What is it like to go into these tournaments, these short tournaments, with players you’re not familiar playing with?
“Communication is key. You really have to have it. I was lucky because Brian Leetch was on every team I think I was ever on since I was about 15 and we knew each other well. The U.S. had a kind of small group of guys that had played together a lot, so the communication was really good. We had a bit of an older team in 2002, but when I think about 1996 it was the same kind of group and with the influx of the Billy Guerins and Keith Tkachuks, who were amazing players and added so much energy. But one of the keys for this particularly with the defense and goaltenders for any team is to just gel as quick as possible. So the personality types really matter and we meshed so well. It was like one day and we knew each other for life. It was crazy. That’s going to make a big difference. But you look, most of these guys have played together. If you look at the Swedes and Finns in particular, they know each other. It might be a little different for the U.S. and Canadian players because there’s a bigger field to choose from so they might not all be familiar with each other.”
When you knew there was a best-on-best tournament coming in the season, and for you that would be the Olympics since the World Cup was played before the season, did you feel the motivation to play well because of that or was it just for your NHL team?
“Oh, 100 percent. I mean, these are career-defining moments. They’re bits in a season but they have a ton of pride. I think it’s so cool that you’re able to do it in the middle of the season like this. It’s not easy. The brass of the League had to roll up their sleeves and figure it out. It’s hard for the guys who won’t be playing but it’s hard for the guys who will be playing. It’s a lot of wear and tear, but I think for the game of hockey it’s unbelievable. All in all, it’s 100 percent worth it. And for the players playing it’s a real privilege. Back in ’96 when we did win, when we came to training camp at the end of July, early August, we were still beaten up from the season before because that’s your crucial time to lick your wounds, have some family time and get back at it, but honestly it was made very apparent that it was a privilege to play in the tournament, that there’s 20 seats in this locker room and if you’re not fully in then get out, there’s the door. Most players really take that approach because it’s such a level of responsibility for you to take up that spot that you better make the most of it. There are 10 other people who would kill for it.”
You have both perspectives of preparing for a tournament, the Olympics, in season and preparing for a tournament, the World Cup, that started before the NHL season. Which was easier to handle in terms of preparation?
“I actually thought in some ways the summertime because you’re preparing for this high-end tournament and that’s your team, so you don’t have to cut the cord from what you’ve been doing, you just prepare for that as your season. It’s OK, when that ends, it’s time to go on, but you’re already at a high level going into your regular season. I liked that a lot. It was difficult in the Olympics because we were in a battle to make the playoffs and every bit of your focus is on that, every point matters. What I feel comfortable about is I never had to change what I was doing. The better I played for the Rangers, the more prepared I was for Team USA. So, you can meld those two motivations together. And, honest to God, I had blown out my knee the year before and I was recovering from surgery in the spring of 2001, and I got a call from Herb Brooks. He asked how I was doing, if I needed help, and told me what he was thinking about the team. But he also said, ‘You’ll see (Mike) Modano, you’ll see Leetch, and when you see those guys please, tell them, one more pushup, one more sprint, because we’re going to need to hit the ground running.’ We knew we weren’t going to out-talent any team, we were as talented as anybody, but we needed to be disciplined and we needed to be in shape and we needed to outwork everyone. He was really saying that it mattered more than ever in 2002 because the level of competition, as it is now, it only gets better it seems, is so tight that the team that is going to win is the team that’s going to play together better, gel together better, has the discipline and outworks the next guy.”
