An Olympian Season Earns LaFontaine Olympic Berth

With 15 goals and 33 points this season, Pat LaFontaine has shown opponents he has recovered from career-threatening post-concussion syndrome. It took him a bit longer to prove it to Lou Lamoriello, general manager of the U.S. Olympic team.

Finally convinced that LaFontaine can withstand the demands of elite-level hockey, Lamoriello on Monday included the 32-year-old center among the six players named to complete the 23-man Nagano roster. Mighty Duck goaltender Guy Hebert, like LaFontaine a member of the victorious U.S. team in last year’s World Cup of Hockey, was also added.

“I wanted to make sure that Patty could sustain the season he was having,” Lamoriello said. “He certainly proved he’s not only healthy but at the top of his game and a dominant force. He made it easy for us.”

Bringing the defense to eight players--one more than Team Canada will carry--Lamoriello and Coach Ron Wilson also picked offensively gifted Bryan Berard of the New York Islanders and defense-minded Keith Carney of the Chicago Blackhawks. Besides LaFontaine, who leads the New York Rangers in scoring, wingers Bill Guerin of the New Jersey Devils and Shawn McEachern of the Ottawa Senators were chosen to provide speed on the Olympic rink, which is 15 feet wider than NHL surfaces.

Nagano will be the second Olympics for LaFontaine, who played on the seventh-place U.S. team at Sarajevo in 1984 before making his NHL debut.

“Personally, no matter whether you’ve played 15 years in the NHL, any time you have an opportunity to represent your country it’s an honor,” he said. “It’s kind of ironic, me being an Olympian at the beginning of my career and 14 years later. It’s a great opportunity.”

Hebert, however, had mixed emotions because his wife, Sarah, is expecting the couple’s first child in mid-January. The Olympics begin Feb. 7, but the six “dream” teams begin play Feb. 13.

“I’m very happy to be considered, but it’s a tough one,” said Hebert, who is 7-9-2 with a 2.53 goals-against average, .917 save percentage and three shutouts in 18 games. “The most important thing in my life is my wife and my child-to-be. She knows this is something that’s very important to me. It’s going to come down to what I think is most important and the situation.”

Hebert acknowledged he would enjoy recreating the atmosphere of the World Cup, in which a cohesive and confident U.S. team defeated Canada in a three-game final. Twenty of the 23 Olympians played in the World Cup.

“We had great chemistry, and when the guys get back together it’s going to be great,” Hebert said. “Including a guy named Wilson.”

Guerin’s inclusion was in doubt because he was involved in a contract dispute with Lamoriello, who is also general manager of the Devils. Guerin’s absence from the initial list led winger Brett Hull to say U.S. players would consider a boycott if Guerin didn’t make the final roster. Although Hull later claimed he had been misquoted, Lamoriello couldn’t ignore players’ liking for and support of Guerin.

“The concern was that Bill Guerin would not be playing hockey. Billy is playing hockey right now and he should be on the team,” said Lamoriello, who signed Guerin to a new contract a few weeks ago.

Because they will have only a few practices before the Games, keeping the World Cup roster nearly intact may give the U.S. team an advantage over Canada, which made several changes from its World Cup roster.

“It’s easier to have success with a core group of guys,” LaFontaine said. “Any type of familiarity is going to be a plus.”

Lamoriello also said he would choose several alternates to call upon in case a player is injured. However, those alternates won’t be announced.

The deadline for submitting rosters to the International Ice Hockey Federation was Monday. The Swedish and Finnish teams are expected to announce their rosters today. From the Kings, defenseman Aki Berg and top draft pick Olli Jokinen are expected to be chosen for Team Finland, as is Duck winger Teemu Selanne. Team Sweden is likely to pick King defenseman Mattias Norstrom and Duck winger Tomas Sandstrom.

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U.S. Olympic Roster

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Player Height Wt. Birthdate Hometown GOALIES Guy Hebert 5-11 185 1/7/67 Troy, N.Y. Mike Richter 5-11 185 9/22/66 Abington, Pa. John Vanbiesbrouck 5-8 176 9/4/63 Detroit FORWARDS Tony Amonte 6-0 190 8/2/70 Hingham, Mass. Adam Deadmarsh 6-0 195 5/10/75 Trail, Canada Bill Guerin 6-2 210 11/9/70 Wilbraham, Mass. Brett Hull 5-10 201 8/9/64 Belleville, Canada Pat LaFontaine 5-10 182 2/22/65 St. Louis John LeClair 6-2 219 7/5/69 St. Albans, Vt. Shawn McEachern 5-11 195 2/28/69 Waltham, Mass. Mike Modano 6-3 190 6/7/70 Livonia, Mich. Joel Otto 6-4 220 10/29/61 Elk River, Minn. Jeremy Roenick 6-0 170 1/17/70 Boston Keith Tkachuk 6-2 210 3/28/72 Melrose, Mass. Doug Weight 5-11 191 1/21/71 Warren, Mich. DEFENSEMEN Bryan Berard 6-1 190 3/5/77 Woonsocket, R.I. Keith Carney 6-2 205 2/3/70 Providence, R.I. Chris Chelios 6-1 186 1/25/62 Chicago Derian Hatcher 6-5 225 6/4/72 Sterling Heights, Mich. Kevin Hatcher 6-4 225 9/9/66 Detroit Brian Leetch 5-11 190 3/3/68 Corpus Christi, Texas Mathieu Schneider 5-11 189 6/12/69 New York Gary Suter 6-0 200 6/24/64 Madison, Wis.

Player NHL Team GOALIES Guy Hebert Mighty Ducks Mike Richter N.Y. Rangers John Vanbiesbrouck Florida FORWARDS Tony Amonte Chicago Adam Deadmarsh Colorado Bill Guerin New Jersey Brett Hull St. Louis Pat LaFontaine N.Y. Rangers John LeClair Philadelphia Shawn McEachern Ottawa Mike Modano Dallas Joel Otto Philadelphia Jeremy Roenick Phoenix Keith Tkachuk Phoenix Doug Weight Edmonton DEFENSEMEN Bryan Berard N.Y. Islanders Keith Carney Chicago Chris Chelios Chicago Derian Hatcher Dallas Kevin Hatcher Pittsburgh Brian Leetch N.Y. Rangers Mathieu Schneider Toronto Gary Suter Chicago

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Coach: Ron Wilson, Washington. General Manager: Lou Lamoriello, New Jersey.