Hill Gives U.S. Team’s Defense a Lift : Hockey: His rugged play and poise have made a difference for the United States, which plays Poland.

With a shiner outlining his right eye and a cast covering his left hand, Sean Hill looked like the loser in a heavyweight bout, a fighter in need of an ice bag and a hospital bed.

But instead of nursing his injuries Friday, Hill celebrated his 22nd birthday by tobogganing down the hill behind the U.S. hockey team’s hotel at La Tania, inspired by the Olympic bobsledders and lugers he has been watching on TV.

“I don’t want to brag, but I beat Greg Brown by about 30 seconds,” he said with a smile. “It was fun. I hadn’t done anything like that probably in 10 or 15 years. It was just something to release the pressure a little bit.”

If Hill feels pressure on the ice, he hasn’t shown it. His poise and rugged play on defense have helped the U.S. team to a 3-0 record with a game against Poland tonight, a contest that will help determine its opponent in next week’s medal round.

One of four defensemen added to the team late in its pre-Olympic schedule, Hill has proven a valuable and versatile player. He made a key offensive contribution to the United States’ 4-1 victory over Finland Thursday, skating deep into the zone during a power play and completing a three-on-two set up by Shawn McEachern and C.J. Young. Defensively, the 6-foot, 195-pound native of Duluth, Minn., has been equally effective, using his muscle and keeping the slot clear in front of goalie Ray LeBlanc.

“He’s an excellent offensive defenseman,” U.S. Coach Dave Peterson said. “He gives us a very good shooter from the point on the power play, and he plays well defensively. Sean can play physically, and he had a very good game (Thursday) night.”

Hill began playing organized hockey when he was 5 or 6, and he began dreaming of playing in the Olympics when he watched Herb Brooks’ 1980 Olympians upset the Soviets, then defeat the Finns for the gold medal at Lake Placid.

“It was a little spark for everybody that was involved in hockey,” Hill said. “Something of that magnitude happens, and everybody in the country knows, whether you’re from California, Alaska or Florida. . . . It definitely gave me a little kick in the butt. A lot of dreams started right there.”

He pursued his dream to the University of Wisconsin, where he helped the Badgers win the 1990 NCAA championship over Colgate. He also played on the 1990 U.S. junior national team and in the 1990 U.S. Olympic Festival, tying the record for scoring by a defenseman with six points.

Selected by Montreal in the ninth round of the 1987 NHL draft, Hill signed with the Canadiens after the 1990-91 college season. He made his professional debut with Fredricton, New Brunswick, of the American Hockey League and his NHL debut in one playoff game, in which he was scoreless.

A strong training camp last fall put Hill within a whisper of cracking the Canadiens’ formidable defense corps, but he wound up the final player cut before the season started.

“Originally, when I signed my contract, it said that if I got sent down, I’d be able to play with the Olympic team, at my discretion,” he said. “But they gave me a little more financial security, so I forfeited the option of coming here. Then in the middle of December, (Canadien executives) Andre Boudrias and Jacques Lemaire approached me and asked me if I wanted to go.

“It was a real big surprise. I had kind of put it out of my mind. But it’s worked out very well. I’m sure they’re watching me, and a lot of other teams are watching. It can definitely give my career a boost.”

Concerned about allowing the German team to take 46 shots at LeBlanc on Tuesday, Hill and his fellow defensemen were careful to limit Finland’s scoring chances on Thursday, reducing LeBlanc’s work to 30 shots.

“The game Ray played that night (against Germany) was phenomenal,” said Hill, who eventually will have surgery to repair a bone in his left hand that broke in November. “If he hadn’t made some big saves, we would have been in trouble. He really kept us in it. The defense came back the next game. We came back and scratched his back a little bit that night. . . .

“The biggest thing is, he’s making the first stop. If there is a rebound, we’ve been able to clear it to the corner. He has confidence, and he gives us confidence. It makes the game a little easier when you can play a little looser.”

As the medal round approaches, Hill and his teammates are relaxed but ready.

“We’re just happy that maybe we’re starting to get a little bit of respect,” Hill said. “We’re happy we’re going to get the (No.) 1 or 2 seed, but on the same note, we know it means nothing unless we go into the crossover (against Group B teams) and play well.”