With NHL Lockout Looming, Hockey Stages a Final Celebration

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

TORONTO – It was one of the finest games in international hockey history, a thrilling overtime contest between the world’s top two hockey nations. The Canada-Czech Republic World Cup semifinal Saturday night featured furious end-to-end rushes, game-saving saves, and vintage performances by legendary players – in short, it was everything the NHL game should strive to be.


Unfortunately, the action will move from the ice to the negotiating table when the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and its players expires at midnight tomorrow. With both sides refusing to negotiate toward a compromise, the 2004-05 season is in serious jeopardy – a bitterly ironic outcome after the owners and the union came together to stage such a dramatic World Cup tournament.


Hockey fans will have one final cause for celebration when Canada and Finland face off in the final here tonight. The Canadians, fresh off their triumph over the Czechs, will be playing in front of the frenzied home crowd that saw Vincent Lecavalier bury the overtime winner Saturday night. The Canadian team is considered by many to be the best in that country’s storied hockey history, and anything less than a World Cup championship would be a letdown – when Lecavalier scored on Saturday, the reaction was equal parts relief and joy.


The main question facing the Canadians is the health of goaltender Martin Brodeur, who missed the Czech game with an injured hand. The Devils superstar was able to make it through a complete Team Canada practice yesterday, and it stands to reason that head coach Pat Quinn will choose Brodeur if he is available to play.


Florida Panthers net minder Roberto Luongo stepped in for Brodeur on Saturday, and delivered one of Canada’s great clutch performances. Replacing Brodeur in a do-or-die situation in front of 19,000 frantic fans – an environment far removed from his playoff-free existence for the Panthers – Luongo stopped 37 of the 40 shots fired his way. He allowed a couple of soft goals, but Luongo’s highlight-reel saves in the game’s final minutes saved the Canadians from what would otherwise have been an incredibly disappointing loss.


Though Canada is the heavy favorite, the underrated Finns must be considered a legitimate threat as they enter their most significant contest since facing Team USA in the 1980 Olympic gold-medal game.


The Finns, who defeated Team USA Friday night, are riding the great goaltending of Calgary Flames playoff hero Miikka Kiprusoff. (In a bit of irony, Canada’s Stanley Cup hero now finds himself in the position of potential spoiler.)


Kiprusoff is an exceptionally quick goaltender; when “Goalies World” magazine clocked his speed dropping down into the butterfly position, it was the fastest they had ever recorded. Kiprusoff has no real holes in his game, and perhaps his biggest strength of all is his unflappable nature – when he gives up a goal, no matter how soft, he invariably bounces back immediately.


Tonight, “Kipper” will be facing a Canadian forward corps that has been the best of the tournament at both ends of the ice. While Lecavalier leads the team in scoring, the unquestioned leader is captain Mario Lemieux, who has formed a dominant top line alongside Jarome Iginla, and Joe Sakic.


Lemieux has slowed considerably – on Saturday night, he lost a foot race with Czech goaltender Tomas Vokoun on a play that the Super Mario of old would have converted into a spectacular breakaway goal – but the ever graceful 38-year-old still can take control of the game, dictating its pace and creating space for his teammates. Fourteen minutes into the second period against the Czechs, Lemieux corralled a high outlet pass at the blue line with his glove, deftly dropped it to his stick, and carried the puck into the Czech zone. While his teammates were moving the puck around in front of Vokoun, Lemieux continued down the right wing and slipped unnoticed around the net. He re-emerged just as the puck came loose, firing a shot past a sprawled-out Vokoun to give Canada a 2-0 lead.


The spiritual leader for the Finns is Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu, who, like Lemieux, is a cancer survivor. Koivu scored the winning goal against Team USA on Friday night, controlling a cross-ice pass from Ossi Vaananen and beating American goaltender Robert Esche from the side of the net to seal the victory. The diminutive Koivu more than makes up for his small stature with his hard-nosed, relentless pursuit of the puck.


Playing on a line with Teemu Selanne and Jere Lehtinen, Koivu will likely find himself matched up against Red Wings forward Kris Draper, who has been among Canada’s most impressive players in this tournament. Draper won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward last season, and he has formed a highly effective checking line with Joe Thornton and Shane Doan.


One of the fastest skaters on the Canadian team, Draper was assigned the arduous task of shadowing Czech forward Jaromir Jagr on Saturday. Not only did he hold Jagr off the score sheet, but Draper also assisted on Canada’s first goal and scored a beautiful third-period goal on a laser-like slap shot from the left face-off circle.


The Finns’ offensive leader is Nashville Predators defenseman Kimmo Timonen, whose six points and +4 rating pace the team. Exceptional running the point on the power play, Timonen was kept off the scoresheet against Team USA. However, he and veteran partner Teppo Numminen had their hands full covering the Americans’ top line of Keith Tkachuk, Bill Guerin, and Mike Modano. By holding them scoreless on Friday, Timonen and Numminen paved the way for Finland’s upset.


Timonen and co. face a far more difficult task against the deep Canadian roster, but the disciplined Finns play a strong defensive style that could make things interesting. Whoever wins, hockey fans should take the opportunity to savor one final night of on-ice beauty before the boardroom battles begin.



Mr.Greenstein is the editor-in-chief of INSIDE HOCKEY (www.insidehockey.com).


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