ST. PAUL, Minn. - Repeating as champion of the World Cup will not be easy for the United States. But at least it will have many of the players who won the inaugural tournament in 1996.
Thirteen from the original squad - forwards Brett Hull (Red Wings), Doug Weight (Blues), Keith Tkachuk (Blues), Mike Modano (Stars) and Bill Guerin (Stars) among them - will play for coach Ron Wilson again this summer.
Forwards Tony Amonte (Flyers), Bryan Smolinski (Senators), Steve Konowalchuk (Avalanche), Brian Rolston (Bruins) and defensemen Brian Leetch (Maple Leafs), Derian Hatcher (Red Wings), Chris Chelios (Red Wings) and Mathieu Schneider (Red Wings) also won the gold eight years ago and will return.
The big change is in net. In the 1996 Cup and again in the 1998 and 2002 Olympics, Mike Richter backstopped the Americans, who won the silver medal at Salt Lake City. Richter, who has a history of head and knee injuries, retired last season, leaving a gaping hole in the net.
Wilson decided on Philadelphia's Robert Esche, Edmonton's Ty Conklin and Rick DiPietro of the Islanders. Esche is the favorite to start. Team USA considered Lightning goaltender John Grahame for one of those spots.
There are 10 World Cup rookies on the roster, including defensemen Ken Klee (Maple Leafs), Aaron Miller (Kings), Jordan Leopold (Flames) and Brian Rafalski (Devils). The forwards are: Jeremy Roenick (Flyers), Jason Blake (Islanders), Jeff Halpern (Capitals), Craig Conroy (Flames), Chris Drury (Avalanche) and Jamie Langenbrunner (Devils).
Team USA won a best-of-three final series against Canada in 1996. The second tournament begins Aug. 30 at various sites and concludes Sept. 14 in Toronto.
BLUES: Forward Mike Danton was "too cowardly" to kill his agent himself, instead enlisting the help of a teenage fan and lover before the scheme unraveled, a prosecutor alleges. In a sharp brief seeking to keep Danton behind bars, Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Clark also expressed concern that Danton, if freed, could continue seeking to have agent David Frost killed.
"His attempts to have Frost murdered on prior occasions evidence an ebb and flow of desire," Clark wrote. "If he is released, it is possible that he will again attempt to have Frost murdered, apparently depending on how his relationship with Frost fares in the future."
Danton's attorney, Bob Haar, did not return messages. A federal judge could decide during a hearing whether Danton gets released on bond pending trial. Danton has been jailed since his arrest April 16.
Clark called Danton's flight risk "substantial," saying the athlete presumably has the cash to easily slip into his native Canada.
Danton is accused of conspiring with 19-year-old Katie Wolfmeyer to arrange a hit April 14 at Danton's apartment in Brentwood, Mo. Authorities say the man they tried to hire to kill Frost went to Columbia, Ill., police, who informed the FBI.
SHARKS: Even after San Jose failed to reach the Stanley Cup final, it's difficult to see the season as anything other than a success. The Sharks won the Pacific Division title with a franchise-best 104 points, an improvement of 31 from last season. The Sharks then defeated St. Louis and Colorado in the playoffs.
"We wanted to win the Stanley Cup and we didn't do it, so you can't be satisfied with the effort," goalie Evgeni Nabokov said. "The guys were playing hard and we gave a good effort most of the times. We're a young team, and we're going to learn our lessons."
