Johnson, Backes bound for Vancouver

ST. LOUIS - In their own private moments Thursday afternoon, the Blues' Erik Johnson and David Backes experienced identical sensations.

"I got a call from the front desk at my building, and they said there was a package from USA Hockey," Johnson said. "I opened it up and it said ..."

"Congratulations," Backes said, "on being selected to the 2010 USA Men's Olympic Hockey Team."

The two Minnesotans grew up hearing about St. Paul native Herb Brooks and the gold-medal winning 1980 U.S. hockey team, and now they could believe in their own miracles. Johnson and Backes were tabbed to represent their country in the Olympic tournament Feb. 16-28 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Blues' T.J. Oshie was left off the roster, which includes St. Louisan Paul Stastny of the Colorado Avalanche.

Johnson and Backes had to keep the news quiet for a day, until it was made official after Boston's 2-1 overtime victory over Philadelphia on Friday in the NHL's Winter Classic at Fenway Park. After the game, young children stepped onto the ice, each wearing a Team USA jersey of a player who had made the team.

"That was pretty cool," Johnson said. "I couldn't have been any more thrilled to hear my name called."

Johnson, 21, and Backes, 25, were part of an obvious move toward youth by USA Hockey. Thirteen of the players selected Friday are 25 years old or younger, and 17 of them are below the age of 30.

"We've been watching these kids," USA general manager Brian Burke was quoted on nhl.com. Burke is also GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs. "I think we have a good base. We tried to pick the team based on a body of work, rather than how a player has played at this particular time. A player who had a slow start should not be penalized if he's done good things in the past.

"We stressed character when we were putting this team together and wanted to identify people who would rise to the occasion. We've put together high hockey IQs and versatile players and players with good foot speed."

The changing of the guard was more apparent with names like Mike Modano and Keith Tkachuk left off the roster. Only three players on the U.S. roster -- Jamie Langenbrunner, Chris Drury and Brian Rafalski -- have Olympic experience.

"Tkachuk and those guys, they made USA Hockey ... they made a name for it," Johnson said. "So many guys that are on the team for 2010 looked up to those guys because they really branded the game."

The 1980 team took a similar gung-ho attitude into the Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. Against all odds, a team full of amateur hockey players knocked off the mighty Soviets in the semifinal round and captured gold with a win over Finland in the final.

Johnson's favorite movie is "Miracle," which depicts the improbable victory for the U.S. In the movie, Kurt Russell plays Brooks' character.

"I think it really shows the passion of Herb Brooks ... he really believed in the team he picked," Johnson said. "You saw how hard the team worked to gel together. They were huge underdogs and overcame the ultimate task. The bigger thing, to me, was that they didn't ride the wave too long. They settled down and beat Finland."

Although Johnson and Backes were born after the magnificent feat, "that team inspired hockey players and Americans," Backes said. "It's what caused all the hype and made kids want to play hockey. And having Herb Brooks be a hometown guy, it was something that I always grew up with."

When the Blues play on the road at Minnesota, they pass by a statue at the Xcel Energy Center honoring Brooks, who died in a car accident in 2003 at age 66.

Perhaps it's an omen.