Canada (5) Belarus (0) |
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February 13, 1998 |
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Statistics Summary
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Game Details
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Canada was supposed to defeat Belarus and did so easily. Now the team that expects to take home the gold medal will get a true test. "We had the right start, we know that," Wayne Gretzky said after the first Canadian Olympic hockey team stocked with NHL All-Stars won 5-0. "America and Sweden had a much tougher battle. Tomorrow's going to be a much tougher game." Saturday, Canada meets Sweden, which defeated the United States 4-2 Friday. And the Canadians finish the tournament's round robin portion Monday against their U.S. rivals before entering quarterfinal play. "With the group of stars we have assembled, we know we're going to have to familiarize ourselves with each other," Canada coach Marc Crawford said. "This is a game we can build on." Relying exclusively on professional standouts as they try to win their first gold medal since 1952, the Canadians dominated from the outset. Eric Lindros, chosen as captain over long-time stars such as Gretzky and Ray Bourque, scored twice and punished Belarus players at every opportunity. "Ultimately, individual talent -- even in a team system -- comes to the forefront," Gretzky said. "Eric is a premier player. He played outstanding today, not only with his two goals but his forceful bodychecking. He's really determined to get a gold medal here -- as we all are." Canada, runner-up the last two Olympics, would have defeated preliminary-round qualifier Belarus much more handily if not for the acrobatic goaltending of Andrei Mezin. A career minor leaguer in North America, Mezin made 26 saves as the Canadians fired away from point-blank range all game. Roy, by contrast, had long stretches where he never saw a shot. His best save came in the third period on a 20-foot slap shot by Vladimir Tsyplakov, one of only two NHL players on the Belarus roster. Lindros had Canada's last two goals. He made it 4-0 on a rebound at 17:44 of the second period and scored on a give-and-go with Rod Brind'Amour midway through the third. Brind'Amour also had a nice pass in the slot to set up a second-period goal by Bourque. Theo Fleury added a shorthanded goal and Al MacInnis scored on a power play. Belarus coach Anatoli Varivontchik said his team was in awe of the Canadians. "Many of our players were playing for the first time against such a great opponent," he said. "Before the game, we asked the players to play very simple hockey, as they are used to, but we could not manage this." |