From the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, Wednesday, February 19, 1992
[Steve Heinze lives two towns away from me and is writing a column after
each Team USA game for our local paper. Hope people find it interesting,
me typing this stuff in. - mike]
HEINZE: EUROPEAN TEAMS HATE US
"THEY STILL DON'T RESPECT US...I WOULDN'T WANT TO PLAY US RIGHT NOW."
MERIBEL, FRANCE - When I played at North Andover High and we were playing
for the state championship, that was the biggest game of my life.
Then, the Hockey East championship. That was the biggest.
But I don't know if anything can touch this. Obviously, playing for the
Stanley Cup would be great, but this is different. It's do or die.
You get this chance once in your lifetime.
Every game gets bigger. First Sweden was the biggest. Then France. Now we
play the winner of the Unified Team-Finland game. We have a shot at a medal.
Still, I don't know if were getting any respect from the Europeans. Personally,
I don't care what anybody thinks.
We heard that the Czechs were talking about bagging their game the other day
so they could face us in the medal round.
Well, I'll tell you what. I wouldn't want to face us right now.
France came out just like we thought they would and we were flat. That's
the best way to describe it.
I think it was because everyone got to bed around 3 a.m. after the Sweden
game and we didn't have any time to rest.
Coach Dave Peterson really got on us at the end of the first period. We
deserved it.
He said there was no excuse for us being tired, mentally or physically. He
was right.
Keith Tkachuk got us going early in the second period. It was like the game
against Poland, once we scored our first goal we knew we were going to win.
Then my linemates Ted Donato scored two and Marty McInnis the other. Those
two had a great game.
I did most of the grunt work. But I don't mind doing it...as long as we're
winning.
I haven't scored a lot, but I'm doing other things pretty well. Who knows,
maybe I'll start scoring before it's over.
I did commit another stupid penalty. I was thinking about it, 'Don't commit
a dumb penalty.' But a France player slashed me and I slashed him back. I
didn't think the ref was looking, but he called it. I was lucky they didn't
score.
It got chippy at the end of the game, kind of like when we played them in
the tournament before the Olympics.
These teams hate us. They don't like our style.
But that's the way we play. We work hard and take the body. We're not going
to look pretty like they do, but we haven't lost yet.
We'll watch the Unified Team-Finland game today and have two days off until
the semifinal game on Friday.
(end)
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Mike Machnik [log in to unmask] mikem@{beanpot,bubba}.ma30.bull.com
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