Even though the United States and Canada failed to live up to expectations, the Olympic tournament was still quite the spectacle. The hockey itself was incredible. It was amazing watching defense played with skating and positioning instead of hooking and holding.

So before we return to the ol' boring NHL, let's take one final look back at the Olympics and the best it had to offer.

BEST FORWARD
Teemu Selanne, Finland: Pavel Bure may have scored more highlight reel goals, but Selanne was the best all-around player in the tournament. The Finnish Flash was flawless.

BEST DEFENSEMAN
Rob Blake, Canada: Blake did it all. He hit everything in sight, played great positional defense, moved the puck with confidence, and was a threat from the point. His skating was especially impressive. It's great to see him at his best again after suffering through all those nagging groin injuries. And I think we all know how painful those can be... those nagging groin injuries.

BEST GOALTENDER
Dominik Hasek, Czech Republic: This just in... that Hasek guy is pretty good. Hasek cemented his status among most people as being the best goaltender in the world. LCS Hockey is going to wait until he actually wins a playoff series before we anoint him as such, but Hasek definitely had his best stuff in Nagano. He's wackier than a monkey on ether between the pipes, floppin' all to and fro'. But he somehow manages to stop the puck, even when he's rolling around on his back and looking the other way. Oh boy. It has to be frustrating for shooters, and goaltending instructors alike, since you never know what Hasek is going to do next. Good ol' Dominik will never be the subject of a video on how to play goal, but he has a gold medal... so who the hell cares?

ALL-OLYMPIC TEAM
Center - Saku Koivu, Finland: This tournament really didn't have a dominant center. Eric Lindros started out like a champ, but then tanked it late. Peter Forsberg really wasn't around long enough to really shine. That leaves Koivu as the man. It's not like Koivu doesn't deserve to be recognized, he did lead the tournament in assists (8) and tied for the lead in points (10). The only thing is he wasn't that dominating presence on the ice. That honor went to his linemate, Teemu Selanne.

Wing - Teemu Selanne, Finland: As mentioned above, Selanne was the best player, outside of Hasek, in the tournament. It's already been written like five times this issue, but at this very moment in time, Teemu Selanne is the best player in the world.

Wing - Pavel Bure, Russia: Sure, Selanne and Bure both play the right side, but who cares? They were the two best forwards in the tournament. While Selanne was all about precision and poise, Bure just skated really, really fast. No one could keep up with him. This was the best Bure has skated since before his knee injury. If he'd have gone any faster, he'd be back in like 19th century England or somethin'...

Defense - Rob Blake, Canada: Blake was the best.

Defense - Jiri Slegr, Czech Republic: Huh, how's this for a curve ball? Yes, Slegr was truly one of the tournament's best backliners. He logged all sorts of ice time for the Czechs and was out there in every key situation. He played physical, he played smart, and he used his speed to cover a lot of ice. Slegr was special.

Goal - Dominik Hasek, Czech Republic: Blah blah blah.

ALL-OLYMPIC SECOND TEAM
Center - Peter Forsberg, Sweden: In the four games he played, Forsberg only had one goal and five points, but he's just so damn good without the puck that he gets the edge over Eric Lindros. Forsberg was doing everything he could in the third period against Finland to get the Swedes back in the game, but it just wasn't meant to be.

Wing - Jere Lehtinen, Finland: Lehtinen teamed up with Koivu and Selanne to form Finland's top line, and the best line in the entire tournament. He was his usual superb self, playing strong at both ends of the ice and using his creativity in the offensive zone to pull off some snazzy plays.

Wing - Jaromir Jagr, Czech Republic: Jagr only had a goal and five points in six games, but his value couldn't be measured in statistics. Every opposing team had Jagr marked from the start. They all tried to run him. And even though he got lit up a number of times, Jagr kept coming back for more.

Defense - Darius Kasparaitis, Russia: Kaspar proved once again why he's the coolest player in the NHL by hitting everything in sight at the Olympics. The Russians gave him the green light to step up on forwards and he took it. Each game featured at least one or two vintage Kasparaitis collisions, where the victim goes horizontal and his helmet ends up in the third row. Darius is cool like that.

Defense - Nicklas Lidstrom, Sweden: The Swedes failed to defend their gold medal, but it wasn't because Lidstrom didn't show up. Nicklas was tremendous. So what else is new?

Goal - Patrick Roy, Canada: Without Roy, Canada would have lost to both the Swedes and the Americans in the round robin. And getting forgotten in Hasek's heroics was just how great Roy was against the Czech Republic. While Hasek was flopping like a peanut in stopping all five Canadians in the shootout, Roy was the picture of butterfly perfection. Yet it's Roy that gets beaten on a shot off the left post. Yeah, life's fair...

BEST COACHES
Ivan Hlinka, Czech Republic: The Czechs were an absolute joke at the World Cup, yet Hlinka transformed them into the best defensive team at the Olympics. People think it was all Hasek, but that's just not the case. Hasek did save the club against the Americans and in the shootout against Canada, but the Czechs played exceptional defense in front of him. The Czechs didn't have the most talent in the tournament, but they did have the best team. And it was all under the guidance of Hlinka.

Vladimir Yurzinov, Russia: Yurzinov also deserves recognition for the job he did with Russia. The Russian hockey program was in compete disarray after their disappointing showing at the World Cup, but Yurzinov righted the ship in a hurry.

WORST COACH
Jan Sterbak, Slovakia: Here at LCS Hockey, we hate to point out the mistakes of others. But Jan, my man, what the hell were you thinking? Slovakia needed to win its final preliminary contest in order to qualify for the medal round. It seemed like a lock with all the NHL players arriving in time for the game. But Sterbak was so confident that his club would waltz through the preliminary round, that he only kept two roster spots open for NHLers. So while Peter Bondra and Robert Svehla suited up, guys like Ziggy Palffy, Jozef Stumpel, Miroslav Satan, Pavol Demitra, and Richard Zednik were forced to watch from the stands. The Slovaks lost 4-3 to Kazakhstan and were finished for the tournament. Ziggy, Stumpel, and Bondra could have beaten Kazakhstan by themselves. And keep in mind, it's not like Japan is just down the street. Ziggy and those guys travelled for 18 hours to get there and then didn't even play. Hard to get happy after that one.

BEST SURPRISES
Belarus and Kazakhstan: Whether the Slovaks had all their players or not, the fact that Kazakhstan could make it into the medal round was an amazing story, equalled only by Belarus' emergence from the other preliminary pool. We thought the Olympic committee just made up these two countries to fill out the competition. But Belarus and Kazakhstan made fans out of us with their dedication and perseverance to the sport. They did their countries proud.

BEST GAMES
Canada vs Czech Republic: It had great goaltending, a last-minute tying goal, and a shootout. Well, nothing's perfect... but this game delivered the most drama.

Finland vs Sweden: Finland vs Sweden is the best rivalry in international hockey. It's always a classic when these two get together, and this game was no exception.

BEST GOALS
Teemu Selanne vs Sweden: Pavel Bure scored a number of amazing goals, including one individual rush up the left side against Kazakhstan that defied belief. But Selanne's first goal against Sweden had it all: speed, skill, and, most notably, importance. The game was scoreless in the third when Selanne soared into the Swedish zone on a two-on-one. Selanne was carrying the puck on the left side and kept it the whole way, faking a pass before slipping a shot behind a bewildered Tommy Salo. The game was up for grabs and Selanne seized the moment. That's what great players do.

Rob Zamuner vs United States: The best passing play came from the Canadians. They had just killed off a penalty when Joe Sakic carried the puck into the USA zone two-on-three. As Zamuner drove to the net, Sakic cut laterally inside the blue line to the right wing and drew Gary Suter and Mike Modano to him. Then Joe broke out the talent. He slammed on the breaks and pulled the puck under Suter on his backhand and then freaked Modano before slipping a gorgeous backhand pass into the slot for Wayne Gretzky coming late. Gretzky wound up for the slap shot to draw the attention of Kevin Hatcher and Mike Richter, then slid a sweet diagonal pass down low to Zamuner planted at the right side of the crease for the easy tap-in. Aw, that was great, that was fun...

BEST SAVES
Dominik Hasek vs Eric Lindros: It was during the shootout. The Czechs were leading 1-0 and Lindros was skating in as Canada's fourth shooter. As big number 88 pulled the puck to his backhand, Hasek flopped on his right side, rolled onto his back, and blindly waved his catching glove through the air above his head to swat a sure goal wide of the left post. It was unbelievable. So unbelievable that it may not have happened. There's still some question as to whether or not Hasek actually made the save or whether the puck hit the post, but it makes for a much cooler story if Hasek makes the save.

Dominik Hasek vs Adam Foote: If the Lindros save is too questionable, Hasek made a beauty in the overtime against Canada to force the shootout. Hasek accidentally got tripped at his left post, yet still scrambled to his skates and dove across the crease on one knee to catch a shot by Foote in the crook of his left elbow before it could cross the goal line.

Dominik Hasek vs Doug Weight: Hasek made so many great saves that it's hard to choose just one. So we also offer up his denial of Dougie Weight in the quarterfinal round. The Americans were trailing 3-1 in the final moments of the second period and were looking for a spark. John LeClair stole the puck from Hasek behind the net and centered it to Weight all alone at the right post for what seemed to be a sure tap-in. But Hasek managed to bolt around the left post and dive head-first across the crease, stoning Weight with his outstretched goal stick. The save ripped the heart out of Team USA.

BEST HITS
Eric Lindros and Darius Kasparaitis both handed out numerous big hits, but didn't make the cut. These four below were the most memorable of the tournament:

Jeremy Roenick on Michael Nylander: Nylander was dealing with the puck in the USA zone, working his way back out to the point along the right wing boards with a series of nifty moves. That's when he decided to circle back down the boards. Bad decision. Roenick was charging up the wall full speed and Nylander never saw him coming. Aw, that's gotta suck...

Brendan Shanahan on Jaromir Jagr: The Czechs just blew a three-on-two and Jagr was trying to track the puck down at the right of the Canadian cage. That's when Shanahan barreled down the slot and crushed him head-on, giving the Czech Wonder Kid a great view of the arena ceiling.

Boris Mironov on Jaromir Jagr: This one happened in the round robin. Jagr tried to barge his way into the Russian zone when Boris stepped up and destroyed him. Jagr injured his shoulder on the play and had to leave the game for a bit. He still can't feel his shoulder.

Alexei Zhitnik on Jaromir Jagr: Notice a theme? Jagr took a serious beating. I think the only person that didn't smack him around was Ike Turner. Zhitnik's hit was probably the most devastating. It happened in the final minute of the first period of the gold medal game. Jagr was carrying the puck into the Russian zone when Pittsburgh teammate Alexei Morozov put a hook into him and caused him to loose the puck. As Jagr reached out to try and regain control, Zhitnik came out of nowhere and drilled Jagr right in the face with a severe shoulder check. Jagr was knocked all loopy, but returned for the start of the second. That takes some guts.

BEST UNIFORMS
Sweden: There were a lot of swell duds on display at the Olympics. Canada's were pretty lame, but the new USA jerseys were sweet and the Finland ones were quite wizard in their own right. But the best jerseys, without doubt, are the yellow Swedish sweaters. Thems swank. They're like a martini for the eyes. Somebody send us some...

Well, that's about it for the Olympics. A good time was had by all. Unless, you know, you live in the United States, Canada, or Sweden... because then it kind of sucked.

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