Lecaval-YEAH!
Vinny whacks Czechs with overtime winner; Luongo stellar in nets
By TERRY JONES, EDMONTON SUN
TORONTO -- By all rights, you should be reading today about a Czech-Finn final. If there was any justice, Canada would be contemplating - for the first time in the history of these World Cup/Canada Cup September series - not being in the final.
But the hockey gods owed Canada one.
And they evened it up.
The game they took away in the semifinal of the 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games, the hockey gods gave back here last night.
For all but about 12 minutes in the second period, Canada was the second-best team on the ice. Even in overtime, until Ryan Smyth fed Lecavalier for the chance he fanned on before batting it home for a 4-3 win, Canada was everything but Czech-mated.
"Let's face it. We didn't play well and they played exceptionally well,'' said Wayne Gretzky. "That's one of the greatest games I've ever seen the Czechs play.
DESERVED TO WIN IN '98
"In '98 we probably deserved to win,'' Gretzky said of the Nagano semifinal, the one which went to overtime, the one which is best remembered for Gretzky not being chosen to participate in the shootout.
"Nobody remembers that we deserved to win. They remember that we lost,'' added Team Canada's executive director.
"Tonight the Czechs deserved better. Let's put it this way - we're thrilled to be in the final.''
Coach Pat Quinn didn't try to pretend Canada deserved to win this night, either.
"We were fortunate, let's say that.
"We were fortunate to survive.
"We escaped. Maybe that's the best way to put it. I think our guys know that they didn't play their best tonight and that we possible got through when perhaps we shouldn't.
"I mean we can all remember the Czechs beating the Canadians in '98. But they didn't beat 'em; they happened, at the better part of the game, to have a better score. The Canadians were way better than them. It's kind of a switch-off, I guess.''
Vladimir Ruzicka wasn't arguing.
"Canada was more lucky in overtime,'' said the former Edmonton Oiler, who, coached this Czech team. "But that's hockey.''
As for the even-for-Nagano angle, Ruzicka was the captain of that gold medal-winning Czech team.
"I can imagine their disappointment in '98 but it was a little bit different,'' said Ruzicka. "But I can understand it. I have to repeat that we played great tonight. But that's hockey. We lost in overtime.''
In the end, give or take Nagano, it was more proof that Gretzky lives right.
In Salt Lake it was Jarome Iginla he at first didn't pick to play for the team. Iginla turned out to be a hero. This time he didn't pick Lecavalier. He was the overtime hero.
It was Roberto Luongo, however, who put his name on the game. The netminder who won gold medals for Canada at the last two world championships came in to replace Martin Brodeur and faced 40 shots.
"I'm used to that playing for the Florida Panthers,'' said Luongo who said Brodeur came up to him in the morning and told him the bruised wrist that few expected would keep him out of this game had not improved.
"He told me, 'Enjoy the game. It's going to be a great game.' ''
Canada only managed 24 shots in the game but the final one, although Lecavalier missed on the first whack at it, went in.
"Scoring for your country to go to the finals is pretty high in my career, that's for sure,'' said the member of the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Lecavalier, who took Canada's only penalty and watched the Czechs score on the power play, was originally slotted for the goat horns in this game.
Canada, despite playing so poorly, twice looked like they'd won the game.
It looked like Canada had escaped when Eric Brewer decided to move up into the play and was in perfect position to deposit a pass from behind the net by Kris Draper to break the seal 11 minutes into the second period. Three minutes later Mario Lemieux scored on the power play, which looked to seal the deal. To that point, Canada had outscored opponents 10-1 in second periods.
But 42 seconds later ...
Petr Cajanek caught Luongo leaving the post. Two-one. Then, Lecavalier took the penalty and Martin Havlat evened it up.
TOP OF THE CIRCLE
Draper won it again for Canada with a shot from the top of the faceoff circle at 13:47 of the third period.
But six seconds later ...
Patrik Elias took advantage of a multi-player Canadian malfunction at the junction in front of Luongo. And when that one went in, it was like the last straw in terms of Canada deserving to win this game.
"We won the draw. Nobody picked anybody up. It was one of those 'I really don't want it' times,'' said Quinn.
In the end, the hockey gods were with them.
"Maybe it's a good lesson for us,'' said Quinn. "I hope so. We have to play a different way if we expect to win Tuesday night.''
