Hockey Selectors Forward Thinking

They’re big, they can score goals, and they have extensive international experience.

But can the 10 players named to the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team for the Salt Lake City Games erase the sour memory of their 1998 predecessors, who lost in the quarterfinals at Nagano and left behind broken chairs, trashed dorm rooms and enormous ill will?

“Certainly, what happened in Nagano, on and off the ice, we dealt with,” said Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers, a member of the Nagano squad. “We were disappointed with what happened there. We’re excited about this year. This is a new opportunity for Team USA and all the players that are going to be part of it.”

The players responsible for damaging walls in three rooms at the Olympic Village, breaking 10 chairs and disturbing neighboring U.S. speedskaters never were identified. About a month after the Games, after a public outcry that questioned whether NHL players should be allowed a second chance to participate in the Games, team captain Chris Chelios sent a check for $3,000 to Japanese Olympic officials with an apology.

“I wasn’t part of what happened in Nagano,” said Craig Patrick, general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the 2002 Olympic team. “We don’t anticipate any problems with the way we approach things. . . . We as a staff have been successful in different arenas and we believe we know how to run a very successful organization.”

Of the players Patrick announced Saturday in New York, all but one are Olympic veterans. Leetch, the lone defenseman among the first 10, and Keith Tkachuk of the St. Louis Blues will become three-time Olympians. Leetch was captain of the 1988 Calgary team and played at Nagano; Tkachuk represented the U.S. at Albertville in 1992 and in 1998.

No goaltenders were on the list. Also missing were stalwarts such as Chelios and Dallas defenseman Derian Hatcher, but they can be added to the 23-man list that must be submitted to the International Ice Hockey Federation by Dec. 22. The six teams given automatic Olympic berths agreed to name their core players by today to give marketing ventures an early start.

Tony Amonte of the Chicago Blackhawks will be reunited with NHL All-Star game linemates Doug Weight of the Edmonton Oilers and Bill Guerin of the Boston Bruins, and they will be joined by Brett Hull and Mike Modano of the Dallas Stars, Jeremy Roenick of the Phoenix Coyotes and John LeClair of the Philadelphia Flyers. Chris Drury of the Colorado Avalanche is the only first-time pick.

Patrick said he has been assured LeClair, who has played only nine games this season after undergoing back surgery and developing a staph infection, will be fit to play.

“Our strength is our forwards,” Patrick said. “We have a number of questions in goal and on defense, but we’ve got great depth there and we have to figure out what kind of balance we want. The tougher decision is going to come Dec. 22.

“Every player that’s playing with a U.S. background is going to be considered for the team.”

The U.S. men haven’t won a medal since 1980, when Patrick was the general manager and Herb Brooks was the coach of a young team that upset the Soviet Union in winning gold. Brooks will coach again in Salt Lake City but was not at Saturday’s news conference. “I do know we’ll play a very upbeat type of game, knowing Herb,” Patrick said. “We’ll go about this the best way we know how.”

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Ice Picks

The initial selections for the 2002 U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team, with position and NHL team:

Tony Amonte, RW: Chicago Blackhawks

Chris Drury, C: Colorado Avalanche

Bill Guerin, RW: Boston Bruins

Brett Hull, RW: Dallas Stars

John LeClair, LW: Philadelphia Flyers

Brian Leetch, D: New York Rangers

Mike Modano, C: Dallas Stars

Jeremy Roenick, C: Phoenix Coyotes

Keith Tkachuk, LW: St. Louis Blues

Doug Weight, C: Edmonton Oilers