Sabres' defenseman Toni Lydman is ready for his first Olympic action.

No backhanded
compliments for Lydman
By Randy Schultz | NHL.com correspondent
Feb. 17, 2006

During a Buffalo Sabres mid-week practice in late January, defenseman Toni Lydman takes the puck with his stick. Controlling the puck with the back of his stick, he suddenly backhands the puck, launching it very high into the air.

A few seconds later Lydman repeats his backhand routine, again launching the puck high into the air and coming within a few feet of the scoreboard that hangs above the ice inside HSBC Arena.

It is that same type of clearing the puck ability that Team Finland hopes Lydman will provide if needed during the Olympics.

"I don't know how he does it," says smiling Sabres goaltender Marty Biron. "All I know is that there isn't another guy I would want in my end of the rink to clear the puck for me with that backhand. He does it so calmly too. He's done it during games. The amazing part is how accurate he is with it. Toni can be on either side of the rink and backhand the puck almost perfectly to center ice. He does it so well that a couple of our forwards break down the ice and wait for the puck to land so they can get a breakaway.And that's worked to."

Lydman just smiles, almost embarrassed, when he hears about Biron's remarks. The Sabre defenseman takes his ability all in stride and worries more about the upcoming Olympics he will be participating in. For Lydman, it is his first Olympic action. It is an event he is looking forward to with great anticipation.

"It's an honor to represent your country at the Olympics," said Lydman, now in his fifth season in the NHL, his first with the Sabres. "Just to get a sense or a feel of the Olympics for the first time will be a thrill. There's not much I can do to prepare myself for the games. I will be playing with the Sabres right up until the 12th.

"The next day we head out to Italy for the Olympics. It will be a quick adjustment for me with Team Finland. I can't worry about it too much until that time. But I'll be ready."

Lydman is no stranger to international competition. He has represented Finland in two World Junior Championships, five World Championships and a World Cup.

"Going to the Olympics is as good as going to the World Cup. The Cup is where all the world's best players came together. It will be the same thing at the Olympics."

Joining Lydman on Team Finland from the Sabres will be fellow defenseman Teppo Numminen.

"It's great to have someone to fly with over to Italy," said Lydman, who was acquired by the Sabres from the Calgary Flames in a trade in August 2005 for Buffalo's third-round pick in the 2006 Entry Draft. "He's a veteran who has played in the Olympics before.

"I know a lot of the guys who will be playing on the team. That's why I feel our chances on a medal are as good as anybody's. It all comes down to one game. Anything can happen. You could have a hot goalie. It's not a bad spot to be in when you're the underdog. I don't think there will be a whole lot of pressure on us going in."

But what about that backhand?

"I think it is a bit overrated," said a smiling Lydman, a native of Lahti, Finland. "In fact, I joke about it now. I tend to do it a lot. I don't know, it's just something I do. It was something I learned as a kid. It isn't something I learned overnight when I made it to the NHL.

"I practiced it a lot as a kid, usually practicing it a lot during practices. I just did it over and over again. Now it's just a natural thing that I do. I sometimes think it's the only thing my hands are good for."

Which is something his teammates would disagree with.

"Toni plays against the opposition's top line every night," said fellow teammate and defenseman Brian Campbell. "And on most nights he shutting them down. He stays at home and plays defense. It's against top notch guys who are usually quite fast.

"Toni can get up and into the play. He makes plays. He's very consistent and he doesn't make too many mistakes. He's just solid back there on the blue line.

"Maybe a lot of people don't really notice him out there when he's playing. Those are the good players who really don't get noticed too much. That usually means that he is doing his job and doing a good job at it."

And about that backhand?

Lydman has experience on the big stage, having played in the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals with the Calgary Flames.

"We laugh about it all the time," continued Campbell. "We try and practice it as individuals in practice to see if we can do it. All I know is that I will never have enough confidence in it to do it the way Toni does it. It's amazing. He just gets back there and fires it up in the air. And I would say that he gets it out about 99 percent of the time without any problem. The forwards are getting used to it, especially on the penalty kills. They can bust a zone if they know it's coming.

"It just a great help for us in getting the puck out of our zone when we need to."

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, knew what he was getting when Buffalo traded for Lydman.

"Toni logged a lot of ice time when he was in Calgary," Ruff said. "He was a very strong two-way defenseman for them. He's been able to do a lot of the same things for us. He's solid back on defense and can move the puck if needed without any problem. He's logging a lot of ice time and playing a solid, defensive game. And he does it in a very quiet and effective manner."

Does Lydman see comparisons to this year's Sabres team and the Flames team he played for that went to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals?

"I think the chemistry in the room with the Sabres is pretty good, which is something we had in Calgary too. This Sabres team is awesome. We have confidence in each other and play very well together as a team. That's the key thing."

Does Lydman feel there is any difference in hockey, having come from the Western Conference of the NHL to the Eastern Conference?

"No, not really," answered the 6-foot-1, 204-pound Lydman. "It seems to be a little more open as far as play as concerned in the East. Under the new roles, play has opened up. But even the few Western Conference teams we've played against this year, I've noticed that they seem to play a little tighter than Eastern teams do. But it's still tough to judge."

How did Lydman feel when he went back to Calgary to play against the Flames earlier this season?

"It really felt good," said the left-handed shooting Lydman. "It would have felt really great had we had a real good game there. We didn't play our best game and we lost. But it was still a lot of fun and I got to see a lot of friends again."

Another teammate, Jay McKee, a fellow defenseman, summed up Lydman's importance on the Sabres.

"He has great hands for a defenseman," McKee said. "He plays with a lot of confidence with the puck. When he gets the puck he just seems to hold onto it until he's ready to make a play. He takes his time.

"Toni makes life easier for forwards as well. He makes plays with the puck that they can handle. Nothing really bothers him back there. That's a nice thing to have. Toni's solid. A real asset to the Sabres."

And to Finland.