Komo Czechs in from World Junior Championship
12/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Mike Komisarek shares his experiences playing for Team USA
| | Komisarek |
Komisarek, who is playing for Team USA for the second straight year, is joined on the American squad by Wolverine freshman teammates Dwight Helminen and Eric Nystrom, while junior Mike Cammalleri, U-M's leading scorer, is playing in his second WJC for Canada and is an assistant captain this year.
A first-round NHL draft pick in 2001, Komisarek will be sharing his experiences at the World Junior Championship with a series of diary entries on MGoBlue.com.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4
Today is our last game at the tournament and my last diary entry from the tournament. Today we play Sweden for fifth place. We have already played the Swedes once and they came from behind to tie us, 2-2. So far, Sweden has snuck up on everyone -- letting teams get ahead and then coming back ... people around the tournament have nicknamed them the "Snaky Swedes." If we can win today's game we'll finish with a 4-1-2 record ... only one loss and fifth place, what a crazy tournament.
It will be good to get back home to a more normal, routine life. While it is fun and scenic here, you get to a point when you're ready to be around familiar surroundings again. I can't say enough good things about my teammates on this trip. I now have a reason to follow several new teams from all over the nation. It will also be fun to play some of the other CCHA guys that I've spent time with here.
While I've been here, I've learned a lot about the Czech Republic as a country and about other nation's hockey teams. It's interesting to see all the different training methods of teams and see both how similar and different teams are from other countries. For example, it is normal for European teams to go for a run after a game. We saw Finland the other night jogging around the arena in the freezing cold after losing 2-1 in the semifinal game against Russia ... that was definitely something different to see. We've been the same time in the same hotel with Belarus, Sweden and Slovakia so we've seen those countries day in and day out. Seeing the country of the Czech Republic has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's not someplace that I ever thought I would see and now I am happy to have had the chance. The one thing that will stand out in my mind the most is the history in every city ... everywhere you walk it's like a history lesson.
Now it's time to prepare for the game against Sweden. This game, just like the past games, will be a competitive one. It also marks the last time this group of guys from all over America will wear our USA jersey as a team. It is also the last time for a long time that I will get a chance to wear a USA jersey, so it will be a special game for me and a lot of the guys on the team. I will see everyone when I get home.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2
Unfortunately, it wasn't a happy new year for our team. We lost the important crossover (quarterfinal) game against Russia, 6-1. Even though we were undefeated before that game, the highest we can now finish is in fifth place. Last year the team did almost the exact same thing -- we had a 5-2-0 record and ended in fifth place.
It's a difficult day to be here. We all know that we won't make our goal of getting a medal, but we now have to make a new goal of finishing as high as we can by playing well in the next few games. How we play in the next few days will determine the seeding for next year's team, so that's really our motivation, to get next year's team as good of a position as possible.
The loss was tough on everyone on the team. When we first got back to the hotel it was very quiet, and I don't think most of us believed that we were out of the medal hunt. But today is a new day and I think the majority of the team woke up with our new focus in mind. Even though we won't be playing in the medal games, these next few games are also about pride and character. Anytime you get to put on a USA jersey and represent your country, it is a great honor. For many of us, this may be our last time for a long time to play for Team USA.
We'll play our next two games in Hradec Kralove, which is the coldest rink I have ever played in my entire life. Our next game is against the Czech Republic, which lost 3-1 in its crossover game against Finland. The Czechs will be after us since we beat them in the first game of the tournament, so I am sure that it will be a tough, hard-hitting game. The teams in the medal round are Finland, Switzerland, Russia and Canada. While I'm not rooting for any one team, I would like to see Cammalleri do well (Canada plays Switzerland in the semifinal game). Right now I have no predictions for the gold medalist ... I'll let you know who I think will win on Jan. 5.
I hope everyone back home is doing well. Dwight and Eric send their best to the team! Go Blue!
MONDAY, DECEMBER 31
Happy New Year's Eve to everyone back home! It's funny, when you're playing in the tournament over here, you lose track of days and don't even realize that it's the holiday season.
We finished the preliminary round yesterday with a 4-4 tie against Slovakia. The game was another good one that was back and forth the whole time. We fell behind in the third period and R.J. Umberger scored with about five minutes left to save the tie. Even though we didn't lose a single game in the preliminary round, we finished second in our group. Three teams -- Sweden, Slovakia and USA -- finished with two wins and two ties, so it came down to goals for and goals against. Slovakia just barely edged us for first place in our group.
Since we finished in second place, we play our next game at the tournament's other arena in a small town called Hradec Kralove. It's about a 20-minute drive from Pardubice and seems to be very similar. The rink is very cold -- colder than any rink I can remember back home in the states -- but it's nice. We saw Team Canada for the first time today, they play the game after us on New Year's Day against Sweden. It was nice to hear other people speaking fluent English. I saw Mike Cammalleri during practice and had a chance to talk to him a bit before we went out on the ice.
Now that the tournament is in full swing, the primary focus has been on hockey. But we still manage to have fun as a group back at the hotel and around town. We've been having fun mostly by playing cards and watching movies with the other guys on the floor. Since there are no English-speaking channels most of the time we are trying to decipher the Czech TV announcers. Whenever we have some free time some of us run across the street to the Internet Caf to check emails and check up news back at home. The team is really starting to come together. I think I will have several long-term friends as a result of this team -- it's a great group of guys, which helps not only on the ice, but also when you're in a foreign country and have to rely on each other. Our afternoon the other day was highlighted by a massive snowball fight, with snowballs flying every which way. Even some of the coaches threw a few snowballs themselves.
Tomorrow is the most important day yet of the tournament for us. It's the quarterfinal game ... better known as the crossover game. Basically, if we win this game the lowest we can finish is fourth place, if we lose, we will finish between fifth and eighth place. Russia is a talented group, but you have to believe in your team, and I do. I know that we will spend the next 24 hours preparing and working our hardest to be the better team on the ice. Now we're on our way to a team dinner for New Year's Eve and then I'll probably be off to bed before the clock strikes 12, getting ready for the big game tomorrow. Have a Happy New Year!
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28
We're halfway through the preliminary round and have a win against the Czech Republic and a tie against Sweden.
The game against the Czechs was a great atmosphere. There were over 8,000 people whistling and beating drums through the whole game. The game itself was a great win for the team. We got two quick goals in the first period and kept skating hard through the rest of the game. You can't ask for a better way to start a World Championship than with a win over the defending champions and host country.
The game against Sweden was also good, but the tie was disappointing. We had a 2-0 lead on the Swedes through most of the second period and they got a goal at the beginning of the third and tied the game with about two minutes left in the game. While it's good to get at least one point from the game, I think everyone on the team really wanted to get the win.
The next game isn't until the 29th when we play Belarus. Even though Belarus hasn't won a game yet at the tournament, we have to be prepared -- at World Championships anything can happen, so we have to be prepared and focused. It's hard to describe, but every game at this tournament is always so intense. Every point matters, so the better we can do early in the preliminary round, the higher seed we'll have when the quarterfinals begin on January 1.
Today was a day off and the entire team took the train to Prague. The train ride was about and hour and drops you off right in the heart of the city. We had a tour guide who took us to the Royal Castle here and also across the St. Charles Bridge, which is one of the oldest and most scenic bridges in Europe. Then we got to an area of the city called Old Town, where we were set free for the afternoon. I spent most of my time walking around shopping and sightseeing around the city and getting souvenirs for friends and family back home -- everywhere you look are street vendors, and everything, especially crystal, is very inexpensive. The city is amazing, it had all cobblestone streets surrounded by buildings that are hundreds of years old ... it's hard to do it justice by trying to describe, but needless to say it was very scenic.
We arrived back to the hotel a few hours ago from Prague and are now resting up for tomorrow's game. Just want to wish the guys back home the best of luck in the GLI! GO BLUE!!!
MONDAY, DECEMBER 24
Today is one of the best and hardest days of the entire tournament. It's one of the hardest because you really miss your friends and family back home, but it is also one of the best because we have a great team Christmas party that includes a team gift exchange and T-shirt exchange. This year, I got the team T-shirt from Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks, which I will never wear since they are one of our rivals in the CCHA. I also got a Sports Illustrated swimsuit calendar and a $20 gift certificate for my present in the gift exchange.
It's great to finally be in the Czech Republic and settled in Pardubice. The town we're in is a middle-sized town with everything within walking distance. I can look out the hotel room and see the rink where we play. It's cold here (about 25 degrees), but it's still nice to get outside every once in a while for a walk or just to wander around town. Christmas Eve is big holiday here in the Czech Republic, so the entire town is pretty much shut down. The hotel is good, but everything here is small, the rooms, the beds, the showers -- everything! We've all discovered a McDonald's about one block away ... I'm sure we will be making several trips there through our stay to get a taste of American food.
The entire team is definitely ready to play a game. We've been together for one week and have played two exhibition games against Switzerland (a 5-4 loss) and against Sweden (a 4-1 win). Both games were in Switzerland, which is a very beautiful and scenic country. While the exhibition games were good learning experiences for the team, I think we're all ready and very excited to start the tournament. Our first game will be a tough one, against the Czech Republic, which won the tournament last year. They are undefeated the past two years. This will be our first challenge and test for our team, but one that we are ready for. They're expecting a sellout crowd, so it should be a unique atmosphere.
In the meantime, I'm off to watch a movie with the team in a group room on our hotel floor and get ready for the big game tomorrow. I hope everyone back home has a very Merry Christmas.
WJC Coverage: Official Site | Team USA | Team Canada
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
