[0] NHL UPDATE: CANADA TRYING TO PULL IT ALL TOGETHER.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

SALT LAKE CITY - The Canadian men's hockey team still can win the gold medal. It also can go home Thursday.

The team practiced Saturday after a shocking 5-2 loss to Sweden. Canada, which meticulously was built by general manager Wayne Gretzky, did not seem to have the international savvy to compete in these games.

It was the worst loss at the Olympics for Canada since it dropped a 5-0 decision to Russia in 1988. Canada, which hasn't won Olympic gold in hockey since 1952, finished a disappointing fourth in Nagano, Japan, four years ago.

``We had said we have three games and five days to pull things together, I don't want to be knee-jerk yet,'' said coach Pat Quinn, who faces Germany today. ``We don't have time for incredible patience here, but we definitely have time to make some things work. We've got a lot of good offensive players and we've got a situation where we're going to have to ask them to do some work they maybe don't do in the NHL.''

Canada's biggest fault was defending Sweden's wide-open passing game. Mats Sundin scored twice in a four-goal second period, including a breakaway goal that probably would not have happened in the NHL.

Canada faces Germany today in a Group C contes, then plays the Czech Republic on Monday.

--Czeching in with Jagr: The Olympics is not the place many athletes relax. But Jaromir Jagr is no ordinary athlete. After a season of injury and underachievement with the Washington Capitals, Jagr showed Friday night why he is considered the best player in the world.

As captain for the defending gold medal Czechs, Jagr celebrated his 30th birthday with two goals and two assists in an 8-2 victory over Germany.

The five-time scoring champion won two Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh, but couldn't lead the Penguins to a championship without Mario Lemieux. Four years ago in Nagano, he had just five points. He was lucky Czech goaltender Dominik Hasek allowed just six goals in six games to win the gold.

This winter, Jagr has struggled under the burden of an eight-year, $88 million contract with the Capitals, who expected him to be a savior after acquiring him in an offseason trade. It hasn't happened. Jagr has scored 18 goals while fighting a bad knee.