equipment I have here," Vokoun said. "There's just not enough time to switch and go to the different or old equipment. I think I'm going to stay with the legal NHL equipment."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Czechs definitely are the country that worries me the most, and their goaltending might be superior to Canada's. It is amazing Hasek, arguably the greatest goalie of all time, and probably the hottest goalie in the NHL this year; has to fight for the starting job.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CP) - One of the more compelling storylines heading into the Turin Olympics is who the powerhouse Czechs will select as their No. 1 goaltender.
The defending world champions have the luxury of going with either Tomas Vokoun of the Nashville Predators or veteran Dominik Hasek of the Ottawa Senators. "I'm definitely going to fight for the job," Vokoun said this week in a phone interview. "It's up to the coaches, we'll see what happens. I definitely feel I have a chance. Usually in this tournament it's whoever is playing better at that moment when it comes to the starting goalie."
At the moment, both goalies are at the top of their game. Vokoun and Hasek sported identical 17-5-2 records heading into Friday's busy NHL schedule. Vokoun had a 2.46 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage while Hasek had a 2.11 GAA and .928 save percentage.
Hasek, who will turn 41 on Jan. 29, wasn't guaranteed anything when he spoke with Czech Olympic head coach Alois Hadamczik earlier this month.
"He didn't tell me if I'd be the starting goalie or the backup goalie or what his plans are," Hasek told the Ottawa Sun earlier this week.
Either way, both goalies will surely see some action given the compressed schedule of the Olympic tournament. All 12 countries play five games in the first seven days in the preliminary round. And if the Czechs reach the gold medal final, and many are betting they will, it's eight games in 12 days.
The 29-year-old Vokoun doesn't have Hasek's international resume or the hero status the Sens goalie still has in their home country after leading the Czechs the Olympic gold in 1998 at Nagano. But Vokoun is the man of the hour on the national side. He's played in the past three IIHF world tournaments for the Czechs, including last spring in Austria when he went 7-1-0 with a .953 save percentage and 1.08 GAA en route to winning the top goalie award and leading his country to the gold medal. His blanked Canada 3-0 in the final.
These will be Vokoun's first Olympics, and he's pumped about his country's chances. There's plenty of offence with forwards Milan Hejduk of the Colorado Avalanche, Robert Lang of the Detroit Red Wings, Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers collage of Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, Petr Prucha and Martin Rucinsky.
The blue-line features offensive star Marek Zidlicky of the Predators, Tomas Kaberle of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Filip Kuba of the Minnesota Wild, Pavel Kubina of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Marek Malik of the Rangers, Jaroslav Spacek of the Chicago Blackhawks and Frantisek Kaberle of the Carolina Hurricanes.
In short, there's really nothing missing on this team.
"It doesn't seem that way and hopefully there is nothing missing," said Vokoun. "But the names don't play the game, the players do.
"We need to be really prepared," he added. "We have the people that can do it but we have to make sure when we get there that we play as a team."
But he also points out that there are other countries loaded with talent.
"I think there's going to be three or four teams that are going to be very good and obviously Canada is probably the top team," Vokoun said. "But in this tournament, you just never know."
One decision Vokoun is close to making, meanwhile, is what equipment he'll wear in Turin. The new NHL rules which downsized goalie gear by 11 per cent don't apply at the Olympics.
"I haven't decided yet, but I'm inclined to staying with the equipment I have here," Vokoun said. "There's just not enough time to switch and go to the different or old equipment. I think I'm going to stay with the legal NHL equipment."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Czechs definitely are the country that worries me the most, and their goaltending might be superior to Canada's. It is amazing Hasek, arguably the greatest goalie of all time, and probably the hottest goalie in the NHL this year; has to fight for the starting job.