Posted: Sat January 18, 2014 11:42PM; Updated: Sat January 18, 2014 11:43PM

Canada, US face big-rink problems at Sochi Games

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Sochi Olympics
The larger ice surface in Sochi may pose an issue for the U.S. and Canadian hockey teams.
The Yomiuri Shimbun/AP

Big rink. Big problems.

At least that has been the case for Canada and the U.S. when the Winter Olympics haven't been on home soil - or ice.



''It's not a coincidence,'' David Poile, general manager of the U.S. team, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. ''The game is different on bigger ice. The angles are different, the shooting lanes are different and you have to position yourself differently.''


''It changes the whole game,'' Team Canada forward Jeff Carter said Saturday before he and the Los Angeles Kings played the Detroit Red Wings. ''On the bigger ice, it'll be a big adjustment for our guys. Skill comes into it a lot and you have to think a lot more. Defensively, you have to be in the right position because if you get caught out of position, you have to go a long way to get back in position.

''European players grew up playing on the bigger ice, so they're used to it.''

That showed at the Turin and Nagano Games.



''I always felt you couldn't maintain the same energy that you can on a smaller rink, where you can get places quicker,'' Guerin said. ''There's a lot of skating on the big ice. When you're chasing a defenseman into the corner, you have to chase him an extra 5 or 10 feet. That's a long way to go. When you have defensive-zone coverage, there's a lot of real estate out there.''


Joe Thornton has been among NHL scoring leaders this season - as usual - but his savvy style and soft hands couldn't overcome his slow skates when the Canadians were making their cuts for the 25-man roster.



''All three of them have three things: size, skating and scoring,'' Poile said.



''The boards are further to your left and right, but the paint's the same,'' U.S. goalie Ryan Miller said. ''You'll feel like you're drifting a bit and giving up too much on the short side.

''You just have to make the adjustment, and we'll only have one day - maybe two - on the ice before we play.''


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