With a secret weapon who never played in the NHL, a coach who instilled new confidence into the national program and extra motivation to medal, watch out for Team Switzerland in the Olympic knockout stages.
MILAN, Italy - The Olympic men's hockey group stage is finished, and the two North American powerhouses did indeed finish 1-2 in the rankings. But as we get into the single-elimination portion of the Olympics, let's not overlook Switzerland.
While the Swiss were routed by Canada in the round-robin, they also won a gutsy OT finale against the Czechs and did so without one of their top offensive players, Kevin Fiala. The Los Angeles Kings left winger was unfortunately lost for the tourney (and the rest of the NHL season) when he got tangled up with big Tom Wilson in the Canada game, but his teammates are not leaving him behind.
Before the win over the Czechs, Fiala made sure to let his pals know he was thinking about them, too.
"He sent us a little video message," said captain Roman Josi. "He's in good spirits, and we said before the game we would play for him. He's such a big part of this team and such a great leader. When the national team calls, he's always there. He loves playing for Switzerland, and we feel for him, but hopefully we put a smile on his face."
While the Swiss have extra motivation to medal, they also have a secret weapon – though he's not going to be much of a secret much longer. While NHLer Akira Schmid played against Canada, Switzerland's starting goalie is veteran Leonardo Genoni, who is basically a folk hero back home.
"He's a living legend," said defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler. "He's 38 now and has proved his whole career that he's our No. 1 goalie in Switzerland. He never played in the NHL, but he had himself a helluva career in the Swiss National League, and he'll probably go down as one of the best goalies in Swiss history."
Look up his stats, and you'll find that Genoni is, indeed, highly accomplished. He has won seven Swiss National League titles, multiple Spengler Cups and three silver medals at the World Championship – including the most recent one, where he was also named tournament MVP. He has also won Swiss National League goalie of the year honors (the Jacques Plante Trophy) six times.
"We talk about it all the time," Josi said. "I don't know how he never played in the NHL, it's actually crazy. Every World Championships, he plays amazing, and he's just so calm back there. His demeanor calms everything down. He's amazing. He should have played in the NHL for a long time, that's my opinion."
Switzerland goalie Leonardo Genoni freezes the puck in a scramble against Czechia. (Katie Stratman-Imagn Images)The obvious reason Genoni did not play in the NHL is size, as he is listed at six-foot, flat. But clearly that has not been a problem internationally, and on a Swiss team that typically defends very well, Genoni knows how to get the job done. And let's not forget: NHL players don't have a book on him. The Czechs scored three against Genoni, but their team isn't all NHLers, and many of the Czechs have seen him at the worlds before.
So consider this a warning to future Olympic opponents that Genoni could be a vexing problem for them.
Overall, I believe the Swiss still have the capability to medal in Milan. They drew Italy in the qualifier, which should be an easy win. Then Finland is next in the quarterfinal, which will be a fantastic game that could go either way. But if the Swiss prevail, watch out.
Josi said that coach Patrick Fischer has instilled a new level of confidence in the national program since taking over in 2015-16, and the Swiss have three silver medals at the worlds during that span.
"He came in and installed that belief that we can play with the top teams," Josi said. "We got better and better and won the past two silver medals at the World Championships. He put that belief in Swiss hockey and now we have more players in the NHL, which helps, too."
The next step, of course, is an Olympic medal. It won't be easy, but with how well the Swiss have played together internationally in the past few years, it's also not crazy, either.
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