A month ago Dustin Brown and Ryan Kesler were punching each other in the face at center ice. On Tuesday, they were back to being Team USA bros.
Such is life in the Olympics.
Check your personal grudges at the door. Embrace the team goals. Hug your mortal NHL enemies.
After Monday's skate in Sochi, Brown said that he and Kesler are cool again.
“We’re fine now,… Brown said. “It’s one of those things, which is a part of the NHL game. We’re probably going to try to kill each other on the ice even though we know each other off the ice.…
Brown and Kelser beat the crap out of each other at center ice on the same rink where four years ago they and their Team USA comrades lost the gold medal game on a Sidney Crosby OT GWG to the host.
“It’s a challenge for every team. This is a unique situation and a unique tournament,… said Bylsma, who is coaching in his first international tournament.
“You’re trying to come together as a team and build that chemistry quickly. That’s an uncommon thing for us as hockey players. But the team that comes together as a group and figures that out in the next seven days is going to be the most successful.…
On Tuesday, Ryan Miller talked about feeling fatigued after arriving to Sochi late in the day on Monday, then immediately jumping on the ice for an up-tempo first practice in preparation for Team Slovakia.
“I like to count this as the first practice. Last night was a little bit tiring. We had just come off the plane and honestly I didn’t feel good,… goaltender Ryan Miller said after Tuesday’s up-tempo practice.
“But today felt good. The energy was there and I was seeing the puck a little better. I felt like a goaltender again.…
Miller will ikely be Bylsma's starting goalie for game one versus Chara, Hossa, and the stingy Slovaks. Miller will be ready for the fight.
Zach Parise cautions that his teammates have to be ready to rock-n-roll when the puck drops vs. Slovakia on Thursday morning local time.
“We know that just because we got silver last time there are no guarantees. All these teams are so good,… said team captain Zach Parise, whose goal with 24 seconds left in Vancouver sent the gold-medal game to overtime.
“I think that we have to make sure that the second game we’re playing better than the first game. We have a tough division and we have to be sharp right away.…