Three Rangers have golden memories of Olympics

OTTAWA - Each of the three Rangers who returned from the Olympics with a medal has a treasure trove of memories. Here are a few:

Olli Jokinen's third-period goals against Slovakia tied and won the bronze-medal game for Finland, 4-3. "For a lot of us, it was probably going to be the last time we'll put that jersey on,'' he said. "It was the best way we could finish."

Finland has won three bronze medals, and Jokinen entrusted this one to his older daughter on the trip home. "She was a big celebrity at the airport,'' he said. "Now, she and the younger one, they're taking turns."

For Chris Drury, who won silver with the United States for the second time, Vancouver was "pretty special, just the ride we got on, the way we clicked. It was pretty special for me, at this point in my career, to get to do it, as one of the older guys on the team. Just to be part of it, and to share it with my wife and two oldest kids, it was a really good two weeks."

The overtime loss to Canada for the gold medal wasn't the greatest game he's been in, Drury said, but "it's up there, certainly top five. That Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup [with the Rockies in 2001] was pretty special, but the whole tournament was a great experience.

"I would imagine all those young guys will just absolutely take off after this. It'll be fun to sit back and watch those guys all grow together in USA Hockey in World Cups and Olympics down the road."

Ryan Callahan, 24, emerged from his Olympic debut a changed person. "We knew going into the first Canada game, it was going to be a test for us,'' he said. "After that, we realized we've got a great shot at winning this thing. Everybody wanted that gold and we came pretty close.

"It was something that I'll cherish and just playing in a big game like that, it'll help a lot, in the games to get into the playoffs or in the playoffs. You can look back and know you were part of a big game like that."