Final six added to USA Olympic roster

COLORADO SPRINGS, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Veteran defenseman Phil Housley of the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers forward Mike York were among six players added to United States Olympic hockey team Saturday.

Also added to the final roster were forwards Adam Deadmarsh of the Los Angeles Kings and Brian Rolston of the Boston Bruins, and defensemen Aaron Miller of the Kings and Tom Poti of the Edmonton Oilers.

The announcement was made by U.S. general manager Craig Patrick and coach Herb Brooks. The first 16 members of the team had already been named.

"We feel we have great depth," Patrick said. "The selection was a month-long process. There are a lot of great players left off this list."

Housley will be competing in the Olympics for the first time. The Minnesota native was one of the best offensive defenseman in the NHL at his peak and has been rejuvenated in Chicago, totaling seven goals and 13 assists in 36 games this season.

"He's good on the power play and can jump-start the offense," Brooks said of the 37-year-old Housley, who has 1,194 points in 1,393 regular-season games during a 20-year NHL career.

York, 23, made his first Olympic team by totaling 15 goals and 22 assists in 38 games this season, playing on a line with Canadian Olympians Eric Lindros and Theo Fleury. The 5-10 York has been on three U.S. National Junior teams.

"Mike York has had an outstanding year," Patrick said of the scrappy Michigan native, who can play either center or wing. "A great addition to the team."

The Canadian-born Deadmarsh, 26, will make his second Olympic appearance, having scored one goal at Nagano in 1998. He has a team high-tying 12 goals and nine assists in 29 games for the Kings this season.

Rolston, 28, was a member of the last United States team to include amateur players, scoring a team-high seven goals at Lillehammer in 1994. The Michigan native leads the Bruins with 17 goals this season.

Miller, 30, will be the United States' biggest defenseman in Salt Lake. The 6-4 Buffalo native represented the United States at the 1991 World Juniors.

Poti, 24, will be the youngest of the seven defensemen, if he is able to recover from a broken finger. The 6-3, 215-pounder from Massachusetts, who began the year in a contract dispute, is expected to miss up to a month.

Patrick said there is a contingency list in case of injuries, although he did not mention any names.

Defense appears to be the team's weakness, with Housley, Chris Chelios and Gary Suter all at least 37. The corps also includes Brian Leetch of the Rangers and Brian Rafalski of the New Jersey Devils.

A strong group of forwards will be led by Chicago's Tony Amonte, Detroit's Brett Hull and Mike Modano of the Dallas Stars, John LeClair and Jeremy Roenick of the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues teammates Keith Tkachuk and Doug Weight.

Also on the front line will be Colorado's Chris Drury, Boston's Bill Guerin and St. Louis' Scott Young.

The three goaltenders will be Mike Richter of the Rangers, Mike Dunham of the Nashville Predators and veteran Tom Barrasso of the Carolina Hurricanes. Richter appears to be the favorite to start.

"We're going to try and find that hot goaltender," Patrick said. "All three are playing well right now. It's going to be tough enough to make the right choice."

The 2002 Games will be the second in which NHL players compete. The first, in 1998, was not a pleasant experience for the Americans, who failed to earn a medal, then destroyed furniture in a room at the Olympic Village.

In an attempt to restore its image, USA Hockey named Brooks, who orchestrated the "Miracle on Ice" gold medal victory at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, as coach. Patrick was his assistant in 1980.

The 2002 Winter Games will be the first in the United States since 1980.