Kukla's Korner Hockey
Entries with the tag: Team+Canada
Will Mike Green Make Team Canada?
by Paul on 11/04/09 at 03:26 PM ET
Comments (13)
from Dan Rosen of NHL.com,
Completely unprovoked, Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau spent Tuesday morning lobbying for defenseman Mike Green to make the Canadian Olympic team.
“If I’m Stevie Yzerman, I’m looking at him as one of your top pair,” Boudreau said.
According to people that follow the Capitals closely, it’s the first time Boudreau has publicly made a pitch on Green’s behalf. It’s also an about face from last spring, when after the playoffs were over Boudreau admitted his disappointment in Green’s overall effort through 14 postseason games.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Washington Capitals, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mike+Green, Team+Canada,
HHOF Spotlight- Steve Yzerman
by Paul on 11/04/09 at 11:37 AM ET
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from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal via Faceoff.com,
At the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Team Canada trainers were draining his aching right knee of fluid and shooting the leg full of painkiller so he could get his skates on, never mind race up and down the ice. He wanted to play, so he did, but it was agony, at times, after his knee was scoped three weeks before the tournament.
“I played two pre-tournament games in Montreal and Minnesota and had no swelling. I told Wayne (Gretzky, Olympic team boss)I was fine, then the first tournament game it got sore against Sweden. Then, against Germany, the knee became really painful and it just progressed,” said Yzerman.
“I don’t know if I willed myself to play, but I said, ‘Oh, boy, I’ve made this commitment. I can’t bail out now. I knew I had to work through it as best I could.”
read on plus Dave Gross of Camwest News Service takes a look at Stevie too…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: HHOF, Steve+Yzerman, Team+Canada,
Babcock Waves His Canadian Flag
by Paul on 11/02/09 at 07:42 PM ET
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from Dave Waddell of the Windsor Star,
Having coached in the U.S. the past decade, Babcock isn’t shy anytime he gets a chance to wave the maple leaf.
“I’m going to talk about the opportunity to be an Olympian and the opportunity for Canadians to understand how important it is for the country to embrace this,” Babcock said. “Having it in your country and getting to share all the great things about Canada is fantastic.”
From a personal standpoint, Babcock rates the impending experience in Vancouver as his greatest.
He knows he faces immense pressure and second guessing from a nation with lofty expectations, but his background as an avid hunter tells him the thrill is only amplified by the pursuit of such an elusive prize as a gold medal.
“It’s the greatest opportunity you can have as a hockey coach,” Babcock said. “To me, this is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, since I was a boy, to be an Olympian.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mike+Babcock, Team+Canada,
Size Will Be A Key Factor For Team Canada
by Paul on 10/26/09 at 08:53 PM ET
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from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail at CTV Olympics,
He was standing in the visiting coaches office in the Pengrowth Saddledome, putting forward a unique theory about the 2010 men’s Winter Olympics hockey tournament and what Canada can expect from the opposition.
This was Ken Hitchcock, the thoughtful Columbus Blue Jackets coach, who doesn’t mind tilting against occasional windmills - or conventional thought.
“I see this as being very much a North American style of game - NHL players playing on NHL surfaces with international rules,” said Hitchcock, one of Canada’s three assistants for 2010 Games in Vancouver. “Size will matter. There will be more shots on goal - lots more. There is going to be more physical play. There is going to be more dump-and-chase.
“You can’t stand back in the neutral zone in a small rink because the rink is tighter, so it’s easier to chip the puck in and then go in and get it again. You can’t do that stuff.”
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Tags: Ken+Hitchcock, Team+Canada,
Yzerman Values Experience For Team Canada
by Paul on 10/25/09 at 09:58 PM ET
Comments (1)
from Adam Kimelman of NHL.com,
The latest stop on Steve Yzerman’s pre-Olympic tour brought him to Philadelphia on Sunday for the Flyers-Sharks game, where he got to take a first-hand look at a number of players who might fill roster spots on Canada’s entry in the Vancouver 2010 Games.
Philadelphia’s Chris Pronger, Simon Gagne, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter attended the summer orientation camp in Calgary, as did San Jose’s Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle....While Yzerman wouldn’t discuss individual players, he did say there were players not invited to the Calgary camp in the running for an Olympic berth. He also said that while he’d like an experienced team, the player’s talents will be the biggest factor in them earning a roster spot.
“I think there’s a lot of importance in having guys that are experienced veteran players that have played in the Olympics, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs a lot,” said Yzerman. “There’s a lot of importance in that. We look to have some veteran players on the team and there will be some veteran players. I’m not going to not take a guy because he’s young. But I do place value in experience.”
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Tags: Steve+Yzerman, Team+Canada,
How Team Canada Roster May Look
by Paul on 09/28/09 at 09:39 PM ET
Comments (6)
from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail at CTV Olympics,
A projection of how the Canadian men’s 2010 Olympic hockey team could line up:
Forwards (LW-C-RW)
Eric Staal-Sidney Crosby-Jarome Iginla
Rick Nash-Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry
Dany Heatley-Joe Thornton-Jeff Carter
Brenden Morrow-Mike Richards-Shane Doan
Jonathan ToewsDefence
Scott Niedermayer-Shea Weber
Chris Pronger-Dan Boyle
Jay Bouwmeester-Robyn Regehr
Duncan KeithGoalies
Martin Brodeur
Roberto Luongo
Cam Ward
read on for reasons why…
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Tags: Team+Canada,
All Steve Yzerman - Team Canada Edition
by Paul on 09/22/09 at 11:12 AM ET
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from Tony Care of CBC Sports,
CBCSports.ca: The competition for the No. 1 goaltender spot will no doubt be the toughest decision for Babcock and his staff. With Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur expected to battle for the lead position, will strong play in the months leading up to the Games be the determining factor?
Yzerman: I’ll obviously have some input, but at the end of the day, the coaches will decide who starts in goal for us. I think for that position it’s very important that we have guys coming in tournament that are on top of their game. The position doesn’t allow a player to find time to get his game in shape. Our depth is outstanding. [Carolina goaltender] Cam Ward won a [world championship] gold medal and a Stanley Cup. In the last two years, [Pittsburgh netminder] Marc-André Fleury has gone to the finals and won Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.
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Tags: Steve+Yzerman, Team+Canada,
Savard Wants To Remain A Bruin, Not Happy With Team Canada Snub
by Paul on 09/08/09 at 02:46 PM ET
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from Joe Haggerty of the Big Bad Blog at WEEI,
Savard was the B’s leading scorer with 25 goals and 63 assists last season, and has blossomed into an All-Star player under coach Claude Julien. Entering the final year of his $5 million per year deal with a great deal of financial uncertainty in the NHL’s future, Savard isn’t bothered by the unknown and is simply focused on driving the B’s toward a Stanley Cup....
“It’s a great city and I’ve enjoyed my time here so far,” said Savard, from the Bruins Foundation’s annual golf tournament at The International in Bolton, MA. “It’s a place that I’d like to finish if the chance comes and I’m excited to get the season going. Things keep getting better and our team keeps getting better, so that only helps everybody when that happens. I want to stay here. This is a place I love. I love the people. I love the fans. This is where I want to be.
“I’m not worried about the contract at all. (Peter and I) have a good relationship. Ever since I came to Boston I’ve given everything I had and if things work out well — and I think they will — then I’m going to be here for a long, long time.”
Savard was also visibly peeved when asked about getting snubbed by Hockey Canada when team officials announced the lineup for their Olympic Team Orientation Camp this summer.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Marc+Savard, Team+Canada,
A Little Bitter Tim?
by Paul on 08/29/09 at 06:05 PM ET
Comments (18)
from Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly,
What was going through the mind of that brilliant strategist Mike Babcock this week, while he was skating players hard on the first day of his Team Canada Olympic orientation camp in Calgary?
Talk about brain cramps from one of hockey’s more obnoxious coaches – and we haven’t heard a single person question that serious lack of judgment.
Most of Babcock’s players hadn’t seen a pair of skates – much less laced them up – since last spring. True, Simon Gagne had been skating for two weeks. But he wasn’t skating hard.
Is it any wonder Gagne tweaked his right groin?
Good thing they had insurance, huh? Just to protect the players from Babcock.
continued & more topics too…
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Tags: Mike+Babcock, Simon+Gagne, Team+Canada,
Watch A Little Hockey Tonight
by Paul on 08/27/09 at 07:27 PM ET
Comments (34)
Watch Team Canada’s Red/White scrimmage tonight starting at 7pm MT (9pm ET).
added 8:25pm, My understanding this will be more of a scrimmage than a game. Some 4 on 4 play and other things will be tossed in too.
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Tags: Team+Canada,
Morning Line
by Paul on 08/27/09 at 09:52 AM ET
Comments (1)
“He’s a Type A personality. He’s a very focused, intense individual. He doesn’t move on anywhere until it’s done. If it’s not done right, he doesn’t care what the name is on the back, where you’re from or who you play for. You got to do the job. When he says you’ve got to play 200 feet, you got to play 200 feet. The game we want to play (in Vancouver) has a lot of pressure in it, a lot of skating in it. There’s no resting on the ice.”
-Ken Hitchcock on Mike Babcock. More on Babcock from Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated.
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Tags: Ken+Hitchcock, Mike+Babcock, Team+Canada,
Lemaire Now A Part Of Team Canada
by Paul on 08/27/09 at 08:25 AM ET
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from Damian Cox of the Toronto Star,
...partly of his own choosing, the proud Lemaire became the ultimate Hockey Canada outsider. He wasn’t deliberately excluded necessarily, but he was never included.
“If you’re not invited, you’re an outsider,” he said. “You have to be invited to feel you’re in. But I guess you’re not good enough.”
Now, at 63, apparently Lemaire is finally good enough. It was Steve Yzerman who first thought of Lemaire as a possible assistant coach on Mike Babcock’s 2010 Team Canada staff, a concept Babcock quickly endorsed.
“I was surprised,” said Lemaire, who will work alongside Ken Hitchcock and Lindy Ruff. “Mike is probably the only guy who would call me for the job. He said he watched a lot of our tapes, checking our penalty killing because of the success we had, looking at our 1-2-2 and how we play it.
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Tags: Jacques+Lemaire, Team+Canada,
One Of These Two May Not Be On Team Canada
by Paul on 08/26/09 at 09:49 AM ET
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from Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated,
The last time Vinny Lecavalier actually had to make a team was ... well, never.
And the last time Joe Thornton had to make a team ... was, well, almost never.
Making teams are for other guys, not the gifted and precocious and iconic. But as Canada Red and Canada White departed the Pengrowth Saddledome after Day 2 of the Most Serious Olympic Hockey Orientation Camp in the world, it seemed apparent that there would not be room for the both of them next February.
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Tags: Joe+Thornton, Team+Canada, Vinny+Lecavalier,
Copmetition In The Staal Family
by Paul on 08/26/09 at 08:25 AM ET
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from Damian Cox of the Toronto Star,
Shame on Steve Yzerman. The country was in a recession and he could’ve saved Hockey Canada some money.
After all, he really didn’t need to make three separate calls to the 807 area code in early July. One would have sufficed. Or maybe a conference call.
The three Staal boys, you see, were all together at their Thunder Bay “camps” – cottages in southern Ontario parlance – when the time came for Yzerman and his staff to start contacting those NHL players who would be invited to Team Canada’s summer orientation camp.
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Tags: Eric+Staal, Jordan+Staal, Marc+Staal, Team+Canada,
Babcock In Charge
by Paul on 08/25/09 at 10:01 PM ET
Comments (5)
from Jeff Marek of CBC Sports,
First, this is Mike Babcock’s team. Period.
Yes, he is flanked by some outstanding assistant coaches in Jacques Lamaire, Ken Hitchcock and Lindy Ruff - who since he is the youngest of all assistant coaches gets to do the grunt work like shovel snow in front of the net - but make no mistake about it, Babcock is in charge.
Even at the opening press conference on Monday where Babcock laid out his now infamous “200-foot” hockey player analogy, you can tell in every interaction that the coach is leading this squad. Right away Babcock is on the ice at the opening session.
He gives out the instructions, he runs the drills and yes he stops players who aren’t doing exactly what he wants. And that includes the Sidney Crosby/Rick Nash/Jarome Iginla line, which he stopped Tuesday and made them start a drill over.
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Tags: Mike+Babcock, Team+Canada,
We Haven’t Had Much Babcock Talk Lately
by Paul on 08/25/09 at 07:40 PM ET
Comments (2)
Detroit Red Wings Head Coach Mike Babcock talks to the media after day 2 of Team Canada’s orientation camp in Calgary, Alberta.
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Tags: Mike+Babcock, Team+Canada,
Gagne Hurts Hip At Team Canada Camp
by Paul on 08/25/09 at 01:59 PM ET
Comments (2)
from Chuck Gormley of Flyer Files at the Courier-Post,
Flyers left wing Simon Gagne injured his surgically repaired right hip on the first day of Olympic workouts in Calgary on Monday, the Courier-Post has learned.
Speaking by phone from the Pengrowth Saddledome, Gagne said he felt soreness in his right hip during a fast-paced practice on Monday and will not return to the ice this week.
“For now it’s nothing serious,” Gagne said. “The pace was a little faster than I was used to this summer. I think I’ll be OK for training camp.”
added 2:12pm, Other reports coming out of camp claim groin injury.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Philadelphia Flyers, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Simon+Gagne, Team+Canada,
Crosby Not Ready For The Team Canada ‘C’
by Paul on 08/25/09 at 07:40 AM ET
Comments (26)
from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,
This will be Sidney Crosby’s team, one way or another.
Having delivered the Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh, a truly blighted hockey town before he arrived there four years ago, it is now expected by his home and native land that Crosby will deliver an Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey next winter in Vancouver.
But it would appear that anointing the Penguins superstar as the captain of Team Canada was at best premature and apparently closer to dead wrong.
More than anything, you see, those organizing the Canadian team want Crosby to play, to deliver points and passion and important moments.
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Tags: Team+Canada,
Yzerman Talks Team Canada
by Paul on 08/25/09 at 07:30 AM ET
Comments (0)
Team Canada executive director Steve Yzerman talks to the media prior to Team Canada’s first on-ice practice yesterday.
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Tags: Steve+Yzerman, Team+Canada,
The Canadian Expectations
by Paul on 08/24/09 at 10:01 PM ET
Comments (2)
from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
You said you didn’t give a f--- about hockey
And I never saw someone say that before
You held my hand and we walked home the long way
You were loosening my grip on Bobby OrrI still get chills every time I hear that Bobby Orr line from lead singer Gord Downie. Somehow, right in that instant, Downie’s unique voice captures Canada’s obsession with the sport it invented and still clings desperate ownership to.
All of which should help underline to my American readers here at ESPN.com just what kind of pressure and hype await the host country in less than six months. When Canadian hockey fans stop me to chat Olympics these days, it’s not to ask me who I think will win men’s hockey gold in Vancouver, but rather which country I think will lose to Canada in the gold-medal game. Gulp.
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Tags: Team+Canada,
Who Starts In Goal For Canada?
by Paul on 08/24/09 at 09:52 PM ET
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from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal via Canada.com,
“This is it for me,” said Brodeur, swatting away any suggestion that he might still be in the goaltending picture during the 2014 Olympics in Russia.
The grand old man of Canadian goaltending would be 41 in 2014 and he knows he can’t stop pucks forever.
As it is, he might not stop them every night at the 2010 Olympics. There is a reasonable possibility Vancouver Canucks’ Roberto Luongo, seven years younger and cognizant he’ll be playing in his home rink, might actually beat him out as the starter.
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Tags: Martin+Brodeur, Roberto+Luongo, Team+Canada,
Captain Canada?
by Paul on 08/24/09 at 08:05 AM ET
Comments (30)
from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,
Iginla is still entrenched as one of Canada’s best all-around forwards. He is a sniper, a hard-nosed opponent, a genuine leader in every facet of the game, and a lock for Vancouver in February.
But as we convene in Calgary this week in preparation for what will be the biggest Canadian hockey tournament since the 1972 Summit Series, there is this guy named Sidney Crosby. And doesn’t he have “Captain” written all over him?
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Tags: Team+Canada,
Heatley Playing For His Country
by Paul on 08/24/09 at 07:31 AM ET
Comments (2)
from Randy Sportak of the Calgary Sun,
Heatley, who wanted a trade out of Ottawa but rejected a deal that would have sent him to Edmonton this summer, admitted he wanted out of the nation’s capital because of his diminished role with the Senators. But the Calgarian was met by a throng of fans wanting him to put pen to picture, card, sweater, shirt or any other article on hand.
“We’re all Canadian hockey players right now,” Heatley said. “We’re all going for one goal. We’re trying for one team, and the Canadian fans know that.”
The uproar surrounding him has created a perception Heatley doesn’t want to play in Canada. But the sniper, who arrived early to spend time with his family, adamantly said that’s not the case.
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Tags: Dany+Heatley, Team+Canada,
The Toughest Job In Canada
by Paul on 08/23/09 at 09:38 PM ET
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from Roy MacGregor of the Globe and Mail at CTV Olympics,
Anyone who thinks Stephen Harper, with his fragile government and fractured economy, has the toughest job in the country should consider the task Steve Yzerman is about to face.
The prime minister of the national game - also known as executive director of the Canadian men’s Olympic hockey team - must somehow turn the 45 red and white players who will take to the ice this evening at the Pengrowth Saddledome into gold.
Silver or bronze - Canadian hockey’s equivalent of winning a minority government - simply will not do.
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Tags: Steve+Yzerman, Team+Canada,
Pierre McGuire Talks Team Canada
by Paul on 08/19/09 at 10:34 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Rachel Brady of CTV Olympics,
What are the key things you will be watching for at camp?
1. The type of system Mike Babcock wants to put in place for this staff. That’s a major reason why this camp takes place, so the players understand the mindset and the philosophy the coaching staff, because you don’t have a lot of prep time going into the Olympics.2. How the younger players respond to the pressure of being in a camp like this with more established players. I’ll use Sidney Crosby as an example - he’ll be a focal point player. How does he respond to the challenge? I think he’ll do very well, but it will be so interesting to see him in that environment.
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Tags: Pierre+McGuire, Team+Canada,
Let’s Talk Dany
by Paul on 08/18/09 at 07:46 AM ET
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from Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen,
The Canadian Olympic men’s hockey team wants no part of any Dany Heatley distraction.
That’s why Hockey Canada’s officials hope to talk to Heatley’s agents, J.P. Barry and Stacey McAlpine, during the next day or two, asking the disgruntled Ottawa Senators star to clear the air before the Olympic team’s summer orientation camp opens Monday in his hometown of Calgary.
“We would obviously prefer to get this out of the way as quickly as possible,” André Brin, Hockey Canada’s manager of communications, said Monday. “We’ll see what happens over the next couple of days, but once the camp starts, we want to worry about the camp. At some point, (Heatley) has to be available.”
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Tags: Dany+Heatley, Team+Canada,
The Team Canada Sweater
by Paul on 08/17/09 at 06:08 PM ET
Comments (2)
from CBC,
The jerseys feature a large maple leaf crest in the centre on either a red or white background. Inside the crest are smaller maple leaves representing the gold medal counts for Canada’s men’s, women’s and ice sledge hockey teams, and a nod to the traditional Team Canada image of a hockey player and stick.
But the design also includes a thunderbird and an eagle — two powerful First Nations symbols — supporting and protecting the central maple leaf. A small Nike swoosh appears above and to the left of the maple leaf.
more including a picture…
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Tags: Team+Canada,
Hockey Canada Says Insurance Issues Are Cleared Up
by Paul on 08/12/09 at 07:45 PM ET
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from Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald via the National Post,
As far as Hockey Canada is concerned, the issue of insurance coverage for the country’s best players has a giant check mark beside it.
“Everything is fine,” Johnny Misley, Hockey Canada’s vice-president of hockey operations, said regarding the controversy over insurance coverage for NHLplayers attending the upcoming orientation camp for potential 2010 Olympic team members.
“We have secured insurance to help protect the players - given the low risk there is - to give them peace of mind.”
Peace of mind doesn’t describe the mindsets of the NHL or NHL Players’ Association - at least judging by recent public comments regarding the camp.
added 7:50pm, Icethetics may have the first pictures of what the Team Canada sweater may look like for 2010.
Filed in: NHL Talk, NHLPA, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada,
Babcock On Team Canada Orientation Camp
by Paul on 07/30/09 at 11:26 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Dan Rosen of NHL.com,
If you think Canadian hockey fans are swept up in an Olympic frenzy now, Team Canada coach Mike Babcock wants you to remember one thing: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Just wait until Canada’s roster is announced, Babcock told NHL.com, and you’ll really see a nation of hopeful nitpickers, naysayers, pundits and prognosticators.
“I’m glad I coach in the U.S., honestly,” Babcock added. “It’s just going to go crazy.”
Speculation about who will make the team figures to run rampant until the roster is made public in December. The chatter will pick up steam next month when Calgary becomes the center of the country’s hockey universe for four days as Canada holds its orientation camp Aug. 24-27.
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Tags: Mike+Babcock, Team+Canada,
All Olympic Talk
by Paul on 07/29/09 at 02:59 PM ET
Comments (1)
Red Wings’ Head of European Scouting Hakan Andersson talks about Team Sweden and the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Also, Steve Yzerman talks Team Canada and Ken Morrow talks Team USA.
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Tags: Hakan+Andersson, Ken+Morrow, Steve+Yzerman, Team+Canada, Team+Sweden, Team+USA,
Talking Team Canada Roster
by Paul on 07/28/09 at 09:37 AM ET
Comments (3)
from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail at CTV Olympics,
With the Olympic orientation camp roster down to 45 players following Joe Sakic’s retirement, how will executive director Steve Yzerman and his staff cut down to 23 names by December?
And with a dozen or more all-but-guaranteed spots, which players among the longer shots have a legitimate chance of cracking the roster?
According to former NHL general manager Craig Button, Yzerman sent a clear and unwavering message about the type of player he wants to represent Canada - safe, responsible, two-way players with a smattering of versatility.
Yzerman singled out Minnesota Wild defenceman Brent Burns and Dallas Stars’ captain Brenden Morrow as two players who missed big parts of last season because of injury, but remain on the radar screen.
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Tags: Team+Canada,
Yzerman Does The Right Thing
by Paul on 07/02/09 at 06:37 PM ET
Comments (2)
from Scott Burnside of ESPN,
One of the most curious invitees for the Canadian Olympic orientation camp is a player who doesn’t even know if he’s going to put on the blades at all this year: Joe Sakic.
But it is a measure of the respect for Sakic’s pedigree, and the integrity of Canadian Olympic executive director Steve Yzerman and Hockey Canada, that the veteran forward was extended an invitation, even though a decision on whether he will retire or not has not yet been made public.
Yzerman said he recently called Sakic and, without prying about his decision, told him he wanted Sakic at camp.
continued (story is in the left sidebar), the featured story is about the players selected to the Team Canada Orientation Camp.
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Tags: Joe+Sakic, Steve+Yzerman, Team+Canada,
Team Canada Orientation Camp Roster
by Paul on 07/02/09 at 10:01 AM ET
Comments (13)
Follow the link to Hockey Canada for the roster. 46 players have been invited.
added 10:18am,
CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada announced on Thursday the roster of 46 players that will attend Canada’s National Men’s Team orientation camp from August 24-27 in Calgary.
These 46 players have been identified as candidates for upcoming international events in the 2009-10 season: the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and 2010 IIHF World Championship.
The camp roster includes five goaltenders, 16 defencemen and 25 forwards. The list of players includes 40 players with senior international experience, either at the Olympics, IIHF World Championship or World Cup of Hockey/Canada Cup, while 36 of the 46 players played for either the National Junior Team or National Men’s Under-18 Team.
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Tags: Team+Canada,
Advice To Team Canada Coach
by Paul on 06/26/09 at 12:51 PM ET
Comments (12)
from Mike Toth of Sportsnet,
Suck up to Sid the Kid, the same guy who ruined the Red Wings dream of winning back-to-back Stanleys.
Running the risk of being labeled a “homer” by naming Chris Osgood to Team Canada, and incurring Ozzie’s wrath if he doesn’t.
Convincing the Red Wings huge European brigade that he still loves them, even though he’ll go to war against them in Vancouver.
And, oh yeah; trying to make sure that an older Detroit team doesn’t get sick and tired of the same old message.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mike+Babcock, Team+Canada,
Morning Line
by Paul on 06/26/09 at 07:41 AM ET
Comments (0)
We place a lot of importance on veteran leadership, and he’s such a strong character guy. Having this conversation with Joe at one point before, he doesn’t want to be there just for what he’s done in the past. He wants to be there because he deserves it, and that’s my feeling. But even if he decides to take more time this summer to decide, I’d still like to extend an invitation to him.”
-Steve Yzerman speaking about Joe Sakic and Team Canada. More on Sakic from Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.
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Tags: Joe+Sakic, Steve+Yzerman, Team+Canada,
Same Colors, Different Team
by Paul on 06/25/09 at 11:08 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star,
He’s used to coaching teams wearing red and white, and Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock was officially installed as coach for Team Canada’s entry in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman made the announcement Thursday, stealing some of the spotlight from the festivities surround the NHL’s entry draft....
One of Canada’s challenges will be shutting down the top stars from other countries. Some of those stars – Russia’s Pavel Datsyuk, and Sweden’s Henrik Zetterberg and Nicklas Lidstrom – play for Babcock’s Wings.
“Nobody knows them better,” Wings GM Ken Holland said of Babcock.
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Report- Your Team Canada Asst. Coaches
by Paul on 06/24/09 at 03:50 PM ET
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from CTV Olympics,
Lindy Ruff, Ken Hitchcock and Jacques Lemaire will be assistant coaches to Mike Babcock on Canada’s 2010 men’s Olympic hockey team, sources tell CTVOlympics.ca.
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Afternoon Line
by Paul on 06/01/09 at 04:05 PM ET
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They way Osgood has played, we’re not sure how Red Wings executive and Team Canada Olympic boss Steve Yzerman doesn’t hand him an invite to the team’s summer camp in August. If four or five goalies get invites, how does Osgood not get one?
-Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. More on Osgood vs. Fleury from Pierre…
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Gold Or Bust
by Paul on 05/18/09 at 07:35 AM ET
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from Matthew Sekeres of the Globe and Mail at CTV Olympics,
Hockey Canada’s annual general meeting concluded in Vancouver yesterday with two recommendations for the game’s future.
For starters, delegates from across the country decided to hold a second hockey summit that will focus on “the player” and will take place next summer at a location to be determined.
More immediately, however, the membership told Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson to ensure three gold medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver-Whistler next winter. Concerned by a string of recent international results, the message from Hockey Canada’s board was simple, according to Nicholson.
“Silver isn’t good enough,” he said. “We shouldn’t be satisfied with silver. I was given an endorsement to do everything in my power to win three gold medals.”
While on the subject of Canada, Happy Victoria Day to all of the great folks in Canada!
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Upshall Gets One Game Suspension At WC
by Paul on 04/27/09 at 12:42 PM ET
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from Alan Adams of CBC,
Canada’s Scottie Upshall now knows first-hand that Europe and the NHL deal differently with hits to the head.
Upshall was handed a five-minute major and match penalty in the second period of Sunday’s game against Hungary at the world championship when he collided at centre ice with Andras Beck, who broke his collarbone on the play.
The referee ruled that Upshall’s actions constituted a hit to the head and assessed the match penalty, which includes an automatic one-game suspension. Upshall could have faced further discipline but international officials reviewed the incident and were satisfied with the one-game suspension
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Your Coaches For Team Canada At The World Championship
by Paul on 04/12/09 at 11:47 AM ET
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from Darren Dreger of TSN,
Sources tell TSN Team Canada general manager Doug Amrstrong will name his coaching staff today for the upcoming World Hockey Championship in Switzerland.
Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff will lead Canada’s coaching staff and his assistants will include Nashville’s Barry Trotz and Dallas Stars head coach Dave Tippett.
An announcement on the complete coaching staff will be later today
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Babcock Should Be Coach Canada
by Paul on 04/08/09 at 10:07 AM ET
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from Damian Cox of the Toronto Star,
It would be hard to imagine at this point how Mike Babcock could not be named the head coach of the Canadian men’s hockey team for next year’s Olympics.
Perhaps a verbal Avery-ism in front of TV cameras? Revelations that he was actually born in Galveston, Texas rather than Manitouwadge, Ont., and isn’t a Canadian citizen? Perhaps allegations from his McGill University days that he wore an autographed Alexander Ragulin T-shirt under his gear after secretly rooting for Rags and the Russians in ‘72?
Otherwise, while Steve Yzerman has maintained this is a decision that will have to wait until after the current NHL campaign is completed, the 45-year-old Babcock seems destined to be the man to lead the troops into Vancouver next winter.
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Tags: Mike+Babcock, Team+Canada,
Talking Team Canada
by Paul on 03/24/09 at 08:21 AM ET
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from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
All the top brass for the men’s Olympic team convened yesterday at Hockey Canada’s headquarters for their first face-to-face staff meeting since December. Steve Yzerman, executive director of the Olympic team, was there, along with Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland. Doug Armstrong, assistant GM of the St. Louis Blues, stayed over after his team played Calgary last Friday and Kevin Lowe was down from Edmonton for the meeting.
According to Yzerman, the meeting - which lasted almost 6½ hours - went over a number of logistical issues relating to their summer schedule, which will culminate with an orientation camp in Calgary in the final week of August.
The last couple of hours were spent fine-tuning their original player list, which was tweaked but not substantially altered.
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Looks Like Team Canada Settles On Hockey Sweater
by Paul on 02/16/09 at 08:32 AM ET
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from Allan Maki of the Globe and Mail at CTV Olympics,
Hockey Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee are back to being one, big, happy family. The two sides have settled their months-old differences and come to an agreement on what jersey the men’s and women’s hockey teams should wear at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. While the COC had previously declined to support Hockey Canada’s traditional jersey, the one with a silhouetted player skating inside a red-and-black maple leaf, it agreed Saturday to submit a modified version to the International Olympic Committee.
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Could Team Canada Go Retro?
by Paul on 02/12/09 at 07:29 PM ET
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from MarketWire via the Earth Times,
Team Canada 72 and Ficel Marketing Corp., Team Canada’s marketing agency of record are offering the Official and First Ever Team Canada jersey from 1972, to our Olympic Athletes in 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
This jersey has become the most recognizable hockey jersey in Canadian Sports History....
“That is the best Team Canada jersey. I don’t know why we changed it.” Wayne Gretzky
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Trotz Throws His Hat Into The Ring For Team Canada Coach
by Paul on 12/15/08 at 08:51 AM ET
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from Scott Taylor of the National Post,
When Steve Yzerman was named general manager of Canada’s 2010 Olympic hockey team, it was assumed by some that Detroit Red Wings bench boss Mike Babcock would be named Canada’s next head coach.
Hearing Babcock’s name was somewhat refreshing considering that for so long the same names always seemed to come up—Pat Quinn, Ken Hitchcock, Marc Crawford, Andy Murray.
While Babcock, with his experience handling the highly-skilled members of the Red Wings, would be a terrific choice, so too would a guy who would love to answer his country’s call.
“There is nothing more exciting or more rewarding than playing or coaching a national team,” Nashville Predators head coach Barry Trotz said. “I’ve done it twice at the world championships and they were both among the greatest experiences of my life. ”
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The Team Canada Management Team
by Paul on 10/17/08 at 03:59 PM ET
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from Ken Campbell of the Hockey News,
Steve Yzerman enters his first Olympics as Canada’s director of operations, but he’ll have plenty of experienced help at his disposal for Canada’s entry in the 2010 Games.
THN.com has learned Yzerman’s boss and Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland along with Edmonton Oilers president hockey operations Kevin Lowe will be named to the Canadian management team with Yzerman Saturday afternoon in Ottawa.
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