WEIGHT OF THE WORLD CUP
Team Canada hands the C to Crosby in quest for another golden moment . . . but needs to replace Keith’s minutes on top defence pair (ouch).
Hockey Canada is going to mine a gold-medal leadership group for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey.
Sidney Crosby will once again serve as captain for Team Canada, joined — like he was at the 2014 Sochi Olympics — by Jonathan Toews and Shea Weber as alternates.
It seemed only fitting, given Canada’s success in Russia, that the defined leadership group would be given the honour once more at the revived international tournament, which starts Sept. 17 at the Air Canada Centre.
“They know me, I know them, they know what’s expected,” head coach Mike Babcock said of the decision during a Hockey Canada conference call. “And probably the thing that separates them from a lot of players is they play their best in the biggest moments.”
All three performed on the biggest international stage more than two years ago where Canada captured its second straight gold medal at the Sochi Games.
Crosby scored the second goal of the gold-medal game against Sweden and was a dominant two-way force through the tournament. He also scored one of the biggest goals in Canadian hockey history four years earlier, burying the “golden goal” in overtime in Vancouver.
Toews, an unexpected star for the Canadians in 2010, opened the scoring against the Swedes in the 2014 Olympic final and led all Canadian forwards in minutes throughout the event. One half of Canada’s top pair on defence, Weber paced the group both in ice time (nearly 22 minutes per game) and production, posting six points in six games (tied with Drew Doughty).
All three have also performed more than adequately for their NHL clubs during the Stanley Cup playoffs, especially Crosby and Toews, who have won five Stanley Cups combined.
Crosby, Toews, and Weber — traded from Nashville to Montreal in the off-season — each served as captains for their respective NHL teams last season.
Just about every player on Canada’s World Cup roster, mind you, wears either a C or an A in the NHL, including defenceman Alex Pietrangelo, who was named the St. Lous Blues’ 21st captain in franchise history on Thursday afternoon.
Babcock, speaking to the idea of leadership, said that while others may envision a big Hollywood speech, “in reality (leadership is) more about what you do than what you say. And leadership is delivered in the big moments, under the gun. Leadership is saying the right thing in a calm, composed manner at the right times.
“Leadership is about making people accountable when things aren’t right and these guys — whether it be Sid, Weber or Toews — they all do it real well.”