Schneider Sensed His Olympic Fate

Injured King defenseman Mathieu Schneider, a member of the 1998 U.S. Olympic hockey team, was disheartened but not surprised to learn Saturday that he had not been one of the last six additions to the 2002 team.

“I wouldn’t be human if I said I wasn’t disappointed and felt that I’d be a great addition to the team,” Schneider said Sunday. “But it’s something that’s totally out of my hands. I can only worry about what I can control.”

Schneider, 32, was the Kings’ leading scorer during their playoff run last spring and was tied for the team scoring lead this season before undergoing surgery Nov. 15 to repair a hernia and torn abdominal muscle.

Not expected to return to the lineup until early next month, Schneider said it became obvious to him in recent weeks that he was no longer being seriously considered for the Olympic team because of the uncertainty of his return.

“I know they were trying to keep it guarded and secret,” he said, “but leaks get out and when I started reading things in the paper that were more negative than positive about me not playing or them not being able to see me play, I had a pretty good idea that I wasn’t going to be named.

“If they were really interested in having me play, they would have called me to find out how I was doing--if I’d be back in time, if I felt I’d be coming back 100%. And I never got any calls, my agent never got any calls.”

Schneider hopes to return to the Kings’ lineup during their next East Coast trip, which starts Jan. 5 against the New York Islanders at Uniondale, N.Y. He could still be named to the Olympic team if someone is injured before the Games.

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It was no accident that King Coach Andy Murray elected to start four French Canadians--Ian Laperriere, Philippe Boucher, Eric Belanger and goaltender Felix Potvin--in Saturday night’s game at Montreal.

“They like to be in the starting lineup here,” Murray said before the Kings’ 2-1 loss, “because the PA guy knows how to say their names.”