TURIN - Last week, Robert Esche sat in a cafe off the Via Filidelphia, just outside the Palasport Olimpico ice rink, sipping his very first cappuccino.
"This is really good stuff," the Flyers goalie marveled. But the topic of the day was not the coffee, but playing in the Olympics.
"I know I won't get a start," Esche said, his voice lowering. "I'm the third guy. But if I did, it would mean so much to me just to represent my country."
Yesterday, U.S. coach Peter Laviolette told Esche he would start tonight against Russia.
"I didn't expect it," Esche said.
It has been said that only Europeans truly understand the nationalism that overtakes a player's psyche at the Olympics. Esche says he's one of the few North Americans who totally understand it.
"I don't want to say I get into it more than anybody else, but I do have more of a European attitude on this," Esche said. "Everybody wants to play on the world stage."
Laviolette was left visibly stunned when Esche told reporters he was starting, and seemed at a loss for words when asked to explain it.
"We have three starting goalies," the coach said, referring to Esche, Rick DiPietro and John Grahame. "Their numbers were relatively comparable. He played well for the Philadelphia Flyers. It's an opportunity to get him in there and see what he can do."
Here's the real reason Esche is starting: The U.S. team plays at 8:30 tonight, and then almost certainly at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon against Finland in the quarterfinals. That would begin the single-elimination medal round, and Laviolette would want DiPietro fully rested.
Laviolette smiled when a reporter offered that scenario.
"Yeah, it's a chance to rest other people. I guess you're assuming Ricky would need the rest, but yeah," he said, adding that he would evaluate all his goalies after the game against Russia.
Given how well DiPietro has played, there would be no reason not to start him against Finland. DiPietro has a 1.68 goals-against average. He hasn't cost the United States a game. The Americans' biggest downfall has been that they haven't scored at even strength and are a lowly 4 for 25 on the power play.
"It's a tough tournament, and you run into good goalies and teams that will do anything to keep the puck out of the net," Esche said. "Latvia is an example of that. They do anything to block shots.
"It won't be any different with Russia," he said. "You have to score more goals."
The Americans have one win, two losses and a tie, and Esche has backed up in two of the games, sitting on the bench watching, analyzing, and wondering what it would be like to be on the ice.
"I don't know how to put it into words," he said. "It's been a frustrating thing, backing up. On the same hand, there's only so much ice time to go around. I handled it as best as I could. I'm excited to play" against Russia.
"Everyone wants an opportunity to play here," he said. "I am looking forward to it."