National Post (National Edition)
Babcock leans on traditional core
CROSBY TO SERVE AS CAPTAIN ON CANADIAN WORLD CUP TEAM STACKED WITH ELITE TALENT
Naming Sidney Crosby captain of Team Canada was pretty much a given. But having Claude Giroux fully healthy in time for the World Cup of Hockey certainly wasn’t.
That’s why the revelation from Canadian general manager Doug Armstong Thursday that Giroux is fully fit and ready to go for the start of training camp in Ottawa on Sept. 5 was a boost for a squad that saw banged-up players Jamie Benn and Duncan Keith bow out earlier this week.
“What Jamie and Dunc were dealing with, we were on top of right from the get-go and we were trying to give those guys as much time as possible,” Armstrong said during a conference call. “The other player that was dealing with some post-season surgery was Giroux. We’ve stayed in touch with him and I’ve talked to the Flyers and he’s on board and ready to get going.
“We think this will be the group and we’re comfortable this will be the group that we’ll take into Ottawa a week (from) Sunday.”
Benn is coming off core muscle surgery, while Keith is rehabilitating his ailing right knee. As for Giroux, he underwent a hip operation to address a painful ailment that limited him to just one point — an assist — during the Philadelphia Flyers’ six-game firstround elimination at the hands of the Washington Capitals in April.
With Benn and Keith replaced by the San Jose Sharks’ Logan Couture and the St. Louis Blues’ Jay Bouwmeester, the Canadian roster is now pretty much set. And it’s one that will feature Crosby wearing the C.
With apologies to Shea Weber and Jonathan Toews — the two men who will serve as the alternates — Crosby was a slam dunk for the honour. He captained Canada to a gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the 2015 World Championships. He has hoisted the Stanley Cup twice as the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, most recently two months ago. And last (but not least), you might remember that golden goal he scored in overtime of the title game against the United States that won Canada the Olympic gold at the 2010 Vancouver games.
Keep this in mind too: Crosby, Weber and Toews wore those same letters in Sochi, a team coached by the same Mike Babcock, who is once again Canada’s bench boss this time around.
“They’re great, great men who have distinguished themselves not only with their ability but with their relentless drive to get better and for success, and to help both their individual games and help Canada medal in the past or win Cups, for that matter,” Babcock said.
“They’re fantastic guys. They know me. I know them. They know what’s expected. And probably the thing that separates them from a lot of players is, they play their best in the biggest moments. So for them to lead a bunch of leaders — because everyone on our team is capable of being a captain — is going to be important for our group to have success.”
DON’T I KNOW YOU?
With teams having fewer than two weeks to prepare for the tournament, having players who are familiar with each others’ games becomes even more vital for contenders.
As such, Team Canada’s efforts were further augmented when Couture and Bouwmeester were chosen to replace the healing Benn and Keith.
Couture and Joe Thornton are teammates with the Sharks and could see time on the same line as well as on the power play. So, too, could defencemen Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, potentially giving Canada a four-man unit of Sharks when Canada has the man advantage.
On the back end, Canada now has three sets of teammates, including Burns and Vlasic.
Bouwmeester could immediately slide in beside St Louis Blues teammate Alex Pietrangelo. The Canadian blue-line also features Los Angeles Kings teammates Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin.
Meanwhile, up front, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin were all members of the 2011 Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. Seguin has since been traded to Dallas.
When you break down Team Canada, there are four Sharks, three Kings, two Hawks, two Bruins and two Blues.
No matter how much the naysayers might criticize some of picks made by the Team Canada hierarchy, there certainly is method to the madness.