Head Coach Jackie Barto Looks Back at Team USA’s World Women’s Championship Gold-Medal Win – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
Barto, head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team, led Team USA to its second gold medal in the 11-year history of the event
Jackie Barto, head coach of the Ohio State women’s hockey team, served as head coach of the U.S. Women’s National and Select Teams during the 2007-08 seasons. On April 12, Barto led Team USA to just its second gold medal in the 11-year history of the Women’s World Championships, being held this year in Harbin, China. The win came by defeating Canada twice, the first time in the history of the event the U.S. had recorded back-to-back victories against their archrival. In the following Q&A, Barto relives the preparation for the event, along with the WWC games and her experiences in China.
The coaching staff and participants headed to Colorado Springs for a week of training before traveling to China. What was involved in getting ready that week?
It really was a year-long process in the selection for the WWC team. For our staff, it started at the festival in August and we narrowed down and had a pool of players we were looking at. Then we went to the Four Nations Cup (in November) and held the Christmas camp (in December), and from there, as our staff got to know the players, we were knew the personnel we wanted to take to the camp in Colorado. So we brought in 27 players to the Colorado camp and they were there for three days and then we had an exhibition game. Then we picked the team that we thought would best represent USA at the World Championships. We picked the team on Friday and had four days to practice before heading off to Harbin. We were looking for speed, for players to play certain roles, for power play and penalty kill to have a group that would jell as a team within a short period of time. So we made some changes from our Four Nations team to our WWC team, and we really felt confident that we improved our team with our selections and we saw that with the results.
Did you feel there was something special about this team after making the selections?
I saw at the Christmas camp that the group of athletes was starting to come together. We had leaders developing and we had people who wanted to start taking on responsibility and accountability. Once we picked the team you could feel something good happening.
How did the training go in Colorado?
Being in Colorado, being in that environment and working out at Air Force, they were incredible to us and gave us everything we needed. We had the weight room, the ice, along with the mountains and clean air. It was a great opportunity to be there.
What all was involved in traveling to Harbin, China?
The travel started at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 1. We bussed to Denver and our original flight on United was delayed so we went on Frontier. Our flight actually was moved up two hours. From Denver we flew to San Francisco. From San Francisco we flew to Beijing, and then Beijing to Harbin. We left a 2 p.m. Mountain Time on Tuesday and we got to Harbin midnight on Wednesday. It was about 34 hours of travel. The flight from San Fran to Beijing was 12 hours and it was crazy, it was long, it was filled with excitement and energy. Once we landed in Harbin, I think the reality of what we were going to deal with, like the time change, the pollution was incredible over there, and just the different culture. Then we went to bed and the next day we were focused on the championship.
Did the USA Hockey program do anything to get you and the team ready for the travel and time change?
In Colorado Springs they (USA Hockey) had a couple of seminars for the athletes and coaches. Everyone got a bag filled with a cooking pot and dried chicken, tuna, noodles, peanut butter anything you could package and bring with you and could cook in that pot. I think the athletes handled the food really well. Then they did a presentation about jet lag and time change. Going over, the time change was easier to deal with. I was feeling the effects of it when I returned and I talked to some people on the staff who took a while to adjust coming back.
Everyone wore a mask while we were over there because the pollution got to your lungs. The athletes wore it whenever they were outside, even walking from the hotel a few yards to the bus. You could definitely feel it in the air and when you looked out of your hotel room, you could see the haze and the pollution there. If it was a windy, clear day you could really see a difference. The rain made a difference too. With 10 million people in a city, you take for granted some of the things we have here. But the Chinese were great hosts; they were excited. They would do anything they could. It was tough a little bit with the language, but we had a host and she was awesome. She did a great job and knew a bit of English and helped us out.
What was it like playing in a tournament set in a non-traditional hockey country?
You looked up in the stands and you saw all the Chinese people and they would wear a lot of dark clothing, not a lot of bright colors. So you’d look up and it was all dark and they are smoking in the arena. The Chinese didn’t really know the game and I don’t think they really knew what they were rooting for, so the Canadian fans got going and they (the Chinese fans) got on their bandwagon. And then the U.S. would get going and they would get on our side. So it was neat to see. But the Canadians had their section and we had our section and whoever you were playing against, the intensity of the game was amazing. Whether it was Canada or Finland, you were in the World Championships so it didn’t matter if it was in Harbin or Denmark or Finland, the level of the competition was awesome.
What were some of the odder things the U.S. team had to adjust to while in China?
We were served cow tongue, whole fish, pig feet and chicken feet. It was interesting to see how it was a delicacy in that country. The menu the tournament served was about 70 percent “Western” food. Rice breakfast, lunch and dinner. Chicken nuggets breakfast, lunch and dinner. Pasta breakfast, lunch and dinner. They had 15 trays lined up and you knew exactly what was going to be in each every meal.
The cab ride was the most interesting thing of all. We would be on the wrong side of the road, driving into the traffic and people are all over the place, in between lanes of traffic that are going 40-50 miles an hour. They are on their horn. Boston is nothing compared to Harbin. If you didn’t have a horn over there, you can’t drive.
The U.S. came out strong, defeating Germany, 8-1, and Switzerland, 7-1, in its opening round games. You had to be happy with those performances.
The first period against Germany we struggled. We had only been in Harbin for 36 hours and didn’t have our legs under us. In the second and third period, we got going and wore them down. Then we played Switzerland and it was the same thing there. We played three really good periods. It wasn’t the level of competition that would be the next few days, but we wore them down and got to their goalie.
How did the loss to Finland (1-0, OT) affect the team?
I think one of the best things that happened to us was the Finnish game. It helped because we played well. It upset me when people said we didn’t play well, because we did. We dominated; we outshot them 30 to maybe 12. Their goalie was fantastic. We had 12 grade-A scoring chances and she was up to the test for everything.
We talked about dealing with adversity as a team and how that would help us and improve us, and it got us ready for the game against Canada. Not that we weren’t, but our backs were against the wall and we had to win or we would be in the bronze-medal game. The motivation and execution was phenomenal because we won that game (against Canada) and we have confidence now. We had a bit of an edge in that way, but we weren’t cocky and getting away from what we needed to do. At that point we could feel we were going to get the job done. Losing that game was actually a positive thing.
The captain of Team Finland was former Buckeye Emma Laaksonen. What was it like coaching against your former All-American?
It was awesome. We talked about it before and we both thought it was going to be weird. She played well and to see them win the bronze medal was awesome. She was the captain and was one of the best players on their team. She’s so humble and so dedicated to her sport and herself as an athlete; it was awesome to see that and see her have that success. They had a great game against Canada. She scored a goal against them and had a very good World Championship overall. It’s huge for Finland, because they hadn’t medaled in a few years. So they were really excited and that was great for their program to continue to build energy and enthusiasm in their country for women’s hockey.
Some of the veteran players on Team USA had not beaten Canada too often, if at all. What was the feeling around the team after the semifinal win? Was there a drive to beat them again?
The feeling after we won the first game (against Canada) was great, but you could tell that there was still work to be done. I felt we had good leadership with (team captain, Natalie) Darwitz. She’s a special player and I thought she was a very good leader. She was able to pass onto the team what needed to be done. A lot of those girls had lost to Canada numerous times, but the feeling in the room after we beat them the first time, you could see there wasn’t that fear; it was like Okay, bring them again. Let’s do this again.’ There was a different attitude, different culture.
Even at Four Nations, I felt like that intimidation against Canada wasn’t there. It was something that developed over the course of the year. It’s a combination of the girls being committed and accountable to their training, their lifting, everything they did gave them confidence. And we were younger, we were faster, we had more energy. The average age of our roster was 21 or 22. A lot of it was we had younger players that hadn’t lost to Canada and didn’t fear them. It was the belief that we can get it done and I think that a huge part of it.
There were several Western Collegiate Hockey Association players, past and present, on the U.S. squad. How was it to coach some of Ohio State’s conference rivals?
I have a lot of respect for the way the players in the WCHA play because we see them four times a year. To get to know them as people and hockey players was exciting and I just respect them even more. You see how hard they work and the time they put in. They’re in Colorado Springs and we’re on the ice, and then they’re studying and at their computers. It was nice to see them in that light as student-athletes and I respect them even more for what they’re doing.
Take us through the gold-medal game against Canada.
We were leading. Jenny Potter scored the first goal and then Darwitz scored the second goal. She skated up the ice, deked the front of the net and shot it past the Canada goalie (Kim St-Pierre). So it was 2-1, then the third and fourth goals were controversial and had to be reviewed on video. The third goal was on the power play, Angela Ruggiero shot it off the backboard and St-Pierre actually put it in. On the fourth goal, Darwitz actually put it through the net.
We were up 4-1 and the bench didn’t lose its composure. The players were focused and you looked over at the Canadians and you could see they were flat. I think they were taken back by what was happening. At the end of the second period we went in and talked about it.
I give the Canadians credit for scoring those two quick goals in the third. They came out and they didn’t give up. They made a goalie change, but I thought we responded and stuck to what we needed to do to make sure we didn’t put ourselves in a tough position. (USA goalie Jessie) Vetter came up with come big saves and I always felt like we had control of the game. I didn’t feel like our emotions went too far one way or the other. We didn’t panic when they scored, but we didn’t get up too high when we were up 4-1. The Canadian goals in the third one of them was 4-on-4 and one they scored on the power play.
What does this do for USA Hockey on the international level and going into 2010 Olympics?
It’s been a great year for USA Hockey from the women’s standpoint. Winning the Under-18 championships up in Calgary made a statement. At Four Nations, I felt like we were right there. We lost 2-0 to Canada in the championship game with an empty-netter, but I felt like in some aspects we had outplayed them a little bit.
To beat Canada back-to-back gives our program energy and hope. It’s motivating to continue to get better individually and as a team. The ultimate goal is a gold medal in 2010. If we can get the confidence in our team that we can continue to move forward, I think we will set up again for the next time we play.
Did you see anything on the world level in regards to the overall development of the sport of women’s hockey?
I definitely still think it is Canada, U.S., Finland and Sweden as top-level teams. Finland has been closing the cap and Sweden struggled at the World Championships, but I still think they’re in that top echelon. It was nice to see Switzerland step up because I think it’s only going to help the game on the international level. I think the launch of U-18 championships is going to help because those players are going to have that experience early and teams are going to get better. Those younger kids coming up are going to help the national programs.
What ultimately did it feel like to win the gold medal?
It was an unbelievable feeling; a sense of accomplishment for the team to have traveled so far and come so far in a year. The highlight for me was when the flags were raised and they were playing the national anthem and we were the highest on the podium. When the game ended, seeing the celebration on the ice and everyone was embracing each other, there was a real sense of pride. It was awesome to be able to take a step back an enjoy it.
Did anything interesting happen after winning the gold?
I got a ton of phone calls and emails from people saying how excited they were for the team and the success that we had. A lot of people really do appreciate women’s hockey and the sport and art that it is. I have so many good memories of what happened. We traveled over halfway around the world and hockey brought us to a part of the world we would likely never get to and it really makes you understand another culture and appreciate another culture, but also appreciate what you have in your own country too. It was amazing.
