Patriotism was very high at America West Arena this week.

The Phoenix Coyotes representatives of Team USA were on hand as Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick proudly modeled their new Olympic jerseys. The sweaters were equipped with all the necessities; name, numbers, red, white and blue colors, and of course, the Nike swoosh.

Roenick's jersey displayed his old Chicago Blackhawks number, 27, on the back but he said he'll return it and have his current number 97 sewn on, instead.

Tkachuk will wear the same number 17 he wore during the World Cup, since Chris Chelios has first dibs on the number seven they both wear during the regular National Hockey League season. He is also expected to resume the assistant captain role he filled during the World Cup.

For Roenick, playing in the Olympics has added meaning after sitting out the World Cup during a contract dispute and missing out on the first American victory in an international ice hockey tournament since the 1980 Winter Games. It was the first time in his career he didn't represent Team USA in an international tourney.

"It hurt me a lot," said the Boston, Mass. native. "Whenever you miss out on a chance to win a gold medal it's tough. But I did it for personal reasons, and people have to respect that. Keith played in the World Cup and won a gold medal, so he knows what it's like. But I don't, so I'm very excited."

For Tkachuk, it is still a thrill representing the United States even though he played in the 1992 Winter Games as a 19-year old.

"Anytime you play in the Olympics it's huge," says the Melrose, Mass. native who helped lead Team USA to a fourth place finish in Albertville, France. "Your adrenaline is always running, and I had a lot of good experiences. I'm looking forward to doing that again."

Roenick is predicted to center former Thayer Academy and Blackhawks linemate Tony Amonte and hinted he would like to have Tkachuk on his left side to form an all-Boston line.

The 1998 games represent the first time professionals will be permitted to play for a gold medal. Previously, only players from juniors and American colleges could play. Roenick isn't so sure he like the format change.

"For me, I used to think of the Olympics as something the amateur kids play in. That's something they dream of doing," said Roenick. "For some kids who might not have a chance to play professional hockey, their dream would be to play in the Olympics. But with us playing in it now, that kind of shatters their dream, and that's the negative part. But on the flip side you do get the best hockey known to the sport and you can't beat that."

The games for the Olympics will be played on a 200' x 100' ice surface, wider than the 200' x 85' size of a standard NHL rink, benefiting the better skating teams.

"Obviously it plays into the European hands, but we feel we can compete with anyone," says Tkachuk who helped Team USA finish fourth in the 1992 Winter Olympics. "We're the best team in the world as champions of the World Cup. We're going to go out and play our style and hopefully win a gold medal."

Defenseman Teppo Numminen and center Juha Ylonen are expected to play for Finland like they did in the World Cup.

While goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin has followed the same path as many of his fellow NHL countrymen by declining to play for Team Russia. Unsigned defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky will likely earn an invitation to play for Russia, but his decision whether or not to play is unknown.

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