2010 Olympic Break Viewed Differently By NHL Players
While all 30 NHL teams are sending players to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, there are only so many slots to go around. Some players will spend the two-week break at home with family, others plan to stay in shape by working out at their teams’ practice facilities, and many will just be glad to have the time to rest.
Three-time Olympian Mike Modano of the Dallas Stars, considered by many to be the best American hockey player of all-time, will have to be content to stay at home and watch the Games on TV. He realizes that he has to make way for younger players, but “you just hope you could have delayed it a little longer”.
Ryan Smyth of the Los Angeles Kings, known by many as “Captain Canada” in part for leading the Canadian Olympic team for the past two Games, was also left off perhaps due to age, but more likely because of a rib injury he sustained in mid-November. Smyth was sidelined for six weeks, and though he is now healthy, the long layoff put Smyth out of consideration for 2010.
“Am I disappointed? Yes, I’m disappointed. I would love to play for my country.” Smyth told reporters the day the Canadian team was announced. He will watch the Games, but will also be preparing for the second half of the NHL season.
The prevailing view of NHL players not in the Olympics, however, is best expressed by Craig Anderson of the Colorado Avalanche. He admitted to the Denver Post that being in the running for a spot is enough. “It’ll be good to focus and get some rest,” Anderson said, adding “It’s an honor to be considered. But I play for the crest on the jersey here in Colorado, and that’s my main focus.”