Polar Bear Pursuit

By Eric Rosenhek

Now that the Vancouver Winter Olympics have begun, there is one story Canadians are paying attention to. Actually, it’s been an issue that has plagued our minds since the Turin disaster of 2006. That story, of course, is the Canadian men’s hockey team and their quest for gold.

Team Canada must win the gold medal! Anything else is unacceptable! Lord help us if the Canadians finish any lower than first. If they fail, our country will sink into a deep, dark depression.

All kidding aside, there has been an overabundance of attention given to the men’s hockey tournament and the six so-called “hockey powers”: Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic and the United States. Each country has been dissected and re-dissected. Left out of all this dissection are the six other countries competing in the tournament: Germany, Belarus, Slovakia, Latvia, Switzerland and Norway. Sure, these six countries might not have the same sex appeal as the hockey powers, but they do deserve some attention, right?

Out of the – for lack of a better term – bottom six, there’s one team I really want to focus on because I don’t think anyone has given them a thought. So without further adieu, here is (possibly) the only North American feature on Team Norway.

Why Norway? Why not? Besides, they just played their first tournament match against Canada (an 8-0 loss) and lost to the Americans 6-1 on Feb. 18.

Nicknamed the Polar Bears, this will be the Norwegians’ first appearance since the 1994 games, which they coincidently hosted. Norway has taken part in nine Olympic hockey tournaments. Their best finish was at the 1972 winter games in Sapporo, Japan when they placed eighth. They made it to this year’s Olympics after winning a qualification tournament last year.

Roy Johansen is the head coach of the Norwegian team. He is certainly familiar with this level of international competition, having played for Norway at the 1984, 1988 and 1992 games. Johansen’s team is mostly comprised of players from the European leagues. Among the 23-man roster, there are a few players to keep an eye on.

First, there’s defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, the only player on the team that is associated with an NHL club. He played 18 games this season for the Philadelphia Flyers, picking up two assists. On Feb. 6, Tollefsen and a 2011 fifth round draft pick were sent to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for forward Ville Leino. Two days later, Tollefsen was assigned to Detroit’s farm team, the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. The 25-year-old Oslo native has also played for the Columbus Blue Jackets.  

Another player to watch is Patrick Thorsen. The 26-year-old spent two seasons with Philadelphia and the Edmonton Oilers. During that time, Thorsen scored six goals and added 18 assists. He currently plays for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL.

Finally, there’s Tommy Jakobsen who has been a member of the Norwegian team since 1992. In fact, he has appeared in more international matches than any former or current teammate. The veteran defenseman also had the honour of being his country’s flag bearer during the opening ceremonies.

So what are the chances of Norway taking the gold medal? To be honest, it’s highly unlikely. Some hockey reporters, like ESPN’s Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun, have even suggested that Norway will be a sacrificial lamb. Personally, I feel that’s an extreme statement. Granted, the 8-0 defeat to Canada gives credence to the lamb theory. The Norwegians might not be the best, but they won’t lay down either.

Don’t forget, this is almost the same Norwegian team that played a close match against Canada at the 2008 World Championship; they lost by a slim 2-1 margin. And when a tournament such as the one going on in Vancouver features one-game elimination playoff s, anything can happen. Bottom line: if any of the hockey powers (or other competitors) approach Norway with a half-hearted effort, an upset is feasible.

Norway's next match will be against Switzerland on Feb. 20.