Dynamic Drury brings drive to Team USA

Originally published on IIHF.com in 2006

By Lucas Aykroyd

Just how good is Chris Drury as a clutch goal-scorer? Wayne Gretzky’s record for career NHL playoff game-winners is 24, while the 29-year-old Buffalo Sabres captain has 11. Gretzky accomplished his feat in 208 games (0.11 GWG per playoff game), while Drury has achieved his mark in 80 games (0.1375 GWG per playoff game).

But the winner of the 1998 Hobey Baker Trophy and 1999 Calder Trophy is now looking to increase his impact in international hockey. He was a member of the 2002 USA Olympic team that captured silver in Salt Lake City, and has also suited up at the 1996 IIHF World Junior Championship, three IIHF World Championships, and the 2004 World Cup. The 5-10, 202-pound center scored a magnificent shootout goal in the USA’s 1-0 win over Slovakia for bronze in the 2004 Worlds. With longtime American go-to guys like Brett Hull and Jeremy Roenick not coming to Turin, the example Drury sets with his intense, focused approach could inspire his teammates to reach the medal podium, even though most observers are picking them to finish anywhere between fourth and seventh.

IIHF.com’s Lucas Aykroyd caught up with Drury, who enters the Olympic break with 42 points in 55 games, to discuss his season and his Olympic aspirations.

IIHF.com: Buffalo’s been one of the surprise success stories in the new NHL. How do you explain it?

Chris Drury: Simply put, I think we’ve just been working a little better than we were two years ago. We’ve paid more attention to detail, and we’ve been doing the little things that add up to a lot of big things, and winning some games.

IIHF.com: You’ve also got a lot of young, speedy players.

Drury: Yeah, we’ve got a lot of young guys that can skate and are hungry to make a name for themselves in the NHL. We’ve also been getting a lot of great goaltending, and that goes a long way.

IIHF.com: With the offensive production you’ve personally generated this year, is this the best you’ve played since leaving Colorado?

Drury: I don’t know. It’s definitely better than my first year in Buffalo, but from a personal standpoint, I thought the year in Calgary was all right. It wasn’t what we wanted as a team. I’m happy where I am, but at the same time, there’s a long way to go.

IIHF.com: Where were you when you got the news you’d made the Olympic team, and what was your reaction?

Drury: We were in Philly, getting ready for the pre-game skate, and I was just thrilled. You know, we’re a pretty deep country, I think, especially at forward, with right-handed forwards. I was just thrilled to be part of it.

IIHF.com: Have you been bugging Teppo Numminen, Toni Lydman, and Maxim Afinogenov about how badly you plan to beat them if you go head-to-head in Turin?

Drury: We haven’t really talked about it that much. Playing so much, guys are just focused on what’s going on here.

IIHF.com: Will it be tough to make the transition from the NHL to the Olympics with such a short turnaround time?

Drury: It will be a quick turnaround, but I think guys are professional enough and have played in enough of these tournaments that it shouldn’t be that hard of a transition.

IIHF.com: You won a bronze medal under Peter Laviolette at the 2004 IIHF World Championship in the Czech Republic. What stood out for you about his coaching style, and what do you think of his selection as the Olympic team coach?

Drury: I think it’s a pretty good selection. His track record shows he obviously knows what he’s doing. He had great success on Long Island and in Providence with the Bruins’ minor league team. Now he’s doing well in Carolina, and like you mentioned, he won a medal at the World Championship. He’s really prepared, and that trickles down to his players. There are really no excuses or surprises. You know each and every night what a team’s going to do, what they want to do. He has his team ready to play that specific night. I think you’re seeing that with how successful Carolina has been.

IIHF.com: You’ll be the youngest guy named Chris on this Olympic squad. What do you think about Chris Chelios being named captain at age 44?

Drury: I think it’s great. He’s a great role model for all American players with his perseverance and how long he’s been at such a high level. He’s a great leader and has done so much for the game in the US. It’s a thrill to get another chance to play with him.

IIHF.com: Playing in Salt Lake City, you had the American crowd behind you all the way. Will your team be able to generate the same kind of emotion in front of European audiences?

Drury: Yeah, I think so. We certainly won’t be the fan favorite, but we’ll find a way to get some energy into it, get some things going in that regard.

IIHF.com: And you’ll be personally looking to generate some more offense, compared to your last Olympics, where you went pointless.

Drury: Yeah, definitely. My role was a little limited last time, because I was a young guy on the team. Hopefully I’ve grown into a bigger role and can take on more offensively.

IIHF.com: Who do you regard as the teams to beat heading into the tournament?

Drury: Obviously Canada. They’re the reigning Olympic and World Cup champs. You name it, they’ve got it. They’ve got to be the team to beat in everyone’s mind. After that, you’ve got the Czechs, who are very tough. They won the last World Championship. Any of those teams. Slovakia has a ton of great players, as do Sweden and Finland. There’s really no easy games.

IIHF.com: In your mind, which teams will have an advantage if they end up doing a shootout?

Drury: The European players, I think, have had a little more experience with it. They’re certainly pretty crafty with the puck, coming in on a goalie one-on-one. But I wouldn’t put it past us or Canada to be successful in that as well. We’ve both got some pretty good guys for shootouts?

IIHF.com: Does it help that the NHL has adopted the shootout as part of regular season hockey?

Drury: Yeah, I’m sure it’s given guys a lot of chances to practice it where otherwise they wouldn’t. Obviously in game situations guys are getting to do it, and they’re better than they would have been otherwise.

IIHF.com: Back in 1980, Ken Morrow of the New York Islanders was the first and only American player to win Olympic gold and the Stanley Cup in the same year. Have you considered the possibility that you might get to do the same this year?

Drury: Not at all. I’m just, as clichéd as it is, focusing on the next game. When the break starts and we head over to Italy, I’ll start focusing on that a little more.