A Nice Problem to Have

Canada is crazy about hockey. There’s no question there. It might help explain why now, just under a year away from the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, the nation is already abuzz over who Steve Yzerman will add to the team charged with the monumental task of avenging a national disappointment in 2006 and who will hope to recapture the golden memories from Salt Lake City. Of course, they’ll be doing it all while under the microscope and inviting the best the world has to offer to their own backyard.


As many have said, with the Canadian talent the NHL enjoys, Canada could easily submit two or even three Gold Medal contending squads. Unfortunately (or fortunately if you’re not a Canadian fan) there will be only one group wearing… well, they’ll have some sort of Canadian crest on their uniforms. I’m offering up my predictions and opinions, and the reader should keep in mind that a lot can happen between now and then, and that everything is subject to change. Yzerman’s process has already begun, and so we begin with what will be his first major selection, the coaching staff.

Now that Wayne Gretzky has said that he won’t be at the Olympics as part of Team Canada, or possibly at all, there can be no doubt that the Detroit Red Wings’ Mike Babcock will be behind the bench. Babcock has enjoyed tremendous success in his NHL career recently, leading the Mighty Ducks to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2002 and the Red Wings to the holy grail just last year. He could be joined by Ken Hitchcock of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who won a Cup with Dallas in 1999 and Brent Sutter who would be a virtual lock if he leaves the New Jersey Devils after this year as is rumoured. “Hitch” recently coached Team Canada at the 2008 World Championships, collecting a silver medal while Sutter led Team Canada to World Junior Championship Gold Medals in 2005 and 2006 and has never lost in that tournament. Other candidates include Pat Quinn, Guy Carbonneau, Bruce Boudreau or even Mike Keenan.

Now we take a look at the masked men who will be guarding the net in 2010. It’s a pretty fair assumption that Roberto Luongo, captain of the Vancouver Canucks, will be the go-to guy in his home rink. Canadian legend and candidate for best goalie of all time, Martin Brodeur will also surely be there, as he was a major component in the 2002 Gold Medal win. Now we come to the third goaltender. Although this position doesn’t play nearly at all, it is the most debated of the goaltending spots. Some feel that Montreal’s Carey Price will be filling the role. Others feel rookie goaltender Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets should be on the team. I would choose Mason. The rookie phenom is one of the best goalies in the NHL currently and one would assume he can only get better. Price has struggled in net this season for the slumping Canadiens and his attitude seems to suggest that he would be nothing but an emotional drain on the team. Mason should be selected so that he may gain experience for future games, not only in the NHL, but hopefully in the Olympics as well. Other goaltenders in consideration are Marty Turco, Marc-Andre Fléury and Jean-Sébastien Giguère.


Luongo, Brodeur and Steve Mason should be between the pipes in 2010.
Getting to defencemen, I am going under the assumption that some older players, such as Anaheim’s Scott Niedermayer may not make the trip. Otherwise, Niedermayer could certainly find himself on the roster. Luckily, Canada has a plethora of young talent at the blue line. A pairing of Calgary’s Robyn Regehr, the league’s premiere shut-down defensemen and two way defenseman Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks could wreak havoc both defensively and offensively with Keith providing some forward thinking. A young pairing of the Flames’ Dion Phaneuf and Nashville Predator Shea Weber would also spark the offense in front of them as well as providing a huge physical presence, assuming that Dion manages to get his game back to previous levels. Finally, the combination of Washington’s Mike Green and San Jose Shark veteran Dan Boyle would provide a blue line scoring touch that can easily sway a game in their team’s favour. Florida’s Jay Bouwmeester would prove to be a capable seventh, as he is playing some of the best hockey of his career. Other names being floated include Brent Burns, Brian Campbell, Sheldon Souray, Chris Pronger and the aforementioned Niedermayer.

Because the Olympic hockey games are going to be played on the smaller NHL ice instead of the massive Olympic surface, Canada doesn’t have to build for speed with their forwards as much as previous years, which will help give a great mix of playmakers and snipers as well as a bit of a gritty element in the physical puck battles. Doing this gives the Canadians a tremendous advantage over their American, Swedish and Russian counterparts, as they have less players to select from.

A line of the Sharks’ Joe Thornton centering Penguins playmaker Sidney Crosby and the leading candidate for captain in 2010, consummate power forward Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames would be nearly unstoppable. These three will make up the most powerful line in the Olympics other than the offensively loaded line of Russia’s Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk. It provides a large body and incredibly gifted hands in Thornton, the best vision in the game in Crosby and a powerful shot with a gritty persistence in Iginla.

Next, we have the sniper, Ottawa’s Dany Heatley and the dangler, Columbus’ Rick Nash being centered by the Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf, who would rather go through a defender than around him. The line would be a massive headache for opponents as they will get beaten in any number of ways, over and over again, never being able to adjust as fast as these three.

Another offensively gifted line anchored by the Lightning’s Vincent Lecavalier with Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter and Simon Gagné on the wings provides one of the best shots in the game with Gagné, an all out offensive attack in Carter with the powerful Lecavalier feeding pucks to both.

Finally, Canada’s fourth line will consist of Dallas’ captain Brendan Morrow and “The Next Captain Canada” after Ryan Smyth, Phoenix’s Shane Doan. He won’t be wearing the “C” this time around however. These two sandpaper forwards will be centered by Philadelphia’s penalty killer extraordinaire, Mike Richards who is quickly becoming one of the most dependable players in the league. Aside from a terrific PK line, it would bring some much needed grit and would apply in situations where the opponent simply needs to battered into making mistakes.

These four lines will be powerful enough on their own, but who do they send in case a role needs to be filled or an injury occurs? This comes back to my opening statement, that Canada could easily field two Gold Medal rosters. I would add the offensively powered, but extremely underrated Sharks captain, Patrick Marleau and Boston’s Marc Savard. Both are capable all-round forwards who could easily slot into any line on the team. I would also love to send the young Blackhawks captain, Jonathan Toews, but just can’t find a place for him. Other names making waves include Jason Spezza, Derek Roy, Eric Staal, Corey Perry and Michael Cammalleri.

While it is certain that Canada will have the deepest and arguably most talented squad in Vancouver, they face extreme challenges from not only the powerful Russian, Swedish and American squads, but also the intense media spotlight generated by the Olympics, increased by the games taking place on Canadian soil. Whoever Yzerman and his staff selects, you can be sure that they have their reasons. The real judgement can only be made when a national anthem is being blared over the General Motors Place speakers and the three flags are being hoisted to the rafters. Where will the Maple Leaf be?

mitch.hart@gmail.com