Hiller and the Olympics

 

1988-2010

The Van2010 Winter Olympics started off on the wrong foot as a Luger was killed on the dangerous track in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada..
Nodar Kumaritashvili  was born on November 25, 1988 (21)  Borjomi, Gergorian, SSR Soviet Union;. now known as Russia. We mourn the death of Nodar. RIP Nodar. The USA sends our regards and condolences to family and friends. RIP Nodar everyone knows you'll be watching from Heaven along with Brendan Burke (1988-2010) he'll be looking down with you too along with friend Mark Reedy (1991-2010)

 Tragedy brings out the rawest of human emotion. Tragedy brings those to their knees, it brings controversy. Death brings more respect for a person that Life. In death is where people are appreciated the most. Tragedy strikes all of us but it only makes us stronger. Brendan was a hero, he was courageous for what he did. His father said, his message will live on. AND IT WILL. Nodar is a hero he was in one of the most dangerous sports. It seems all the good people die. But those such as  Brendan, Mark, and Nodar will always be with us. They'll always be in our hearts.



Oh and  Happy Belated Birthday to Hiller! He turned 28 on Feb 12, 2010!





Jonas Hiller of course has been chosen to play for his native Switzerland he'll most likely be the starter and therefore would get the most minutes out of his fellow goalie teammates.Former Ducks goaltender Martin Gerber will serve as Hiller's back-up, if not possibly split time. Tobias Stephan will serve as the third goaltender for the Swiss.

UPDATE: DUE TO GERBER SUFFERING AN INJURY HE MAY NOT GET AS MUCH PLAYING TIME, SO THE FACT THAT HE MAY SPLIT TIME WITH HILLER IS LESSER THAN BEFORE.  (I almost totally forgot about Gerber's neck injury but he is still on the roster)

One thing that is so controversial about the Olympics in hockey is for one, there is about a two week break and players take off to wherever the Olympics are taking place. As for 2010, the Winter Olympics are taking place in Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada. Players will be stepping foot on the biggest stage for athletes. Controversially, some believe that the Games is too risky to send a elite player  too. The Ducks have currently nine players headed to Vancouver but Ryan Getzlaf may not play for Canada (first game on Tuesday). Getzlaf suffered a ankle injury against the Los Angeles Kings while tangled up with Dustin Brown.

Controversially, the players are apt to more injury as they take part in a very condensed schedule. This is one concern for every Ducks and hockey fan of their respective team that their player maybe be injured, with Hiller something that at least a few fans are saying, they hope Switzerland doesn't make it far, as this will give Hiller a more opportunity to rest. This is Hiller's first Olympics and him being chosen has made a dream come true. Before making the NHL, he was more focused on making the Olympic team than he was the NHL, as in Switzerland the Olympic and the National Team are the biggest event. The NHL would be nice for the players but it's more distant  in their minds than the Olympics.  Now that Hiller is in both not to mention just signed a big contract; he will be seeing plenty of time between the pipes on the biggest stage.

After the Olympic break, the Ducks will have 20 games remaining. Though in that 20 game stretch, we may be seeing new Ducks goalie Vesa Toskala as for the reason people wanting the Swiss to be knocked out early is because as mentioned before Hiller would have a longer time to get some rest as he still has some regular season NHL hockey to play and very possibly playoffs. This also gives Hiller less chance of injury; as a goaltender he will be out for the full 60 minutes of the game and would not get too much rest, with the exception of game stoppage or when he is pulled. It also depends on the team in front of him how much he, personally will have to work to keep the puck out of the back of his team's net. The Swiss shouldn't be a team that is overlooked; they could very well possibly make it into the medal rounds, and take home a medal.


The Goalie Guild will have some excellent updates, which obviously will include Hiller along with every other goalie who is participating in Van2010.

Hiller has most certainly earned his spot for his native country, it's not so much the fact that he's an NHL goalie it's his performance. If he weren't so damn good in the blue paint then he may of not been called to duty for his country. Although, it is a possibility, the NHL may of resulted in his selection just slightly. Just as Nike says " You don't wear it. You earn it" Hiller's stellar play has shown he has earned to wear Switzerland's sweater in the Olympics along with Ducks' prospect Luca Sbisa. Hiller's determination in hockey has earned him more than one thing. It has earned him, respect from the fans, the media, and most of all teammates. He has the utmost respect from a goalie who was the franchise goalie of the Ducks before being traded to the Leafs. J.S. Giguere him through thick and thin, never being angry at him for taking his spot as a No 1 goaltender in Anaheim. Hiller has most definitely gained support from Switzerland; where before the NHL he played on his national team. Hiller didn't get here from just sitting there, he's earned it, he's done it all. He's struggled, he's been stellar he's fought through thick and thin and he never once gave up. This is one huge reason why he's in the Olympics and a reason why he is so respected. With help from Francois Allaire, Pete Peeters, and of course Giguere he is an important piece to both the Swiss and Anaheim those three people have been some of the most important to him in his development both in NHL hockey and at the European style of play.
 

Random Fact: Hiller is the only goalie in the NHL who wears KOHO protective gear he is also the face of KOHO. He wears the KOHO 700 Series (Hiller has an endorsement with KOHO) . He is loyal to the company who was once a big name, but has since died out. Hiller is bringing the name back into the NHL and rightfully so. Hiller's mask was made in Switzerland by Airxess(English) by Toronado Proton  and it is the first mask in the NHL made by a Swiss company. He also has a special kind of blade guards on his skates, which he also got from Switzerland. They protect the blades from chipping or being damaged during play against the goal posts (mainly)

Once again Good Luck to all the Ducks Olympians!


Ryan Getzlaf, Scott Niedermayer (Captain), Corey Perry -Canada
Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu-Finland
Jonas Hiller, Luca Sbisa-Switzerland
Bobby Ryan, Ryan Whitney-USA