Tales of Olympic Hockey from Manhattan’s Kings

Certain labels given to elite athletes last a lifetime and beyond. Hall of Famer, Most Valuable Player and Olympic medalist are among the descriptions that will forever accompany the names of those deserving such honors.

Just don’t use the latter for Los Angeles Kings players Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson and Jonathan Quick – at least for the time being.

The three Manhattan Beach residents were members of the silver-medal winning USA men’s Olympic hockey team that fell to Canada 3-2 in overtime of the gold-medal game after dramatically tying the score with 24.4 seconds left in regulation. The disappointment of not watching Old Glory rise to the top during the medal ceremony continues to leave a bad taste in the mouths of the Americans.

“Being regarding as an Olympic medalist is not one of those things many people can say,” Brown said. “Right now, the silver medal is a consolation prize. But a few years from now, or even maybe this summer, reflecting on it I’m sure I’ll appreciate it more.”

Young and inexperienced, the United States team was not expected to be medal contenders at the Vancouver Olympic Games, but got off to a great start that included a 5-3 upset of the Canadians in pool play. The win by the Americans created added pressure for the Canadian squad that not only was expected to excel on its home ice, but show the world its supremacy in what is arguably Canada’s best known export – hockey.

Seven days later, just hours before the commencement of the closing ceremony, the United States earned a rematch with its neighbor to the north in what was the most-watched television broadcast in Canadian history with 80 percent (25.5 million) of the country’s population viewing some part of the game.

The epic battle drew 27.6 million viewers in the United States, making it the most watched hockey game in the country since 32.8 million fans watched the American team defeat Finland to win the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics, one game after the team upset the U.S.S.R. in the “Miracle on Ice” game at Lake Placid.

A native of Canada, Jim Fox is a 24-year Redondo Beach resident who spent his entire 10-year career in the NHL playing for the Kings and remains eight on the club’s all-time scoring list. Making a successful transition from the ice to the booth, Fox is celebrating his 20^th season as the Kings color commentator and feels it’s up to the leaders of the sport at every level to benefit from the television exposure provided at Vancouver.

“It is up to all hockey organizations to make sure we can capitalize on the Olympic success…the NHL as well as local youth hockey groups,” Fox said. “It certainly caught the attention of most Americans, but in many areas, hockey is not part of the culture so we all have to be proactive in trying to grow our sport.”

Fox also believes the America can remain among the world’s elite teams for many years to come.

“With USA’s success this year with a very young team, they should be considered one of the teams in the running for a gold medal in the next Olympics. This year they were an underdog… next time they should have a higher expectations and ranking going in.”

Ironically, this year’s gold-medal game came 50 years to the day when the U.S. team shocked the hockey world by winning gold at Squaw Valley. Although Brown, Johnson and Quick are disappointed they could not repeat history, they still feel they had the best team on the ice in Vancouver and were thankful to have parents, family members and friends in attendance.

But those thoughts were quickly pushed aside when two days after the Olympic flame was extinguished, the Kings resumed National Hockey League play and their run toward the playoffs. The Kings were well represented in Vancouver, with five players on the team’s 25-man roster competing in the Olympic Games. Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi, who also lives n Manhattan Beach with his wife Wandamae, served on the Advisory Board for the selection of Team USA.

King center Michal Handzus played for Slovakia and, at the age of 20, King defenseman Drew Doughty was the youngest player on the gold-medal winning Canadian team. Doughty rooms with Brown when the Kings are on the road and had the opportunity to rub the gold-medal victory in his Los Angeles teammate’s face, but was fairly congenial about the situation.

“He’s pretty low key,” Brown said. “We talked a lot about it before we went (to Vancouver). Once you’re on the ice, friendships are put aside. We beat them once but they beat us in the more important game.”

A Team Leader

On October 8, 2008 at the age of 23, Brown was named the 15^th captain of the Kings, becoming the youngest and only American-born captain in franchise history. The 6-foot, 208-pound forward was selected to play on the US Olympic team, but was asked to switch from the right side of the ice to the left.

“The offensive side of the game pretty much the same,” Brown said after a Sunday morning practice at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo. “The biggest change was tracking back into the zone. I found myself drifting over to the right side out of habit. Coming out of the zone, it’s different getting the puck and having to rotate your body. It’s more difficult to make plays on your off side.”

Brown handled the transition well and credits team chemistry for much of the team’s success.

“A lot of the players had played together before,” Brown said. “I think I had played with everyone expect maybe four players on the team. Being able to walk into a room and say ‘Hey, how ya’ doin’?’ and not have to introduce yourself made it a lot easier.”

Competing in a short, pressure-filled tournament like the Olympics is something Brown feels will help him as the Kings make go into the NHL playoffs.

“I’ve never been in a playoff game in the NHL but I would think it’s pretty similar,” Brown said. “It comes down to the little things, ultimately. Like the gold medal game – it was an even game and one breakdown was the difference. So it’s a matter of keying in on all those little things and I think we’re learning that here (in LA). It’s going to be magnified come playoff time.

“Consistency with our game will be a key. There are nights when we come out and feel we can beat anyone in the league, and then there are nights when we don’t play as well. We have to find that even keel.”

Brown admits that he hasn’t had time to reflect on the whole Olympic experience. He was glad he was able to attend the women’s hockey gold medal game, where the American team also faced Canada for the top prize. He hopes the excitement generated from his team will help increase the growth of hockey throughout the country.

“I think the interest in the gold medal game is a huge opportunity for hockey in the States to grow,” Brown said. “I think the last time the country was that excited was in 1980. It’s definitely not the same scenario they were under but it sounds like a lot of people were excited and following this team.”

Brown was born in Ithaca, New York. Now he and his wife Nicole and their two sons Jake, 2, and Mason, 1, call Manhattan Beach home.

“You can’t beat the weather here and the great restaurants like Rock-N-Fish and Houston’s and I love Pinkberry,” said Brown. He is an avid supporter of KaBoom!, an organization whose goal is to provide a place to play within walking distance of every child in America.

Brown said his one-of-a-kind Olympic silver medal will soon be put in a safe deposit box. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, which manufactured the medals for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, unique designs were used so no two medals are alike. Weighing between 500 and 576 grams each, the medals are the heaviest in Olympic history.

Silver medals were made of sterling silver (92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper). Gold medals were also sterling silver plated with six grams (1/5 oz.) of pure gold. Bronze medals were made of 99 percent copper to produce a more reddish hue to differentiate the color between the bronze and gold medals.

Taking it all in

Even though he is looking forward to competing in the 2014 Olympics, forward Jack Johnson made the most of his Olympic opportunity. He was the only member of the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team to march in the opening ceremony.

With permission from the Kings, who were still playing games before the NHL went on hiatus for the Olympic tournament, Johnson chartered a plane to Bellingham, Washington where a car service drove him to Vancouver.

He became the first NHL player from the United States to participate in any Olympic opening ceremony and took advantage of the opportunity to meet Vice-President Joe Biden, along with some of the world’s top athletes including snowboarder Shaun White. Even though the festivities ran late into the night, Johnson was back on the ice the following day for the King’s morning skate in El Segundo.

“It was so cool,” Johnson said of the experience. “It’s not every day you get to meet people like that. Meeting other Olympians you hear about before going there and being able to march alongside of them was very special.”

Johnson was also among a handful of American hockey players who remained for the closing ceremonies. He was glad his parents, brother, uncle, close friends and their families were able to see him compete on a world-wide stage.

“We went to the women’s hockey game, but I didn’t get to see as many other events as I’d have liked because we were practicing on our days off,” Johnson reflected. “But I still had a great time. The whole thing was an awesome experience. I hope it’s not my last Olympics. As an athlete, I think it (being an Olympic medalist) is the highest honor you can achieve. I think the guys I played with, well, we’ll have a special relationship forever.”

Like Brown, Johnson desires that the success USA enjoyed in Vancouver will inspire the youth of America to continue the development of hockey.

“I hope it has a positive impact,” Brown exclaimed. “Even though we didn’t win the whole thing, we gave it our best shot. I hope that all young American hockey players out there will have a little more sense of pride being American hockey players and that they continue to carry the torch like we did for the older guys we watched.”

Facing what were basically all-star teams in the Olympics, Johnson said the high level of competition will prepare him as the Kings advance to the NHL playoffs, something the team has not accomplished since the 01-02 season.

“Everyone talks about the playoffs being intense, pressure-packed games,” Johnson said. “But I don’t think I’ll never play in more of a pressure game than the gold medal game with 50 million Americans and another 27 million or so Canadians watching. I know I won’t feel anything as hostile as that environment and I feel very confident going in the Stanley Cup playoffs.”

Only 23-years-old, Johnson appears to have an excellent chance of competing in the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The Kings signed Johnson after he completed his sophomore season at the University of Michigan and he still calls Ann Arbor home. Johnson said his Olympic silver medal will be going back to Michigan when the King’s season is over.

Johnson is close to his dad Jack, who spends a lot of time with his son on the west coast. The younger Johnson wears jersey No. 3 in honor of his father who won the 1973 NCAA title with the University of Wisconsin.

A Year to Remember

In only his second season in the NHL, Jonathan Quick is enjoying a year he will never forget. Two days after having an Olympic silver medal draped around his neck, the 6-foot-1, 223-pound goaltender returned to the professional game and set a new Kings record for most wins in a season. But when the 24-year-old looks back at 2010, he’ll initially recall the birth of his first child, daughter Madison Mychal Quick, who entered the world at 4:15 a.m. Friday.

Jonathan grabbed the earliest flight back to L.A. from Dallas Thursday when informed his wife Jaclyn had gone into labor. Fortunately for the Quick’s – well, at least the father – the labor was a long one provided time for the two new parents to be together.

The King’s goalie was back in the nets Sunday when the team hosted Nashville on Sunday.

Although Quick didn’t see any Olympic playing time in Vancouver – he served as a backup to starting goaltender Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres who was stellar between the pipes and named MVP of the Olympic tournament — Quick said he will have fond memories of the experience.

“My wife, parents, younger brother and sister attended the games,” Quick said. “The team chemistry was great. (General Manager) Brian Burke did a great job of putting everything together, from picking Ron Wilson as head coach to the selection of the players. I’ll always remember the team. I met some good guys out there and it was great to be a part of that team and play for our country.”

Understandably, the King’s goaltender quickly shifted his thoughts from the Olympics to more important things: The birth of his daughter and winning the Stanley Cup

“My wife was cleaning up the other day and I don’t know where she put the medal,” Quick said. “Winning an Olympic medal is something great and you’re playing for your country, but it’s only a two week thing. The Stanley Cup is a nine-month process and a long grind. A lot more goes into that and building strong relationships with your teammates.”

Quick admits that after not seeing game action for two weeks, it took awhile to shake off the rust when the Kings and the NHL resumed play after the Olympic break.

“It took a little while to readjust,” Quick said. “The first two games back I made some mistakes I wish I hadn’t, but that’s no excuse. I have to hold myself accountable and be better next time around.”

While the modest Quick is first to point out any errors in his game, his return to NHL action only two days after the Olympics was monumental. He recorded 31 saves to beat the Dallas Stars 5-1, setting a King’s record 36th win of the season. The victory broke Mario Lessard’s single-season win record set in 1980-81.

“That record you can’t look on as a personal record, that’s a team record,” Quick acknowledged. “Not one of those games would I have won without those guys battling in front of me. I’m sure Mario would say the same thing, that they’re all team efforts.”

Last season, Quick recorded 21 wins, the third most ever by a Kings rookie goaltender (Mario Lessard had 23 in 1978-79 and Bob Janecyk had 22 in 1984-85). He continues to look forward while preparing for post-season play and the goal of winning the Stanley Cup.

“We’re definitely capable,” Quick said. “We just need to get everyone in the locker room believe in themselves.”

With 40 wins, 85 points and 14 games — including eight homes games — remaining in the regular season, the Kings have the opportunity to surpass the record of the Smythe Division-winning team of 1990-91 that achieved 46 wins and 102 points.

The Kings host the Central Division-leading Chicago Blackhawks tonight at 7:30 p.m. The team’s final home game is Saturday, April 10 versus the Edmonton Oilers. Visit lakings.com for schedule and ticket information. ER

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