Sabres notebook: Hecht still guessing on Olympic status
Published: January 01, 2010, 10:43 pm
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Buffalo Sabres forward Jochen Hecht said Friday he's still alive for a spot on the German Olympic team, even though his name was only issued this week on a reserve list for the squad.
Hecht spoke Thursday to German coach Uwe Krupp, the former Sabres defenseman, and was told he's still on a list of 35 players to be chosen for the team. He said Krupp explained to him that Vancouver Olympic organizers, and presumably officials from the International Ice Hockey Federation, wanted a preliminary roster this week.
"[Krupp] said they're working off 35 guys combined and that it doesn't matter where anybody stands right now," Hecht said before Friday's game against the Atlanta Thrashers in HSBC Arena. "They're going to make the final decision on Jan. 20. He said there's a pretty good chance I'm going. He didn't say I'm going for sure but there's a pretty good chance."
Hecht was considered a lock for the German team, so it was a surprise when he was left off and several non-NHL players — including Sabres prospect Phillip Gogulla of the Portland Pirates — were picked ahead of him.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff Ô who's also an assistant coach for Team Canada — revealed there may be some method to Krupp's ways.
"I had a conversation with Uwe and Uwe told me he didn't like the way Jochen played at the World Championships [last spring in Switzerland]," Ruff said. "Uwe may be using that as a motivational tool. Coaches do strange things."
Former Sabre Maxim Afinogenov hit town as Atlanta's No. 2 scorer and was still beaming when asked about his selection for the Russian team that was announced last month.
"It's a big honor to represent your country, especially in the Olympics," Afinogenov said. "It's a big deal for me and my family."
The Russian team seems particularly loaded at forward with Washington's Alexander Ovechkin, Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin and Afinogenov's Atlanta teammate Ilya Kovalchuk — who entered Friday's game tied for fourth in the NHL with 23 goals.
"He's an unbelieveable player, a great player," Afinogenov said of his linemate. "Every team is pretty loaded and every team is looking good."
Afinogenov entered Friday's game with 13 goals and 35 points — figures that are higher than any Sabre. But he has he's struggled mightily of late with just two goals and a minus-10 rating in his last 15 games.
Ruff said he was going to spend the afternoon watching the Winter Classic from Boston between the Bruins and Flyers, partly to scout a game matching two Eastern Conference foes and partly to rekindle the memory of the Sabres' game against Pittsburgh on Jan. 1, 2008 in Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Buffalo lost that one in a shootout, 2-1, in a game played in front of more than 71,000. It was the first outdoor game in the United States and kicked off what has clearly become one of the league's biggest traditions.
"I remember one of the questions after was how the game was kind of a farce [because of snow on the ice] and I just said, "It was the greatest event I've ever been involved with,' " Ruff recalled. "Showcasing the league and the game in its natural state was awesome. We had a little bit of snow, maybe too much, but for the fans that were there and the way our fans were in that game, it was an unbelieveable event.
"[NHL officials] realized it then, that they might have something special and they've been able to build off it. You've got people talking about that event that don't watch hockey normally and it's a great thing."
Even though they haven't been in a postseason game since May of 2007, the Sabres had a strong 2009.
Buffalo finished the calendar year 48-28-8 for 104 points, eighth overall in the NHL. Buffalo was 24-11-4 in the 2009 portion of this season and 24-17-4 in the 2009 portion of last season.
New Jersey led the NHL with 118 points in the 2009 calendar year.
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