NOTEBOOK

U.S. wing Craig Johnson nearly lost some teeth Tuesday--and he did lose a hero.

Johnson, who idolized Peter Stastny so avidly as a youngster that he taped a poster of Stastny to his bedroom wall and took “Peter” as his confirmation name, was struck in the mouth by Stastny Tuesday during the U.S. team’s 3-3 tie with Slovakia. Stastny got a five-minute high-sticking penalty; Johnson got a mouthful of chipped teeth.

“I guess I’ll have to take a new name,” Johnson said.

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After making his NHL debut a few months ago, U.S. goalie Garth Snow wasn’t nervous in his Olympic debut Tuesday. Snow made 30 saves and was his usual aggressive self, frequently coming out of the net to move the puck up to his forwards. He’s virtually certain to start Thursday’s game against Canada.

“I definitely had more butterflies in my first game with Quebec,” said Snow, who was 3-2 in his call-up with the Nordiques. “That experience made me a better goaltender. . . . I was comfortable out there (Tuesday) and I had a steady diet of shots early, and that helped me get into the game.”

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Russia’s shocking 5-0 loss to Finland Monday drew fatalistic shrugs from Russian journalists covering the hockey tournament.

“All of these players are of low quality. It is not the best of our players,” said Alexander Petrov of Hockey Weekly.

Said Vassili Kanachenok of Moscow Sport Express, a daily sports publication: “We are disappointed but not surprised. These players are simply the best we have.”