Bartulis, Latvia eager for a shot at Russia
By: WAYNE FISH
Bucks County Courier Times

The Flyers rookie's home team could be a surprise in Vancouver.

There are dreams of political independence; there are dreams of athletic vindication.

For the tiny Baltic nation of Latvia, one dream has been fulfilled and another possibly awaits in the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Latvia gained its freedom from the former Soviet Union in 1991.

Now, nearly 20 years later, the Latvian hockey team would like nothing better than to stick it to the former master.

Take care of some unfinished business, if you will.

When they meet on Tuesday, Feb. 16 in a preliminary round game, the odds will be incredibly long, of course. What is now called Russia has a roster loaded with superstars Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk and Evgeni Malkin.

All little Latvia has is a handful of hard-working kids such as Flyers rookie defenseman Oskars Bartulis.

At 23, Bartulis is too young to remember the bad, old days of Soviet domination. But he's heard all the stories.

When someone mentions the possibility of the upset of all upsets, Bartulis allows himself a wry grin.

The expression says he's already been subjected to all the jokes.

But a closer look at past results shows that Latvia should not be taken lightly.

Like it was by Team USA in 2006 at Turin, Italy. Final score: Latvia 3, USA 3.

Before that game, no one thought the Latvians had a chance. Just as no one thought the Americans had any hope against the mighty Russians 26 years before that in a little town called Lake Placid.

And how did that turn out?

It's the first Olympics for Bartulis, one of only two steadily employed Latvians in the NHL (Dallas defenseman Karlis Skrastins is the other).

Playing Russia would be a thrill. Beating them? Off the charts.

"It's going to be fun," Bartulis said. "It's going to be a big challenge for us. When we play Pittsburgh, all we see is Malkin. Now we're going to see all of them - Ovechkin, Kovalchuk. I think it will be a good experience."
Advertisement

No longer a member of the Soviet bloc that dominated international hockey from the late '50s to the early '90s, Latvia wants the world to see what it can do. Doing it against Russia would be a bonus.

"I think every country wants to show what it can do on their own," Bartulis said. "I think Latvia is the same thing. It's always nice to do your best, be in the highest places.

"But it's tough because there are not a lot of hockey players in Latvia (population 2.5 million) to choose from. + There are other sports, too."

One would think an NHL player such as Bartulis, a surprise addition to the Flyer roster this season, would have an advantage over players back home for ice time but that might not be the case.

Bartulis said that 90 percent of Latvia's Olympic team is playing for an all-Latvia team in the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League.

"They already have their lines and 'D' pairings," he said. "I don't know who I'm going to play with."

Aside from tying the United States in '06, the Latvians showed what they could do at Salt Lake in 2002, knocking off Austria and Ukraine.

In a 2009 Olympic qualifying tournament, Latvia went undefeated with wins over Hungary, Ukraine and Italy.

How come there aren't more Latvians in the NHL?

"There are a lot of guys who are 25, 26 and it's tough to come here," Bartulis said. "If you come here from a small country like Latvia and you want to play in the NHL, you have to come over when you're 17, go to juniors, start there and then build up.

"The young guys from Latvia don't want to leave now because they're getting money from the KHL. In (North America) juniors, you don't make money."

Bartulis went the road less traveled and suddenly he's chasing both the Stanley Cup and a gold medal in his breakthrough season.
Izmantotie resursi: phillyburbs.com

Izmantotie res