Carol writes: > Here's a new challenge for you...PICK "YOUR" OLYMPIC TEAM FOR 1992!!! > Using the list that mike m sent out last week of all the players invited > back to St. Cloud, pick your team. Maximum number of players on the team is > 24, enough for four lines, three pairs of defensemen and at least two goalies. > You also have a few "spares" in case of injuries, etc. Well, since I will admit that I don't know some of the Western players as well as I know the Eastern players, I will spend most of my time discussing the ones I know and their chances. It wouldn't be right for me to select an entire team when I am going to be biased in favor of those Eastern players who I have seen play many more times. Perhaps people from the West can balance this off with some talk about players they've been able to see quite a bit. All this is barring unforeseen developments, such as injuries, players outside the 50 becoming available, etc. I also won't claim to be perfect in my evaluations - or else I'd probably have the job. :-) GOAL: Stauber is clearly the US's goalie, IMO. I also like Gordon for the experience he brings. He knows what it's like to see a lot of pucks coming from Quebec, and I expect this US team will find itself in a lot of high-scoring games again, like '88. At that time, inexperience in net and on defense hurt the team. A pair of experienced netminders should go a long way towards solving that problem. As for the third goalie, I see it coming down between Dunham and Gilmore. Dunham is too inexperienced to get the call, but maybe a year of touring will help him if the brass wants to use him in '94. Gilmore has performed well in the chances he's had to impress the USA Hockey folks and a good camp in August could earn him the right to travel. But I doubt that we will see anyone other than Stauber and Gordon in France. DEFENSE: The weakest part of the US's game. There are a lot of guys who can move the puck, but not that many who want to knock guys out of the slot. With that in mind, I like almost any 7 of the following 9 players: Carney, Crowley, Keczmer, Lachance, Osiecki, Pederson, Pitlick, Tretowicz, and Zmolek. Carney and Lachance are solid two-way players; Lachance has only one year of college hockey under his belt but was named to the All-Star team at the World Juniors. Unlike some of those people you saw quoted after the NHL draft, I can't put him in the category of a Brian Leetch, but I still think he's one of the best available to this team. Tretowicz and Crowley would compliment each other well; Crowley doesn't always want to play defense, and Tretowicz was a big reason Clarkson's goalies put up the numbers they did. And he can also move the puck well. Pitlick always impressed me with the Gophers and he'd be one of the leaders of this young defensive group - another reason I think Keczmer would be a good pick as well as Osiecki. Gophers may end up dominating USA's D. FORWARD: This should turn out to be a talented group that may need to learn a little about covering its own zone. I read that a St Paul writer wrote that the only players who had locked up spots were, I believe, Emma, Heinze and McEachern. There's little doubt that Emma and McEachern should make it along with Dowd. The question is, who is going to center the first line? McEachern is such a great two-way player that I think he will emerge as the US's top centerman. We will see if one of the other two gets turned into a wing or not. I'm a little wary of Heinze, which is virtual blasphemy since he is from North Andover (home of Merrimack). But he hasn't seemed to develop as well as everyone thought since his freshman year at BC. Injuries have played a part in that - and yes, he is injury-prone, so that could be a problem. He has been the epitome of inconsistency the past two years at BC, but maybe the idea of playing on the Olympic Team has given him something to shoot for. Maybe someone who saw him play a few times during the Trials can tell us. My three sleepers from the East for the forward spots are: 1. Rob Gaudreau, Providence. Crafty player who has developed into one of the top two-way players in Hockey East, perhaps one of the most underrated in the country. Teamed up with Mike Boback and Rick Bennett, fellow invitees to the camp, to form the deadly BBG line two years back until Bennett graduated. Spent half of this year playing on different lines to balance out the Friars' attack while Boback recovered from an injury, but once Boback returned the two were brilliant together. It will be a huge mistake if Gaudreau doesn't make the team. 2. Ed Ronan, BU. Another North Andover product, he had to be the Unsung Hero of BU's great 1990-91 season. Jack Parker said recently that he improved his game 100% from when he entered BU as a freshman. Ronan is the quintessential hard worker who will grind in the corners and is perfect to compliment the guys who don't want to be touched. :-) 3. Bill Guerin, BC. Well, maybe he's not that much of a sleeper. But he has also developed into a great player, *deadly* in the offensive zone. Doesn't like to play defense, and he does take some foolish penalties, but he will score some big goals for USA. Very possible that he could be matched with BC teammates Emma and Heinze to form a potent combination. I also think Scott Fusco would be a great selection to provide stability as a guy who's been there before. I'd love to see Lane MacDonald wearing the red, white and blue if it is safe for him to play. I can't imagine how fast a line of MacDonald, McEachern and Joe Sacco would be! Add C.J. Young to the list as another solid two-way player. He also brings a year of pro experience. I'm also curious to see how the other Crimson like Ciavaglia and Donato will match up against the other forwards in competition for the team. I guess I'm trying to say that other than a few guys I know I want to have on the team, I really can't choose from the rest. Johannson will probably get another turn in '92 to provide some strength up front. I think that whoever they select from the group they have assembled, USA will end up with a solid bunch of forwards that will again be able to skate with any of the other teams. The question is whether they can backcheck those teams! That's why I suggest that players like McEachern, Gaudreau, Young, etc. may turn out to be USA's most valuable players. Not to mention Stauber... - mike