'"It is such a huge thing to represent your country with all the other athletes that are there," said Numminen, a native of Tampere, Finland, now in his first season with the Sabres. "The older you get, the older being in the Olympics doesn't get. I know that time is running out on my career. You don't get that many chances in a hockey career to go to the Olympics. As I've gotten older, I appreciate the opportunity to go even more. I know that I was only 19 when I got my first chance to go. You appreciate it. But maybe not as much when you were 19."'