For a Medal, U.S. Must Do Some Net Working

It’s 71 days until the Olympics. Do you know where your goaltender is?

Team Canada knows its starting goalie won’t be Patrick Roy, who withdrew from consideration last week to focus on helping the Colorado Avalanche defend its Stanley Cup title.

“I was a little surprised,” said Mike Dunham of the Nashville Predators, the only goalie among the 15 players named to Team USA’s preliminary roster. “He deserves to do what he wants. He’s the best goalie that ever played. I’m sure Canada would like a different decision, but he wants to rest.

“You look at the Canadian roster, and you see they’ve still got some great goaltenders. They’re going to have to make a tough decision.”

The U.S. goaltending decision also will be tough, but for different reasons. None of the five goalies who attended the U.S. orientation camp in September has made an irrefutable case for getting the starting job, leaving a question mark surrounding the team’s most vital position as the Dec. 22 roster submission deadline approaches.

Dunham, who played three games at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics and was a spectator as the third goalie at Albertville in 1992, acknowledged he has had too many ups and downs this season. His 2.93 goals-against average and .887 save percentage reflect that. The best goals-against average among the other four campers is the 2.38 compiled by Brent Johnson of the St. Louis Blues, 26th-best in the NHL through Tuesday.

Only Mike Richter of the New York Rangers, returning from knee surgery at 35, is gaining strength. His goals-against average is down to 2.68 and his save percentage up to .922. “He gets my vote as the U.S. Olympic goalie by the way,” Buffalo Coach Lindy Ruff said after Richter made 47 saves in a 2-2 tie with the Sabres on Tuesday.

However, Robert Esche of the Phoenix Coyotes, struggling with a 3.76 goals-against average, was sent to the minor leagues Wednesday. And Damian Rhodes’ 3.81 goals-against average and .887 save percentage with the Atlanta Thrashers are among the NHL’s worst. Because the picture is so muddy, Team USA executives expanded the pool to include veteran Tom Barrasso, who has a 2.02 goals-against average and .928 save percentage with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Dunham said he has been too concerned with his own woes and the Predators’ playoff battle in the tough Western Conference to analyze his Olympic prospects.

“The only time I think about it is when I’m asked,” said Dunham, whose team will face the Kings Saturday at Staples Center and the Ducks Sunday at the Arrowhead Pond. “It’s not until February, so I won’t start to focus on it until the end of January. We just play so many games. The situation I’m in now, I’ve got to try to get my game to a consistent level and not think about anything else.”

Consistency is a starting point, but the U.S. will need superb goaltending to win a medal at Salt Lake City. Jim Craig’s exploits in the U.S. team’s stunning victory at Lake Placid in 1980 and Dominik Hasek’s acrobatics for the Czech Republic at Nagano in 1998 are classic examples of a goalie lifting a team above its supposed limits.

“When you have such a short tournament and you get to single elimination, a hot goalie can make a difference,” said Dunham, who in 1980 was an ecstatic 8-year-old in Johnson City, N.Y., not far from Lake Placid. “You lose a game, you’re out. A hot goalie steals a game and you’re in the next round and closer to a medal.”

The U.S. men haven’t won a medal since 1980, but home-country advantage and a swell of post-Sept. 11 patriotism might boost their chances.

“Once the Games start and people get into the arena and feel the atmosphere, it’s going to take on another meaning to see all the flags,” said Dunham, who is willing to be the backup or third goalie. “It’s going to be very emotional. It’s something people can get excited about.”

Last Loop

Maria Butyrskaya, Irina Slutskaya and Evgeny Plushenko, the women’s and men’s Grand Prix figure skating point leaders, withdrew from this weekend’s NHK Trophy competition at Kumamoto, Japan. Butyrskaya reportedly was hospitalized for appendicitis, Slutskaya blamed flu and Plushenko cited a groin injury.

It’s convenient, though, all three had designated it their nonscoring event. Skaters can enter three Grand Prix competitions but count points from only two and collect prize money in the third.

While the three Russians might benefit from the rest, Angela Nikodinov of San Pedro could be pushed out of the top six and lose a berth in next month’s Grand Prix Final. Nikodinov is fifth in the Grand Prix standings with 14 points, from third-place finishes at the Nations Cup and Cup of Russia. (Points are awarded on a scale of 12-9-7-5-4-3-2-1 for first through eighth place). With Butyrskaya and Slutskaya out and Nikodinov having made this her nonscoring event, Japan’s Yoshie Onda (nine points) and Fumie Suguri (five points) could easily win medals and pass Nikodinov, who has never made the Grand Prix Final.

U.S. skaters Michelle Kwan and Sarah Hughes have qualified, as have Tim Goebel and Todd Eldredge and U.S. pair champions Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman.

Hail Haile

Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, the two-time Olympic 10,000 meter champion and four-time world champion, not only won the 10K road race he organized in Addis Ababa last weekend, he saved it from turning into a melee.

As 10,000 mostly inexperienced runners and a crowd estimated at 50,000 crammed into the city’s central square, chaos erupted when runners pressed toward the starting line. Police couldn’t restore order, so Gebrselassie interrupted his warmup to climb onto a podium and urge the runners to move back.

They obeyed, but his efforts almost cost him a victory. After making sure everyone else was ready, Gebrselassie was caught unaware at the start. He fell face-first soon after the starter’s gun, but quickly recovered. “I did not panic, but in the back of my mind I thought I might get trampled,” said Gebrselassie, who won in 30 minutes 4 seconds.

Here and There

Polish ski jumper Adam Malysz, last season’s World Cup champion, won this season’s first World Cup event Saturday at Kuopio, Finland. Malysz outdistanced rival Martin Schmitt of Germany on his second jump to win by 0.8 of a point. On Sunday, he finished second to Risto Jussilainen of Finland. Two Americans had eye-opening results: 17-year-old Clint Jones of Steamboat Springs, Colo., was ninth and 12th in the two events, and 20-year-old Alan Alborn of Anchorage, Alaska was 13th and 11th. Their first-day finishes were the first time since 1986 two U.S. jumpers had finished in the top 15 at a World Cup event.

Nordic combined sprint world champion Marko Baacke of Germany underwent surgery to remove his left kidney and spleen last week after a training accident in Finland.... Ronny Ackermann of Germany won his second successive World Cup nordic combined event of the season last weekend at Kuopio. Todd Lodwick of Steamboat Springs did well by finishing seventh and eighth in the first two events.

Kristen Clark and Picabo Street were among the leaders in practice runs for women’s World Cup downhill ski races today and Friday at Lake Louise, Canada.... Derek Parra of San Bernardino won his first World Cup speedskating medal by winning the men’s 1,500 meters at the Hague, Netherlands last week in 1 minute 49.78 seconds.... Becky Wilczak of River Forest, Ill., leads the women’s World Cup luge singles standings.... The World Cup moguls season begins Saturday in Tignes, France. The 12-member U.S. team includes 1998 Olympic and World Cup moguls champion Jonny Moseley of Tiburon.

The U.S. women’s hockey team defeated Canada, 4-3, Wednesday at Montreal to improve to 14-0-0. It was the second victory in a row over Canada; the teams play again Friday in Hamilton, Canada.... Track and field’s international governing body reopened bidding for the 2005 world championships. London withdrew after funding for a new stadium dried up. Rome is the top candidate.... Two surgeries have given Russian gymnast Maria Zasypkina hope of walking again after she broke her neck in a practice vault.... Jason Rogers of Los Angeles won the Junior A men’s sabre gold medal at a World Cup fencing competition in Frascati, Italy last weekend.