Not long ago, the NHL was a conservative league. Back in the days of rotary-dial phones and computers the size of a room, players adhered to positional play and conservative attacking styles, and goaltenders did more standing than New York subway riders.

Times, as you might expect, have changed. In this day of cell phones and Palm Pilots, defensemen forever are joining the rush and often can be found--Eddie Shore, be still--behind the opponent's goal, chipping away at the puck on the attack. Radical forechecking systems often are dropped into the fray--Ron Wilson's Capitals used a third defenseman during games this season after injuries shortened the team's bench--without a second thought. Goaltenders now flop and spin like they're making snow angels.

Some people say these changes were inevitable, part of the natural evolution of the game. But the influx of Europeans is solely responsible for these dramatic alterations.

As the Olympic tournament began its final round in Salt Lake City last week, the difference in styles and skills between NHL players past and present were obvious.

These days, no time exists for doubt or resistance by players in the ever-evolving NHL. To have a successful career, you must be able to do what successful teams do during a game: change on the fly.

"Some stubborn North Americans refuse to accept the fact that this is no longer just our game and that no one can play it better," says Flyers and Team USA center Jeremy Roenick. "The fact of the matter is, the players who have learned to adjust to the different styles, the different passing techniques the Europeans have shown us, have also become more well-rounded players.

"I know I'm no longer strictly a firing-it-in-and-chase-the-puck player like I was when I broke in with Chicago in 1989 and Mike Keenan wanted us to be physically dominant like the Chicago Bears on ice. Now I know when to be patient, when to be creative."

Europeans have made the NHL a different league. Canadian and American players like to say winning comes down to having passion, pride and grit, while Europeans say it's all about skills. Europeans start developing those skills as soon as they can stand on skates, while North Americans concentrate on competition and strategic play.