Three more picked for Turin

By TOM JONES
Published December 23, 2005

NEW YORK - Excuse Lightning players Vinny Prospal, Pavel Kubina and Fredrik Modin for not doing backflips after being selected Thursday to play for their countries in February's Olympics in Turin, Italy.

It's not that they are not honored or flattered. They are. But each found himself with his mind in other places.

For Prospal, he was thinking back to 1998, when he was picked but never got to play for his native Czech Republic.

"It doesn't really mean anything," Prospal said. "I was picked back then as well, and I broke my ankle a couple of weeks prior to the Olympics."

Prospal missed the tournament, perhaps the Czechs' finest moment as a hockey nation when it upended the world, including a loaded Russian team in the final, to win the gold medal.

"So it's an honor to be picked, to be selected in advance. But until I'm there," Prospal said, "it doesn't really mean anything because of my experience in the past."

Kubina, who was selected to join Prospal on the Czech team, had his mind on an injury. He missed Thursday's game with a groin strain and is day to day. He hurt himself midway through the third period of Tuesday's loss at Carolina and did not return. He hasn't skated since leaving the ice with about seven minutes left.

However, his mood brightened when the Czechs announced their Olympic team. While some NHL players are not used to the modest accommodations of the Olympic Village, it's the part Kubina likes best.

"You stay three or four guys in one room. You're sharing one bathroom for like seven, eight guys, but it's great," Kubina said. "I really like it a lot. It's nothing fancy. It's like the old days."

Finally, Modin was picked to play for Sweden for the first time.

"It's great," Modin said. "I'm very excited to get picked. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be great."

But Modin quickly put his emotions back in check.

"I don't want to tone it down like it's nothing," Modin said. "But we're in a middle of a season right now.

MISCELLANY: With Kubina out, the Lightning had only five defensemen. ... Forward Ruslan Fedotenko returned after missing two games with a bruised left hip. Chris Dingman was in the lineup as a 13th forward. Forwards Dmitry Afanasenkov and Martin Cibak were healthy scratches for the third consecutive game. ... Former Lightning general manager Rick Dudley and former Lightning defenseman Marc Bergevin attended Thursday's game. Both are scouts for the Blackhawks. ... Lightning goalie prospect Fredrik Norrena, a seventh-round pick in 2002, was picked for Finland's Olympic team.

[Last modified December 23, 2005, 01:14:13]