Salei Had a Golden Moment With Belarus

The Mighty Ducks went back to work Thursday, minus their three Olympians.

Paul Kariya (Canada) and Oleg Tverdovsky (Russia) were expected to still be busy with their nationalistic pursuit of a gold medal. But Ruslan Salei (Belarus) also remained in Salt Lake City after his country’s upset of Sweden in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

That leaves open a slim possibility of Duck players bringing home gold, silver and bronze medals from the games.

“I’m an impartial observer,” Coach Bryan Murray said. “But, to me, the Belarus game shows why hockey is a unique sport. You can have all the ability and do a great job coaching, but there is still a goaltender out there.”

Belarussian goalie Andrei Mezin stopped 44 of 47 shots in the 4-3 victory.

Salei said the victory was like winning the gold medal.

“It’s incredible,” Salei told reporters in Salt Lake. “Nobody thought we could possibly beat Sweden. But anything can happen in one game. It’s overwhelming. It’s history. They may make this a national holiday.”

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NHL teams are not allowed to make any deals during the Olympic break, but the Ducks are letting other teams know who is available off their roster.

Last month General Manager Pierre Gauthier sent out a list of 10 players that he would consider trading. Defenseman Keith Carney is now on the block, according to hockey sources.

Carney, acquired in an off-season trade, was the big reason for the Ducks’ rapid improvement on defense. His stay-at-home style, combined with underrated offensive abilities, would seem to make him a keeper. Yet he is also a player who could bring a considerable return.