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To: re3 who wrote (139767)	2/24/2002 10:11:39 AM
From: H James Morris	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164685

WHETHER POUNDING AN inferior opponent or outworking a more gifted one, the Americans have grasped the import of each contest and found a way to orchestrate a favorable outcome. They enter Sunday’s gold medal game with Canada undefeated (4-0-1), riding a raucous home crowd and a string of emotional highs to reach a final few expected them to be a part of against the tournament favorite and a longtime rival. What has been, perhaps, the greatest hockey tournament ever contested has produced a worthy final game. “I think it’s what everyone was looking for,” U.S. center Mike Modano said. “We’re really excited about getting to the finals. It’s something we all strove for and we have an opportunity to make history again. A 60-minute game for all the marbles, it’s going to be intense. We have a lot of history between the two clubs. There can’t be a better position to play in.” The Americans reached this stage through an unwavering commitment to team defense, a deep attack, stellar goaltending and a refreshing attitude focused on the collective and not any individual. “They’ve been, without question, the best team,” Team Canada General Manager Wayne Gretzky said of the Americans. It has been a reverse of everything that occurred during the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano — from the often apathetic performances on the ice to the destruction of property in the Olympic Village — and their unparalleled level of play has clearly won converts, with record numbers of viewers watching. “Win or lose (Sunday), we’ve proven that the American hockey player can play with anyone in the world,” U.S. Coach Herb Brooks said. The tournament has been a rousing success, and a silver medal would silence most any critic, but for the U.S. team the work is not complete. They have outscored opponents 19-5, and have not allowed more than two goals in any game despite a defense that some believed might doom even the best of efforts against this caliber of competition. The power play has been deadly, starting goalie Mike Richter’s acrobatics have inspired confidence in his teammates and Brooks, coach of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team, has instilled a belief that anything is possible. “It’s hard to explain — we’re going for a gold medal,” U.S. winger Brett Hull said. “I don’t think it’s going to hit us for a while. I don’t think anyone picked us (for the finals), I’ll tell you that.” ‘Win or lose (Sunday), we’ve proven that the American hockey player can play with anyone in the world.’ — HERB BROOKS Team USA coach Hull has scored several big goals here, not surprising for a man who has poured in more than 650 goals in his NHL career. But the significant contributions of role players has set the Americans apart from their opposition. Scott Young, overlooked throughout his NHL career, scored the Americans’ first goal of the tournament, netted a key goal against Russia in the semifinals, has played strong defense and is a vital cog on the power play. Defenseman Phil Housley, a veteran who has been shuffled through waivers several times, has yet to make a costly defensive error and a scored the game-winning goal in the semifinals. Aaron Miller, Brian Rolston and Adam Deadmarsh are having strong tournaments as well.