Two Goalies Added to Team

By Helene Elliott

Dec. 20, 2001 12 AM PT

Veteran goaltenders Mike Richter of the New York Rangers and Tom Barrasso of the Carolina Hurricanes were added Wednesday to the roster of the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team for the Salt Lake City Winter Games, leaving only six spots open. The rest of the team will be announced Saturday during an NBC telecast at a time to be determined.

Richter, 35, and Barrasso, 36, are enjoying strong comeback seasons. Richter underwent knee surgery last spring, and Barrasso sat out last season to be with his daughter, Ashley, who experienced a recurrence of the cancer that struck her as a toddler. Richter is 14-9-2 with a 2.73 goals-against average for the Rangers. Barrasso is 9-9-3 with a 2.34 goals-against average for Carolina. Richter played in the 1988 and 1998 Games, but Salt Lake City will be Barrasso’s Olympic debut. They join Mike Dunham of the Nashville Predators, who was chosen earlier.

The deadline for submitting rosters is Saturday, and Coach Herb Brooks said last week he would delay his decision until the last possible moment. He’s expected to add three defensemen and three forwards, with Kings Bryan Smolinski, Adam Deadmarsh and Aaron Miller still in the running.

Olympics

Helene Elliott

Helene Elliott was with the Los Angeles Times’ Sports department from 1989 to 2024, first as a staff writer and then, starting in 2006, as a columnist. She became the first female journalist to be honored with a plaque in the Hall of Fame of a major professional sport as the 2005 winner of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Elmer Ferguson Award, awarded to writers “who have brought honor to journalism and to hockey.” A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she has covered 18 Olympics.

Two Goalies Added to Team

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