Blackhawks’ Three Stars of the Olympic Quarterfinals

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

On Wednesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks had one of the best nights their franchise has ever had.

No, they weren’t on the ice as a full team, but the six members of the Hawks who were chosen to represent their countries at the Olympic Winter Games were all victorious in their games in the quarterfinal round. Canada defeated Russia 7-3, Slovakia stunned Sweden 4-3, and the United States out-lasted Switzerland 2-0.

It was certainly a fantastic day for the Indian head logo. It was the last day of the Olympic break for the rest of the team, and the other members all played themselves into medal contention with their victories.

Three Olympians Share a Moment Before the Break (Pam Rodriguez/PIB)

Now, with the semi-final games looming later on this afternoon and evening, it seems like an appropriate time to discuss the Hawks’ Three Stars from the Quaterfinals:

Honorable Mention: Tomas Kopecky (1 G)

Tomas Kopecky isn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut, as we have seen with his performance so far this season with the Blackhawks. On Wednesday night, however, Kopecky was good enough when he needed to be.

In the third period, Kopecky went down the ice with Blackhawks teammate Marian Hossa, who put a shot off goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Kopecky put the rebound behind the net-minder to give Slovakia a 4-2 lead over Sweden, and it ended up being the game-winning goal in the contest.

We’ll get back to Hossa later, but Kopecky was there when the Slovaks needed him to be, and he helped make sure that one of the biggest upsets in the tournament still came to fruition.

Third Star: Duncan Keith (0 G, 2 A)

One of the biggest assets Team Canada has had in these Olympics has been the solid play of Duncan Keith.

He has made a name for himself as a Norris Trophy contender during the season, and he has continued to prove it in his services to Team Canada. He has played a solid two-way game, and has served as one of the point-men on the Canadian power play.

His two assists were a big factor in Canada’s huge win over Russia, and his stellar defense has been on display the entire tournament. If he plays for the Blackhawks the way he has for his country, expect some serious hardware to come his way at the NHL Awards later this year.

Marian Hossa (Pam Rodriguez/PIB)

Second Star: Marian Hossa (0 G, 3 A)

Normally, the kind of effort that Hossa had against the Swedes would warrant First Star status and platitudes galore, but on this night, Marian has to take the backseat to a greater accomplishment.

Nonetheless, the Slovak forward has been having an excellent tournament so far. His three assist night against the Swedes was great, and he has shown no ill effects from the shot to the head that he took right before the Olympics started.

Freshness will not be an issue with Hossa as time progresses, and he looks like a man amongst boys while he is on the ice. If Slovakia is to have any hope of defeating Canada during the semi-finals, it may rest on the stick of Mr. Hossa

First Star: Jonathan Toews (0 G, 2 A)

What else is there to say for Jonathan Toews? He is a +9 so far during the Olympics, and he has yet to be on the ice when Canada surrenders a goal (and remember, his team did give up five goals to the United States on Sunday).

His no-goals-scored-on status is even more impressive when you consider the job he was given on Wednesday night: defend the Alex Ovechkin line of Team Russia. Oh yeah, the Ovechkin line also happened to have Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Semin on it. The trio had an abysmal night, combining for no goals and a minus-6 on the score sheet.

All the credit in the world goes to Toews and his linemates for holding three immensely talented snipers to zero goals, and the two assists he got were simply icing on the cake.

Toews has begun to make a name for himself internationally in these Olympics, and his quarter-final performance against Russia is a perfect microcosm of his skills.

Tags: Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, marian hossa, Patrick Kane, Team Canada, Team Slovakia, Team USA, Tomas Kopecky