We, the Swiss, thank the NHL lockout

[Swiss]

Swiss benefit from NHL lockout

By Alan Crosby

TURIN (Reuters) - When the NHL labor dispute cost it an entire season of play, it shook the foundations of the game. Those shockwaves reached as far as Switzerland.

The Swiss came into the men's Olympic ice hockey tournament with only the modest goal of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

But after claiming the gold medal scalps of Canada and the Czech Republic, the Swiss are ahead of schedule. A tie with Germany on Sunday made them the third team to qualify for the quarter-finals ahead of superpowers such as Canada, Russia, the Czech Republic and the United States.

Ralph Krueger, the Canadian-born coach who has been heading the Swiss team since 1997, said the NHL dispute is behind the success.

"When those NHL players came to play in Switzerland last season (during the lockout), we saw how talented they are. But we also saw what it is like to play with them on a regular basis. We lost the fear factor of playing against NHLers," he said.

The most notable players to head to the Swiss elite league were Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton and Rich Nash. All were on the ice on Saturday when the Swiss beat Canada for the first time in Olympic play.

Thorton, who played for HC Davos, said the success of the Swiss team is not a surprise.

Thornton and Nash won a Swiss championship with Davos and watched the players develop last season, but still did not expect to lose when Team Canada squared off against Switzerland.

"They played a tough game. I know some of the guys they have and they are solid players. You can't deny them that," he said.

The Swiss are powered by their NHL goaltending tandem of Martin Gerber and David Aebischer. They also have Canadian-born Paul di Pietro, who helped the Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup in 1993.

But after that, the team is comprised of Swiss league players, not the NHL millionaires that make up the bulk of the roster for the Czech Republic and Canada.

"You can see how confident the guys have become. They no longer fear the big teams like Canada. They've learned they can compete, and that is a big step," di Pietro said.

Kreuger speaks often of the pride his team has, and how hard they work together.

But even after qualifying early for the quarter-finals, he said he has not lost touch with reality.

"We're still a long way away," Kreuger said. "We still don't have the individual skills of the top countries."

Maybe not. But they are getting closer.

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