Hockey

Miikka Kiprusoff wants to start for the Finnish hockey team at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, but the Flames goaltender says if he isn't going to be the team's No.1 guy, he'd sooner stay home.

"I'd probably not go in that case," says Kiprusoff in a Tuesday story in The Calgary Herald. "If I'm not going to start for sure, I think I'm going to take that time off and rest."

Kiprusoff currently has 12 wins, five losses and two overtime losses, with a 2.61 GAA, and a .914 save percentage.

Team Finland staff members Jari Kurri and head coach Jukka Jalonen have been to Calgary to scout Kiprusoff as recently as a couple of weeks ago.

"We've been talking," says Kiprusoff. "I told them that I'm ready to go. But like I said, there's still many games to go (on the Flames schedule). If I'm healthy and I feel it's all right -- I'm not too tired -- then I'm going to go . . . if they pick me. There's lots of competition. A lot of good goalies. We'll see.

"It's one of those things I can't worry about too much. We'll see what's going to happen."

Indeed, there are several Finnish NHL goalies vying for the starting Olympic job. Rivals for Kiprusoff may include Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom(8-9-2, 2.66, .909), Toronto's Vesa Toskala (1-4-2, 3.82, .869), Nashville's Pekka Rinne (9-4-0, 2.38, .914), Boston's Tuukka Rask(5-2-1, 2.31, .917), Chicago's Antti Niemi (4-1-1, 1.85, .921) or Tampa Bay's Antero Niittymaki (6-1-3, 2.02, .936), who played for Finland at the 2006 Winter Games.

"I think it's awesome," says Teemu Selanne in same Herald story. "We have a healthy competition for that spot . . . I don't know why it's so good--more kids coming every year. We have five or six guys who could do the job. I think, obviously, Kiprusoff is No. 1, with his experience and he's so consistent over the years. But, having said that, there's other guys who can also do the job."

"Of course, it is the Olympics-- I've never been there," says Kiprusoff. "And it's pretty close, not lots of travelling . . . but I don't think about that too much. I'll do my job here and see what happens."

Kiprusoff opted not to participate for Finland at the 2006 Winter Games at Turin. Well before the Olympic rosters were set, Kiprusoff had declared that his hip was too sore for him to compete at the Games, yet he continued to play for the Flames. Some within the Finnish hockey team wondered if he was truly hurt.