CANADA’S OLYMPIC HOCKEY KING
National team’s veteran assistant coach has much wisdom to share at unique Games
This is how long Dave King has been around the Canadian hockey scene.
Team Canada general manager Sean Burke was King’s Olympic goalie in 1988, before he went on to debut for this rookie general manager in New Jersey named Lou Lamoriello.
Before that, when King coached at the University of Saskatchewan, he had a little sparkplug centreman as his captain. That captain, Willie Desjardins, is now head coach of Team Canada for the Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
A few years after that, King had this not so mobile defenceman on his Saskatchewan team: The player’s name was Mike Babcock.
King has been head coach of Canada’s Olympic hockey team three times. Babcock was the head man in the last two goldmedal-winning Games. Now the universe is basically upside down with NHL players staying home and little knowns we might remember from somewhere along the way are about to be named Thursday to the Olympic team we pay the most attention to.
This is new for King, “extremely different,” he calls it, the process of putting this team together, his role now as an assistant coach under a GM and a coach he helped become who they are.
“It’s been a fascinating year already,” said King, knowing the Olympic roster won’t generate any national debate on whether Ben Scrivens should be the goalie ahead of Kevin Poulin or Justin Peters or Barry Brust. This is back to the future for Canadian hockey. Except when King was preparing teams in 1984, 1988 and 1992 for the Olympics, he had a full season to learn his roster, understand his players, have a sense of what all this will be.
It is so unknown right now, even to those involved.
“We had four very short-term events,” said the 70-year-old King. “So you had seven days and three, four games to make evaluations on players. Players would arrive from all over the world, from different leagues, different circumstances, and we’re trying to evaluate everything.
“We haven’t had the same lineup twice for tournaments. So, really, you have to keep things simple. You have to rely on your scouts. Sean (Burke) and Scott Salmond have done a great deal of scouting. And you also have to rely on other coaches and trust other people’s opinions.
“Our sample size for quite a few of our players has been three games. In some cases we extended that to a second tournament, so it’s six games. That’s a very small sample size to make a decision.”
The non-NHL teams King coached in three Olympics had a number of players who became terrific professionals: Eric Lindros, Kirk Muller, James Patrick, Burke, Joe Juneau, Dave Tippett, Pat Flatley, Mario Gosselin and Brian Bradley to name a few.
That kind of talent is not available now, especially when the late NHL pullout from the Olympics became official.
King compared picking this team to going on “blind dates.” You ask questions, you look, you take stock, and you hope you make the right decision.
“Once we have our roster, there won’t be a lot of lineup changes at the Olympics,” he said. “We’ll probably be changing our line combinations and our D pairs, depending on how it goes. Willie is up for that as a coach. He’s had to deal with it before and he’s very adept at changing on the fly.
“In a tournament like this, the art of coaching will be put to the test.”
The four goalies competing for three spots have all played in the NHL. All now play in Russia, Germany, Austria or Switzerland.
“I think we’ll be fine in goal,” King said. “They’re all quality goalies.”
What King likes is the format. He coached in Olympic Games that didn’t have playoff formats and gold-medal games. This format, he says, is more forgiving. There are three groups of four teams each playing a round robin and then crossover games. In a 12-team tournament, there will be elimination quarter-final and semifinal games — and then a gold-medal game.
Canada has South Korea, Switzerland and the Czech Republic in their draw. They won’t have to play whatever Russia is called, with Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk, until playoffs, if at all.
King thinks Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czechs have an advantage going in because they play in Euro Tour events annually, with national teams playing without NHL players.
“These teams are used to playing together,” King said.
With Team Canada, it’s the greatest unknown we’ve seen since our country returned to Olympic hockey in l980. The mystery of it all is rather fascinating.
“I know every hockey fan dreams of best on best,” King said. “That’s why the format was changed way back. Yes, there will be an absence of players that everybody would like to see. But something happens when you put that uniform on. When you become Team Canada. And I think we’re going to see a competition that is quite even. We’re going to be a tough team to play against.”
Team Canada begins its preOlympic camp in Latvia Feb. 1. They play three pre-tournament games before opening in South Korea against Switzerland Feb. 15.
But it will be a scramble for almost all countries.
The Swedish and Swiss leagues, not believing there would be no NHL participation, scheduled games up to Feb. 10. The opening ceremony for PyeongChang is Feb. 9.
“Honest, I’m just thrilled to be part of it,” King said. “It’s been such a big part of my life. I’m in the background here now. At my age you don’t want to step in and dominate the conversation. You just want to help.”
Yes, there will be an absence of players that everybody would like to see. But something happens when you put that uniform on.