WEST VALLEY CITY — There was a point in Wednesday's U.S.-Germany quarterfinal — as Brett Hull was making a particularly impressive goal — when German goalie Marc Seliger had an English word run through his head.
The word can even be printed in a family paper: "Wow."
Seliger, who probably had a few other choice words in German banging in his helmet during the 5-0 loss, has not been the only one to be wowed by Hull and his linemates.
Through four Olympic hockey games, Hull, his former Dallas Stars buddy Mike Modano and Philadelphia Flyers' star John LeClair have tortured opposing defenses for 19 points. Hull has accounted for seven points, LeClair six goals and Modano five assists.
The United States will rely heavily on this loaded line today at 4:15 p.m. when the Americans face Russia for the second time in these Olympics for a ticket to Sunday's gold-medal game. That is, if the game isn't canceled by the Russian Olympic Committee.
But, really, who needs a miracle when you have marauders on ice like these guys?
Trailing 2-1 against Russia last Saturday, U.S. coach Herb Brooks tinkered with his lines and put the three stars together. Not long after, Hull swatted the clutch game-tying goal past Nikolai Khabibulin. He credited Brooks' "magic."
The magical line hasn't stopped pulling points out of a hat since.
Hull had to have some magic to get his goal Wednesday. As he skated away from the net, Hull took the puck after it bounced off the boards on Modano's wild shot. He then somehow shot a no-looker between his legs and past Seliger.
"That's just stupid talent to be able to score a goal like that," said U.S. forward Jeremy Roenick.
"That's Brett Hull — the luckiest guy in the world when it comes to shooting the puck," Modano said.
"He seems to find a way to get shots off from everywhere."
And wow people in the process.
TWILIGHT ZONE: OK, is there some sort of weird cosmic karma thing going on, or what? Let's get this straight, the United States and Russia are playing their "Miracle on Ice" reunion game 22 years later on 02-22-2002? What's the final score going to be, 2-2?
(For the record, it can't end in a tie.)
If that's not strange enough, the U.S. beat Germany in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 1980 — just like they did 22 years later.
The only thing that could have made this flat-out bizarre would be if the Americans were to play Finland in the gold-medal game as they did in '80.
Ain't gonna happen — Finland lost in the quarterfinals.
U.S. coach Herb Brooks said he and Russia coach Slava Fetisov talked about the strange coincidences: "Slava came up to me today and said, 'Herb, 22 years ago we met. What do you think? It's kind of eerie.' It is kind of eerie, I guess."
SYMPATHY POINTS: Upsets are great and all, but hockey players have feelings, too. That was evident after Belarus stunned Sweden 4-3 Wednesday to advance to the semifinals.
"Belarus pulled it off with a lucky goal," said U.S. defenseman Phil Housley.
"I feel bad for Tommy Salo. He played well during the whole tournament, so it's a bad break."
Even Belarus goalie Andrei Mezin was sympathetic: "I feel bad for Team Sweden. I really expected them to go (to) the finals — in the top four for sure. I really like them."
HOLIE GOALIE: In the 2002 World Championships, his three-game save percentage was a shaky 0.861. That, though, is history for Andrei Mezin, an instant hero in Belarus after making a whopping 44 saves Wednesday in the former Soviet republic's 4-3 upset of Sweden.
"They had a goalie," Swedish coach Hardy Nilsson said of Mezin, who currently plays for Berlin of the German League, "who probably played the game of his life."
More amazing is that Mezin — who has had stints in both the East Coast Hockey League and with Detroit and Fort Wayne of the old International Hockey League — played with a torn seam in his catching glove.
Figure on some repairs before Friday's semifinals. Said Mezin: "I can't change equipment now."
HISTORY LESSON: Behind the USA's 1980 "Miracle on Ice," Belarus' win Wednesday arguably has only one challenger for second-biggest upset in Olympic hockey history. That would be when Edgar Brenchley's rebound goal gave Great Britain a 2-1 semifinal win over Canada — previously 20-0 in Olympic hockey — at the 1936 Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
According to The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics, the 12-man British team was comprised of nine players who moved to Canada as children and one Canadian-born member who served in Canada's army.
Following the upset, the "Brits" played Team USA to a 0-0 triple-overtime tie, finishing the tourney undefeated.
RATINGS GAME: NBC — and TV stations with Olympic broadcast rights worldwide — have to be thrilled to have the Americans and Russians in the semis. U.S. forward Jeremy Roenick predicts the game will have 50 million watching, twice the audience the 1980 tape-delayed version attracted.
Added Fetisov: "It's gonna be the most watched hockey game in the history of the game."
USA's Doug Weight agrees: "There's going to be some jammed living rooms. We don't want to disappoint them."
E-MAIL: jody@desnews.com ; tbuckley@desnews.com
