NICE SHOT, BUB

Most teams in the Olympic hockey tournament had only a few practices before beginning round-robin play, but players were familiar with each other from past World Cup or world championship play.

The Czech Republic, however, has several players who don’t play in the NHL. Goaltender Dominik Hasek is thankful his teammates are wearing Olympic ID cards around their necks because he’s not sure who everyone is.

“I don’t know some of my teammates. The first day we practiced, there were five, six guys I saw for the first time. I didn’t know what to call them,” said Hasek, who plays for the Buffalo Sabres. “But every day it is getting more comfortable for us.”

CENTER OF ATTENTION

This isn’t merely a hockey tournament the NHL players are involved in--it’s a cultural exchange.

According to a daily newsletter compiled by the NHL, U.S. center Jeremy Roenick, in a Nagano restaurant one night, couldn’t bear watching the locals out of step as they danced to the Bee Gees’ song, “Staying Alive.” So he took to the stage and taught everyone how to do the John Travolta arm movements from the movie “Saturday Night Fever.”

Said Roenick: “By the end of it, they were pretty good.”

ALL IN THE FAMILY

NHL players are allowed to bring a guest, and U.S. defenseman Brian Leetch chose his brother, Eric, who has been stationed in Bosnia since July as a member of the U.S. peacekeeping force.

Canada’s Rod Brind’Amour brought his father--and a book on fatherhood. He became a father for the first time last month and figures he can pick up some tips from his dad and his reading material.