And the big ice hockey buzz is ... nowhere

For the longest time after the win in Nagano, aging Czech captain Rosie Ruzicka, his country's flag propped over a shoulder, skated in small circles all over the ice, head down, savoring the moment. The sense of nationalistic pride emanating from that group was profound, and touching, and even a Lake-Placid-loving Yank had to embrace it as a genuine show of emotion and honor.

In countries such as the Czech Republic, Russia, Finland, Sweden — nations that export their best hockey to North America — the NHL game is not really their pail of pucks. They continue to pin their pride on what happens in the World Championships, and then tack that pride even higher on the Olympics. They are more IIHF than NHL in their tastes, and their day-to-day focus more fixed on the various pro leagues around Europe that are stocked, by and large, by homeboys. Unlike the NHL, they typically set roster limits on imports.

When it comes to the NHL, some Europeans will tune in, but only sporadically, typically with far less fervor than Americans tune into Olympic figure skating. Normally, I'd add a C’est la vie here, but the French really don't give a hoot about hockey.

French Canada on the other hand, that a different story. Virtually all of Canada, no matter language of choice or birth, loves hockey — morning, noon and night; NHL, Olympian or street.  To a Canadian, most of whom care most about one of their country's six NHL entries, all hockey is good hockey.

Hold a Montrealer’s passport up to the light, and invariably the Canadiens CH logo mysteriously appears next to the resident’s home address.

True story. But don’t mention that to anyone who lives slightly north in Quebec City, their Nordiques now living in witness-protection isolation in the city of Denver, American state of Colorado.

Canada, following a 50-year gold medal drought, finally got back its Olympic groove with a win over the Yanks at Salt Lake in 2002. Unknown to most everyone until after the triumph, the Canadians had one of their dollar coins — a Loonie — embedded in the ice before the tournament began.

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When the tourney ended, team director Wayne Gretzky and friends chiseled out the coin and later had it shipped to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. A little bit audacious, and corny, but overall, O.K.

“We all believed — when nobody else thought we could do it,” Canadian-born winger Theo Fleury said when it was over. “We’re still the greatest hockey producer of hockey players ... hockey players that play with their heart on their sleeve.”

The Americans were, you know, OK with that.

“They have a certain pride about their hockey,” said U.S. captain Chris Chelios, who is captaining the Yanks in Turin, too. “It might be their only game that they’re good at — except for maybe curling.”

For the record, Chelios said he was kidding. Off the record, we’ll leave that to your imagination, or to how things turn out in Turin by the end of this month.

Meanwhile, the U.S. cities of Detroit, East Rutherford and Tampa have won the NHL’s last three silver medals. To the hockey fans in those towns, that’s a gold rush.