They Might Get Called for Icing on the Cake

They have a championship to defend, which almost counts as another victory by itself. When your sport is competing for a medal for the first time in an Olympics, it’s competition mixed with a battle for legitimacy.

The U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team didn’t simply win the gold medal in Nagano in 1998. They conducted themselves with class, charmed the media and inspired more women and girls to lace up a pair of skates.

In the year after the 1998 Games, the number of females registered with USA Hockey (the sport’s national governing body) increased by 5,810. That was the biggest jump of any year in the past decade.

It was part of the wave in women’s sports that included the “You Go Girl” Summer Olympics in Atlanta, starring the U.S. women’s basketball, soccer and softball teams, and the 1999 Women’s World Cup soccer squad.

“It’s such an exciting time for women’s sports right now,” said A.J. Mleczko, a defenseman on the women’s national hockey team. “Being part of that, it’s so special. People say, ‘How does it feel to be a pioneer?’

“All we’ve done is follow the people before us.”

Now they’ll try to retrace their own footsteps and win another gold medal. They’ll have to get past their top rival, Canada, to do it, but that might seem simple compared to their previous task of establishing the sport in the national consciousness.

They’re taking the game to new places on their international tour leading up to the Olympics in February in Salt Lake City. Sometimes that means going back home. Cammi Granato grew up in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove and used to go to Blackhawk games at Chicago Stadium. She imagined herself skating on the small rink, accompanied by the blasts from the huge pipe organ.

“I wanted to be a Blackhawk,” Granato said. “I didn’t think it was an unreasonable goal. I don’t think that I understood.”

Time brought a greater concept of reality (in addition to the demolition of Chicago Stadium). But she’ll come as close as ever to skating out her dream when the women’s team plays Canada at the United Center on Jan. 5.

“In 12 years of playing I’ve never played in Chicago,” Granato said. “I don’t even know if all my relatives believe I play hockey.”

Although attendance has varied along the tour, from 1,100 in Madison, Wis., to more than 8,400 in St. Paul, Minn., the women sense a stronger fan base than the last time they tried this. “We definitely have more of a following,” forward Tricia Dunn said. “’98 put women’s hockey on the map. Now we have to keep it there.”

The Americans are undefeated so far in games against China, Russia, Canada and college all-stars.

They were scheduled to compete in the Four Nations Cup next week in Finland, but opted to stay home because of security concerns related to the terrorism war. That will cost them the opportunity to test themselves against Finland, one of the other top competitors in Salt Lake City. But the U.S. looked sharp in two 4-1 exhibition victories over Canada in the past week.

Canada has defeated the United States in every tournament that counts except for the 1998 Olympics. Fourteen members of that American gold medal team are back to try again.

“Obviously we have a lot of players that have experience,” goaltender Sara DeCosta said. “I think that’ll help the younger players. We kind of know what to expect.”

They don’t get any younger than Lyndsay Wall, who is 16. She’s one of three teenagers (including Julie Chu, 19, and Natalie Darwitz, 18) who are trying to get to Salt Lake.

The 25-woman roster will be cut to 20 by Dec. 22.

The thing about having a sport that’s so new on the scene is that even the “old” players aren’t very old. Granato has been on the planet the longest, and she’s only 30.

Granato had the honor of carrying the American flag during the 1998 closing ceremonies, but she might feel even more patriotic these days. While people across the country are wrapping themselves in red, white and blue, the hockey team has the colors as part of their everyday uniform.

“When I put that jersey on, it’s very emotional,” Granato said. “It’s more apparent to me now.”

She has heard crowds chanting “U-S-A” at postseason baseball games, and she remembers when those same cheers were for her and her teammates at the Olympics.

There’s a slightly different sound to the chants now. They’re as much to reassure a nation as they are to inspire athletes. The tragedy of Sept. 11 struck particularly close to this team because left wing Kathy Kauth’s father was killed in the World Trade Center attacks.

Add in the fact that the Olympics are in the United States for what figures to be the only time in their playing careers and it won’t be hard for the Americans to find motivation.

“Just to be able to wear the USA jersey is phenomenal,” DeCosta said. “But to wear it at a time like this, then hopefully have the spirit of the whole country, it’s just amazing.

“We don’t want to let the country down.”

From themselves to their sport, they haven’t let anyone down yet.

*

J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com