No-name defence could be Canada’s strength
“There’s guys on our back end that could play in the NHL . . . It’s going to be a good group.” CODY GOLOUBEF CANADIAN DEFENCEMAN
PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA— When Canada released its men’s Olympic hockey roster last month, the list of non-NHLers was dotted with recognizable names.
There were forwards hockey fans knew well. Chris Kelly, named captain here this week, won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins a few years ago. Derek Roy and Rene Bourque had long NHL careers. And the three goaltenders — former Maple Leaf Ben Scrivens among them — were familiar enough.
But as for the eight defencemen, they were hardly household names outside their households. The most experienced NHLer among them was a 28-year-old right shot named Cody Goloubef. While hard-core GTA puckheads might be able to tell you that Goloubef, who is from Oakville, played his minor hockey with the Toronto Marlboros before spending time at the University of Wisconsin as a second-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets — well, the rest of us required a Google search. (Fun fact turned up in said search: Goloubef’s great uncle is Dick Duff, the hall-of-famer who was named the 28th greatest Maple Leaf in franchise history by a panel of experts in 2016).
The rest of Canada’s defencemen — the likes of Mat Robinson, Chay Genoway and Marc-Andre Gragnani — don’t exactly qualify as known quantities at hockey’s highest levels.
“I don’t know if the names are recognizable, but they’re certainly good players,” Canadian head coach Willie Desjardins said of his blueliners, speaking after the team’s first practice in South Korea. “I think it’s a great D corps. I think it’s been one of the strengths of our team throughout. They’re mobile, and I think you like that on a big ice surface.”
Five of Canada’s defencemen are listed at six-foot or under, which underlines the idea that GM Sean Burke had an eye on speed and skill more than plain old size. And five play in the KHL, the world’s secondbest pro league, which bolsters Desjardins’ point about their collective skill level.
“Just because guys haven’t played in the NHL . . . there’s guys on our back end that could play in the NHL,” Goloubef said. “I don’t think (the lack of NHL experience) matters. It’s going to be all about compete and all about puck moving. And I think everybody on our back end is really good. It’s going to be a good group.”
Said Scrivens: “We have a bunch of (defencemen) who are mobile. A really intelligent group, as well. They think the game. They’re always talking to us goalies, trying to figure out what we’re seeing, what they can do better. It’s unreal playing behind them. You see so many shots. If you do give up a rebound, you’ve got two guys battling for you, under sticks, in good position at all times.”
Goloubef, the 37th overall pick in the 2008 NHL draft, has seen his pro career waylaid by injuries, including a fractured jaw suffered in 2015 that made it difficult for him to make an impact with the Blue Jackets. That disappointing season was a prelude to a 2016 trade to the Avalanche. And while Goloubef signed an AHL-only contract in 2017 with an eye toward playing in the Olympics, returning to the NHL remains a front-of-mind concern.
“I don’t think that dream’s over for me,” he said. “I found my game this year. I really got my confidence back. And I’ve really started to stride. So hopefully things work out.”
Playing well here could go a long way toward smoothing the road to an NHL renaissance. Before he’ll get the chance to ponder that, mind you, Goloubef has at least a couple of slightly more pressing concerns. For one, his wife Alexandra is back in Oakville eight months pregnant with the couple’s first child — a turn of events that has precluded her from attending the Games. For another, there’s the matter of doing Canada proud beginning Feb. 15, when the group stage begins with a game against Switzerland.
As Canada wrapped up its first Olympic practice this week, Goloubef acknowledged the heft of the situation.
“It’s unbelievable,” Goloubef said. “It’s a place I don’t think many of us thought we’d ever be.”
The chance to rise from obscurity to immortality begins next week.