‘94 WINTER OLYMPICS / Lillehammer : U.S. Loses to Germany, 4-3, Ends Up Eighth in Worst Hockey Finish

Their medal hopes long gone, U.S. hockey players set one last goal here Saturday: to win the last period of their last game as a tribute to Coach Tim Taylor.

Even that was beyond them. Their 4-3 loss to Germany left them with a 1-4-3 record and eighth place, the worst by an American team.

“The coaches put in so much effort, and we let them down,” goaltender Garth Snow said. “Our coaches are too nice guys to get treated the way they did in this tournament. It’s a shame. It’s definitely not Xs and O’s. We didn’t pick it up a notch when we got here, and that’s in the players’ hands. We’re probably the most well-prepared team here. It comes down to us playing and we didn’t play. It’s embarrassing.”

Said team captain Peter Laviolette: “If anybody’s going to take the fall for the way this team played during the Olympics, it’s the players. The coaches did everything they could. They did an outstanding job. We didn’t do what we were supposed to do.”

Said Taylor: “You have to keep the perspective that we had a great season and we did a lot of tremendous things on the ice and off the ice. We just didn’t get the job done hockey-wise, and if that’s the only measure of their success and failure, we have to be labeled a failure. But they represented their country well and with pride. We just fell short. I’m the one who chose them, and I’m the one who trained them, so I’ll accept responsibility.

“We had a nice run. It was a lot of fun. I have a lot of happy memories and positive experiences along the way. Except now you (reporters), the players and me, we can only see the last two weeks.”