Avalanche’s Stastny Steps Onto World Stage In Olympic Hockey
Posted by TheHockeyGuy on February 16th, 2010
Paul Stastny walks in quick, seesaw steps instead of a swagger. His favored outfit is jeans, T-shirt and baseball cap, not exactly Armani. He will stop for the TV cameras to give a few words but always seems a little shy in their hot, white lights.
It will be intriguing to see how Stastny performs on the world stage in the next two weeks at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. This could be the best chance for the young Avalanche center to step from the shadow of his Hall of Fame father’s hockey legacy.
Is he ready? Does he want to be a leading man, or the best supporting actor?
“It’s an exciting time for me,” said Stastny, 24, who could be the first-line center for Team USA, which begins Olympic play today against Switzerland. “Now I can think about the Olympics and just focus on that, enjoy myself and do well there. We’re going there to win. We feel we’re just as strong as any other team. I guess the message is, ‘Don’t count us out.’ ”
Stastny and Kings defenseman Jack Johnson were given a send-off by Kings fans after the Avs’ 3-0 loss in Los Angeles on Saturday. Fans at the Staples Center chanted “U-S-A! U-S-A!” when the two American Olympians were introduced to the crowd as part of postgame festivities.
“I’ve been getting more excited the nearer it’s gotten and now that it’s here, it feels like it’s going to be fun,” Stastny said.
His father, Peter, and the rest of the family will be in Vancouver to watch him. Peter played for the former Czechoslovakia in the 1980 Olympics at Lake Placid before defecting with his brothers, Anton and Marian, to Canada. Thirty years later, Peter’s son is an Olympian, playing for America.
Click here to read the full article – By Denver Post
Colorado Avalanche Jackets
and other Avalanche Apparel
|
