Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 16, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B4 SPORTS B4 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2014 SOCHI, Russia - The Jamaican bobsled team won't reach the podium here unless nearly everyone else gets lost on the way to the track today. But if there were a competition for the most popular team in the Caucasus Mountains, they'd be a lock for gold. Making their first Olympic appearance since 2002, the Jamaican bobsled team has enjoyed rock- star status for the past fortnight. Giddy volunteers clap when they walk by, reporters line up for interviews and fellow Olympians are constantly asking them to pose for pictures. The team's popularity largely stems from Cool Runnings , the 1993 movie loosely based on the Jamaica's 1988 Olympic bobsled team. - Chicago Tribune OLYMPICS Men's hockey quarter- finals begin on Wednesday KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia - She didn't win a medal, but Marie- Michele Gagnon felt she gained a small victory just the same. The alpine skier missed the second gate on the super giant slalom course on Saturday and didn't finish the event. Gagnon felt she did well just to be in the race after dislocating her left shoulder this week. " Just being able to compete without any doubts was like a victory," said Gagnon, who had considered skipping the super- G to focus on the more technical events later in the Games. " I saw in practice it was getting better. I wasn't afraid to attack the gates. I just told myself ' why not?' The coaches were fine with that and even the physio didn't see any reason not to." - The Canadian Press S OCHI, Russia - Team Canada executive director Steve Yzerman hasn't been surprised by his team's play so far at the Sochi Olympics. Coach Mike Babcock, on the other hand, says " lots of guys are different" than he expected. While Yzerman had months to scout and piece together the 25- man roster, Babcock had less than 48 hours from the end of Canada's victory over Austria to decide on his lineup for today's game against Finland - Canada's biggest challenge so far. Babcock has the luxury of having some of the best talent in the world at his disposal and the burden of telling two skaters they won't suit up and one goalie he won't start in net. It was clear early Saturday afternoon when Babcock told reporters he was agonizing over those decisions as his players enjoyed a day off. " Believe me, these decisions aren't easy," Babcock said. " The great thing about it, we don't have to make a decision yet, we can just talk about it, kick it around. We spoke last night, Steve and I spoke this morning, I spoke to the coaching staff already here today. We'll kick it around all day." Eventually decisions must be made. Canada plays banged- up Finland at 11 a. m. Winnipeg time today, and the winner is guaranteed a bye into the quarter- finals for finishing atop Group B. What Babcock has already confirmed is that forward Patrick Sharp and defenceman Dan Hamhuis, scratched against Austria, will be back in the lineup. It's very likely P. K. Subban will come out, but there's no easy candidate to remove up front. " Lots goes into it," Babcock said. " ' Who's going to be on the power play and on the penalty kill, who's playing the best down the middle, who can support that person, who's playing better than we thought, who's not quite as good as we thought?' All those things go into play." Canada's most controversial forward choice is also the player who hasn't been as good as most thought. Here because of his natural chemistry with Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz has been ineffective at best and lost at worst. Though Crosby has only one point in two games, Babcock was complimentary of the play of the first line, which has featured Kunitz on left wing, Crosby in the middle and Jeff Carter and Martin St. Louis on the right. " The first line in the last two games has generated a ton of scoring chances, point- blankers," Babcock said. " They haven't gone in. So do we worry that much about that, or do we just know good players score in the end?" The biggest question is: Can Kunitz be a good enough player at this level? The veteran, whose Olympic candidacy generated months of debate, is in a unique position that he's likely either Crosby's left- winger or out of the lineup entirely. Babcock isn't saying one way or the other. " I've got lots of plans," he said. " The day is young. I haven't been to curling yet. I haven't been to the Russian game. We'll see what happens." Even more difficult than the decision to keep Kunitz in a prominent spot or drop him is the notion of who would replace him. Babcock has already tried two wingers on Crosby's right, and putting even a one- game stop on the Kunitz experiment would mean having to spin the wheel to find someone on the left. Whether it's Matt Duchene or Jamie Benn or perhaps even John Tavares, it's a gamble with no guarantees. But given the strong play down the lineup, it's a bit like a game of Jenga in that removing one piece could cause Canada's whole structure to collapse. " I'm not worried about one line. I'm worried about all the lines," Babcock said. " To steal from one to make another one. one's going really good, and you're going to wreck that." There's already going to be some juggling given that Sharp is returning. Benn and Carter were arguably the best players in each of the first two games, doing so with the least ice time of any forwards. There's no telling if that will mean more substantial roles or sticking to the same ones that led to success. Even if the decisions are easy on defence, Babcock has a crucial 50/ 50 choice to make in goal. Carey Price made 19 saves on 20 shots against Norway, the only goal allowed coming after he made a puck- handling blunder, and Roberto Luongo had a 23- save shutout to beat Austria. Babcock had a goaltender rotation in mind going in. " They've both been real good," he said. " Haven't changed our minds." Still, Babcock knows these decisions aren't just about business. " They're personal because it's about a player and when you have interaction with a players, that's personal," he said. " But it's not about them, it's about our country and making the right decisions." - The Canadian Press Finding the right chemistry Will Kunitz be odd man out against flashy Finns? By Stephen Whyno Jamaican sledders win gold for popularity Injury can't keep Canuck down MARK HUMPHREY / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Defenceman P. K. Subban's position on Canada's roster is in doubt, while there are questions about who will play on the wings with captain Sidney Crosby ( right) as Penguins teammate Chris Kunitz has struggled in Sochi. WHAT WE KNOW NOW SOCHI, Russia - Here are three things we learned in Team Canada's 6- 0 victory over Austria in the preliminary round of the Sochi Olympic hockey tournament: 1. Jitters are gone Up and down the lineup, Canada's players looked much more comfortable and at ease against Austria than they were in the opener. They started to come together in the second period of the Norway game, but it was evident from start to finish Friday night. Passes were crisper, shots were more accurate and it just looked more like a cohesive team. That's an expected development from Game 1 to Game 2, as players could tell they were thinking less and simply reacting more. No doubt that must continue against Finland. 2. Defence is the emphasis Putting up a six spot on Austria didn't much impress Ryan Getzlaf, who said: " We know that we can score goals. It's a matter of keeping them out of our net." Canada is pretty good at that so far. Odd- man rushes that were plentiful early on decreased as the game went along. That's a sign of progress against an Austrian team known for being willing to trade chances. But part of it was also the best defence being a smothering offence. Canada had the puck in the attacking zone so much, it wasn't like the Austrians were able to break free in transition. 3. Kunitz is out of his league Chris Kunitz is in Sochi as a member of Team Canada because of his chemistry with Sidney Crosby. Through two games there has not been much evidence of that, and Kunitz has struggled to keep up with the pace and talent level on the ice. It's possible that's just part of being an Olympic rookie and the growing pains of big ice, but it's troublesome to see Kunitz lack any kind of form in games against Norway and then Austria. As coach Mike Babcock spins the wheel for Crosby's right- winger, it's even more of a gamble if he has to do it on the left side, as well. - Whyno B_ 04_ Feb- 16- 14_ FP_ 01. indd B4 2/ 15/ 14 8: 12: 39 PM ;