The incomparable Shannon Miller debriefed

If you follow women's hockey, it is impossible to not have strong opinions about the legendary coach of the Duluth Dynasty Shannon Miller(her dynasty is now threatened by Wisconsin's Mark Johnson). Her inaugural Canadian women's Olympic team collapsed under the enormous pressure of gold in 1998 Nagano, but the former Calgary police officer has rebounded professionally by building a dynastic program at Duluth. During her tenure she has crushed the NCAA dreams of Brown's Digit Murphy, provided an impenetrable Frozen Four roadblock for Meghan Agosta and Mercyhurst, and prevented Mark Johnson's Wisconsin Badgers from an unprecedented 4-pete. Her 4 titles in the 2000's is truly remarkable, but it is her use of international players, and their subsequent training that may generate her lasting legacy. Check out the nearly two dozen Olympians who have played for her at Duluth, including USA and Canada's very best offensive talent (Potter and Ouellete, respectively), Sweden's top three forwards and a large chunk of Finland's impact players. This does not account for the Team Canada veterans who played for her at Nagano or even USA star Julie Chu, who was her assistant coach in 2008, another championship season.

http://www.umdbulldogs.com/teams-womens-hockey.php?page=19

She has coached Hayley Wickenheiser from the age of 12 to 21, and claims that Wick is not the best player in the world, but can't name anyone better off the top of her head. If you want the lowdown on the who's who of international women's hockey on the eve of the Olympics, read on. Coach Miller goes on the record.

SWE
KIM MARTIN: "Kim's an exceptional person, and exceptional goaltender, she has a great deal of experience playing in NCAA games, world championships, international games, playing in several Olympics. The one thing I like about Kim Martin the most is that she competes with a smile the whole time. She is a great friend, a great teammate, she's a stellar goaltender for team Sweden, and really a backbone of the team. One of the reasons that Kim is so strong in net is because she is technically sound, she moves really well. She's not huge, she's not small, but she's compact when she plays, so because she's technically good, and plays with good angles, and moves really well, she's very effective going post-to-post, she's very effective coming out to challenge, she's great, got great backwards mobility coming in facing breakaways, very solid all-around goaltender."

ELIN HOLMLOV "Erin is a fun player to watch. She has great vision, great hands. She plays with a lot of creativity, that's the one thing I love about coaching her, I see it when she plays for me at UMD, I see it when she plays for Team Sweden, loves to carry the puck, loves to share the puck, very creative when she plays. She used to be a very explosive player, but she's struggled with back surgeries, and has been trying to recover from her back injuries. She's not on the ice and lifting weights as much as her national teammates or UMD teammates, but she makes up for it with her vision and her hands. She is an extremely unselfish player; if somebody's open she finds 'em, she moves the puck, moves to open ice, very effective offensively. I also think she's a great player because she's strong defensively. She's not scared to get in there and forecheck hard, finish her checks in the defensive zone, back check hard, blocks people out and battles in front of the net. she's a very strong two way player and a fun player to coach.

"When you're playing at the NCAA level, or playing at the world championships or the Olympic Games in this situation, people have to be prepared to play through pain. Elin has had back surgery, she's in a little bit of pain every single day when she practices and plays, but you've got to be able to play through pain, and she is one of those players that's willing to step up, play for Team Sweden at the Olympic Games and try and win back a medal to her country."

MARIA ROOTH: "Well Maria Rooth is going to be an impact player for Team Sweden at the Olympic Games, there's no doubt about it. She's fast, she's got great hands, great game instincts, she's a goal scorer. If she's playing with two players that are willing to go into the corner and on the wall and battle for her and bring the puck out and feed her the puck, maybe set her some picks, create open ice for her, she'll be a very effective offensive player for Team Sweden.

"Maria's also a great defensive player. She's got good speed, she's got a great work ethic, so she's good on the forecheck, backcheck within the defensive zone, she's learned how to play the game bothy ways. Maria Rooth can be an offensive threat at any point in the game at any time on the ice as long as she's got the puck and she's got some space.

"Maria Rooth is one of the greatest players to ever play at UMD, and she's the only player to ever have her jersey retired, up in the rafters. Maria is very effective because she's an explosive player: she explodes into open ice with the puck; she explodes off the wall to back check so she's very effective offensively and defensively. She has a great deal of experience playing in NCAA play as well as with team Sweden at international events, and she's a key leader. Definitely a key leader for team Sweden.

ERIKA HOLST: "Erika is the captain for Team Sweden,and there's no question that she is their strongest leader, she is their best centerman, she wins the majority of her faceoffs. She's a great player because she's great offensively, she's great defensively, she's unselfish, she loves to set picks and create space for her linemates, she's great at moving the puck, she can shoot off the pass so she's always a threat to score goals, whether she has the puck or her linemate has the puck. She is also a very strong two-way player. She was very disciplined when she played for me at UMD, you could always count on her to win faceoffs, you could count on her to create space for her teammates, you could always count on her to play good defensive hockey. Erika Holst will be a key player on the power play for Team Sweden, and definitely a player on the penalty kill. When Erika played for me at UMD she was a lot of fun, she had great respect for the game and I believe she still does have that respect today playing at the Olympic level. She is a great teammate, a great friend and a great captain."

(On Team SWE players playing at UMD) "One thing that's very impressive about the kids from Sweden who moved to Duluth and played for me at the NCAA level is that they're studying in their second language. And that's very impressive for anybody, to move to another country, study in a second language, and find a way to balance, and not just balance, but balance and be successful at studying in a second language and be so successful in hockey and successful friendships, and just having a very balanced life. All of them are very good students, and very good hockey players and key people in our program."

Finland
SAARA TUOMINEN: "Saara is one of our strongest two-way players for Team Finland, as well as for my team, my UMD women's hockey team. She is one of those people you can count on offensively, you can count on defensively. She's on our power play, she's on our PK, same thing with Team Finland, on their power play and PK. She's key centerman for Team Finland, key centerman for UMD, someone you can trust to win key faceoffs late in the game, when you need a faceoff to protect a lead or when you need to win a faceoff to run a set play off of a faceoff. Saara is a captain for us and she's one of the captains for Team Finland. Saara is one of the most experienced players, both for UMD and Team Finland. She is one of the older and more experienced players on team Finland and someone he (new Finnish coach Pekka Hamalainen) will rely on for leadership both on the ice and in the locker room.
Saara is a very effective player down low in the offensive zone, because she's willing to get into the corners. she jumps into the corners, she jumps on the wall, she battles people, she comes out with her feet moving, her eyes up and is looking to move the puck to somebody. and after she moves the puck she looks to set a pick to create space for someone else. Very unselfish player, very effective because of the way she plays in the offensive zone.
Saara is in an interesting position because she's a captain of the UMD women's team in an Olympic year, and she's one of the captains for team Finland. So she's in a position where she has a great deal of responsibility here in Duluth with our program as well with Team Finland preparing and competing at the Olympic Games. What's great about Saara is that she understands her responsibilities in both places. She's great because she goes and she gets to play with Team Finland, she's playing at the Olympic Games, we don't have her for three weeks, but she also understands her responsibility when she comes back. So it's a shared relationship, it's a very strong two way relationship and both programs benefit from having that open, positive relationship.

NINA TIKKINEN (Mankato Minnesota State University) is one of Saara's linemates, along with Michelle Karvinen. they all play on the first line together. Nina is a very effective player as well. Tikkinen is a fierce competitor, she's got great speed, she's very tough, she competes hard, she also is a playmaker. She's someone who can come off the wall, feet moving, eyes up, and move that puck and crash the net. Michelle Karvinen, Saara Tuomimen and Nina Tikkanen playing together form a very effective line, very experience line, 3 very good, great players.

Team Finland and Team Sweden have a great rivalry, and it helps that both teams have great goaltenders. Kim Martin in net for Team Sweden, Noora Raty in net for Team Finland...you know Kim, very experienced goaltender for Team Sweden, has played in NCAA championship games, is not playing in our program this year because she's "centralized" with Team Sweden, Noora Raty playing in the WCHA league play this year because Team Finland is not centralized, but both goalies facing off at the Olympic Games, great rivalry between Team Sweden and Team Finland because of those two goaltenders.

CAN
CAROLINE OUELLETTE "The thing I love most about Caroline Ouellette is that she is a fierce competitor and a gentle friend. she is a fantastic hockey player, fantastic person, represents team Canada very very well whether she's playing on the ice for Team Canada or conducting herself as an ambassador off the ice. And that's how she conducted herself when she played for me at UMD as well. Our captain, and certainly one of the leaders for Team Canada. Caroline is a power forward, there's no doubt about it, she's big, she's strong, she's explosive. Caroline has great vision, great hands, Caroline is a very unselfish player. She's always got her feet moving, alwyas got her eyes up, always got her great work ethic on and she's always looking to move the puck, to share the puck with someone who might be in a better position than she is. and she also has a bullet for a shot. She's got great shot selection, she's got an accurate, powerful shot, she's a threat every time she has the puck. If you're a goalie facing Caroline Ouellette you never know if she's going to move it or if she's going to shoot it. So she's a double threat all the time.

Caroline's the type of player, she plays on the power play for Team Canada, she plays on the PK for team Canada, because she's got vision, because she's got puck movement, because she's got a great work ethic and she can shoot. She plays on the PK because she's smart, I would bet she's one of their best penalty killers and one of the leaders on the penalty kill unit. When she coached with me at UND, not only did Caroline Ouellette play for me at UMD for three years and win an NCAA championship, but she was also my assistant coach at UMD for two years, was an exceptional role model for the young women, she was in charge of penalty kill, so I know that Caroline has a good understanding of Penalty Kill and what it takes to PK at the Olympic level, and I know she's one of Canada's strongest power play and PK people."

HALEY IRWIN is a power forward, great player, a natural goal scorer. Haley is young, first time playing for Team Canada senior team is in this Olympic year. (actually, she played for Team Canada at the 2009 World Championships) So here she is playing at the Olympic Games for Canada and quite frankly I think she's one of Canada's biggest offensive threats. (Miller took on Irwin as a project that needed lessons in defense and fitness, that you can read about in the CTV article, link below)

http://www.ctvolympics.ca/hockey/news/newsid=15150.html

"She's got great size, she's a fierce competitor, she's extremely tough, she comes out of the corner and off the wall with the puck all the time, feet moving, eyes up, takes the puck to the net. Natural goal scorer, she really is. She's a very very smart player around the net and a natural goal scorer. As long as she's playing with people that are willing to battle with her, and skate with her and can share the puck with her, you're going to see great offensive things from Haley Irwin.

"Haley Irwin knows how to win. Haley Irwin came to UMD as a freshman and played first line centerman and led our team to a national championship. So as a freshman she won her first national championship (and scored the winning goal against Mark Johnson's Badgers). I think one of the reasons that Haley Irwin made Team Canada and the Olympic Team at such a young age, and I think this is important for other young players to understand, is that when she came to UMD to play for us, she needed to become a much better athlete. A better skater and a much better defensive player. learning how to play without the puck, forecheck, backcheck, D zone, penalty kill. And Haley really stepped up and made an unbelievable commitment to those three areas of her game, and in a two year period excelled so much in those areas, there she is, on Team Canada, playing on the Olympic Team."

"JAYNA HEFFORD is a very experienced player playing for Team Canada. she has played at every single Olympic Games, for Team Canada, she's an experienced veteran. Jayna is an offensive threat. She is explosive, she loves to jump and try to get in behind the opponent's defensemen, and hope that someone finds her for that long breakaway pass, so that it's her against the goaltender. She played like that for me back in 1998, she's still playing like that today, and she is, she's a great offensive threat for Team Canada.

HAYLEY WICKENHEISER, clearly one of the top players in the international game, another power forward. Extremely explosive, extremely strong, always an offensive threat whether she has the puck or doesn't have the puck. Sometimes Hayley is the most dangerous player on the ice when she doesn't have the puck. She has great linemates, they know how to play with her, and she is clearly going to be one of Canada's top players at the Olympic Games. Hayley's also very strong defensively, she has become a very good defensive player for Team Canada, forecheck, backcheck, D-Zone, on penalty kill, obviously she'll be on the power play. There's no question that she'll be an impact player at the Olympic Games.

I'm very familiar with SARAH VAILLANCOURT because of the healthy rivalry we have between UMD women's hockey team and Harvard. She played for Harvard for 4 years, I played against her, I coached against her,and she is always a threat when she's on the ice. Sarah Vaillancort won the Patty Kazmaier award, which is like the Heisman trophy for player of the year for women's hockey. So, definitely one of Canada's top young players."

"MEGHAN AGOSTA, one of Canada's top offensive players, explosive player like Jayna Hefford, loves to jump in behind the opponent's defensemen, look for those breakaways, and she's a sniper, no question that she comes in on the goaltender, she's a sniper. She typically shoots high glove, high glove, high glove, and occasionally doesn't. Normally 9 out of 10 shots high glove, and she's got a bullett, so even if you tell your goalie that, typically there's one that still gets by your goalie, if not two, in a game.
"Great Rivalry as well. Plays for Mercyhurst College, UMD has played Mercyhurst several times in NCAA play, she's gone head to head with our former goalie Kim Martin and will again in the future after this Olympic year, a healthy rivalry between Meghan Agosta and Kim Martin. It's a lot of fun to see Kim Martin in net against Meghan Agosta. Meghan Agosta is such a sniper and Kim Martin is such an exceptional goaltender that it's a really good head-to-head matchup, it's fun."

"JESSIE VETTER likely the number one goaltender for Team USA at the Olympic Games. I'm very familiar with her through the UMD-Wisconsin rivalry. I saw Jessie Vetter develop before my own eyes for four years. She went from being a young, inexperienced goaltender with a great deal of potential, to becoming an exceptional goaltender by the time she was a junior and senior in college. She backstopped Wisconsin to 3 national championships in 4 years, and here she is in the Olympic Games playing as the key goaltender for Team USA. Jessie Vetter is very technically sound, moves extremely well, plays with a smile on her face just like Kim Martin does, she's relaxed, she's calm, she's very solid."
(Could Vetter steal the Gold Medal Game?) "Oh yeah, I've seen her do that, holy cow she's good. (pause) Well, Vetter would probably be a big part of the reason they steal the game."

"JULIE CHU, one of the veterans for Team USA, one of the few veterans Team USA has playing for them this year at the Olympic Games. Key leader for Team USA, Key leader for Harvard when she played there. Very effective player when she played in the NCAA, very effective player at the World Championship and the Olympic Games. great hands, vision, skater, puck movement, great shot. Also fun player because she is very creative. She's creative on power play, she's creative 5 on 5, 4 on 4, loved coaching against her in college, loved watching her play with Team USA, just a fun player to watch. She was a key leader at Harvard, team leader at team USA. Team USA has a very young team at the Olympics this year, and Julie Chu along with Angela Ruggiero, Natalie Darwitz and Jenny Potter, those are going to be the four leaders for TEAM USA at the Olympic Games this year.
"I also know Julie Chu very well because I brought her to UMD to coach with me. She coached with me in 2008 when we won our fourth national championship. My assistant coaches were Caroline Ouellette from Teeam Canada and Julie Chu from Team USA, so we had a very well seasoned international coaching staff together when we won our 4th national championship, and Julie Chu was a big part of that."

JENNY POTTER
I've watched a lot of competitions between Team CANADA and USA, in the lat 10 years, and arguably Jenny Potter has been the best player on the ice a lot of those nights, and certainly one of the best players for Team USA. It's because she's explosive. She comes out of the corner with the puck all of the time. Any time she goes into the corner, into a battle, on the wall or the half wall, she always comes out with the puck, her feet are moving, her eyes are up, she makes a nice play. She is a threat because she can skate, she can shoot and she can pass.

***
And she's probably the best skater in the women's game today. If I was going to take a video of someone skating to teach my college kids proper techinche: the powerful stride, the quick recovery, I'd use Jenny Potter.
***

She's an exciting player to watch because she's small, explosive, fast, a fierce competitor and always an offensive threat, whether or not she has the puck."

"I really admire Jenny Potter for all the things she has accomplished in her life to date at such a young age. She was playing for me at UMD, she stayed in school but left our hockey program for a year to have a child, came back and helped us win our 2003 National championship for our program, obviously she was a key player on the team that year. Since then has had another child and continues to excel as a mother, balancing that family life and also continues to excel in the game of hockey, and to be a dominant player, one of the best players in the world today."

(On the USA-CANADA rivalry)
"You know there's always been a great rivalry between Team Canada and Team USA, most often at world championships and Olympic Games vying for a Gold medal. But it's a healthy rivalry, it really is. A lot of these players have played against each other or on the same teams in college hockey. An example, Jenny Potter who plays for Team USA and Caroline Ouellette who plays for Team Canada, both of them played for me at UMD and won a national championship together. Not only did they win a national championship together, but they were linemates, and very effective linemates because they're both great players.

"And then you've got Team Sweden, the year that Potter and Ouellette won a national title together at UMD, we also had Erika Holtz and Maria Rooth from Team Sweden on our team, so there's 4 players playing at the Olympics this year that were teammates in 2003 that won an NCAA championship together. I think that's one of the great things about Women's hockey is, yes there are healthy rivalries, yes they're all spread out playing for their respective countries, but that have been teammates, they have competed against each other, in some cases lived in the same houses, and they are friends and that's very healthy."

"Well IYA GAVRILOVA playing for Russia at the Olympic Games, I think it's awesome. She played for UMD for less than one season. She is probably the best offensive player we'ver had at UMD. Just natural game instincts, natural hands. She's very very smooth, and there's no question she's one of the top players for Team Russia if not THE top player for Team Russia though she's quite young. She really has an uncanny ability to handle the puck in traffic, get open, great hands, great goal scoring instincts. She's a raw, natural goal scorer and she's fun to watch."

ZUZANA TOMCIKOVA- Bemidji State "It's kind of exciting to have Slovakia in the Winter Games, it's the first time for the women's team, and they've got a great goaltender, Zuzana, she's a goaltender I'm familiar with because she plays in the WCHA so our UMD Team plays against her team regularly in our league. She's got great size and is a great athlete, technically sound and moves extremely well. She goes up and down and lateral faster than most goaltenders I've seen. In college hockey she can literally beat opponents by herself. We've played her team (Bemidji) and she's extremely difficult (to score on). She's been absolutely amazing in WCHA league play, I'm very excited to watch her in the Olympics and how she backstops her team."

MOTHERS "There are three women playing ath the Olympic Games this year that have children: Hayley Wickenheiser, Jenny Potter and Becky Keller (veteran defenseman for Canada), and there might be more that I dont know about, but I'm familiar with those three, and I very much admire their ability to have children, to raise children, to be great mothers, but also to be such great athletes and such impact players at the Olympic Games. They are tremendous role models for young women out there who want both--they want to have a family life and they also want to play at the Olympic Games. And so hat's off to those three, and good luck to all of them."

(more from Miller describing her intense rivalry with Wisonsin's Mark Johnson in a future post)