Team Canada begins ‘gold medal preparation’
Players won’t set foot on ice in Calgary
CALGARY It began late in the morning when players started filing through the terminal gates at the Calgary International Airport.
Starting with Sidney Crosby, who was bombarded by eager fans with Sharpies and No. 87 sweaters, and ending with a very tired Carey Price, who got married hours earlier, 46 of Canada’s best hockey players arrived Sunday for Hockey Canada’s Olympic orientation camp.
The public was buzzing — and they weren’t the only ones.
“It’s sometimes surreal to be here,” agreed Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos, one of the youngest of the group. “Especially when you’re still so young and in this situation. It’s pretty cool.
“For me, I’ve met most of the guys here and had a chance to play with them or skate with them. I think the star-struckness is gone but it’s still exciting to see all those guys, be around them and pick their brains a little bit. I think it’s going to be a fun couple of days.”
The fun is all new to Stamkos, who was 19 at the time of the 2010 Olympic camp and his second year in the National Hockey League.
With no on-ice component over the next three days, Hockey Canada brass and coaching staff will be going over video, walk-through practices, information, travel plans, and everything else associated with their journey to Sochi, Russia.
Sunday, basically, was like the first day of school.
Yes, even though the 2013-14 NHL season hasn’t started and the 2014 Olympics are months away. Not to mention Canada’s first game isn’t until Feb. 13 versus Norway.
“I mean, I think that’s something we’ve grown used to,” said Crosby at Hockey Canada headquarters at Calgary’s WinSport facilities. “Whether it be from prior Hockey Canada experience or directly with 2010, a lot of the guys were playing on the team here in Canada. Hosting it, that’s the most pressure I think I’ve ever felt. Having gone through that will help us, but that’s why we love the game.
“The passion everyone has and part of the pressure that comes with that, I think that’s something we’re all used to.”
Despite having practised and participated in an intrasquad game at the Scotiabank Saddledome in the summer of 2009, ice time isn’t in the cards this year as Hockey Canada decided against footing an insurance bill that would cost them more than $1 million.
Still, the entire group believes plenty of work will be done during their time in Calgary. Just no on-ice analysis of line combinations (Who will be Crosby’s winger?), defensive pairings (Will Chicago buds Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook make the cut?), and the starting goaltenders (Roberto Luongo versus Carey Price versus Mike Smith versus Corey Crawford versus Braden Holtby).
“No one is treating this lightly,” said Kevin Lowe, part of the managing group under executive director Steve Yzerman. “There is a lot that can be accomplished. Some of these players have never met one another. We’re going to ask them to go to Sochi walk into a dressing room, shake hands, and try to go out and literally fight. Try to win a championship for their country in hostile territory, where the Russians are trying to do the same thing.
“You can never underestimate camaraderie, relationships ... It’s unfortunate we can’t go on the ice, but we’ll accomplish a lot here.”
To head coach Mike Babcock, he said it’s about three things: ❚ Relationships: “That just doesn’t mean the players. It means the coaching staff. It means the management team. It means the therapy people. It means the equipment people. That’s a priority.” ❚ Details: “Spacing on the ice, where you’re supposed to be, so you can find your game within the game that we have, but understand the terminology and what’s going on so you can play the game fast.” ❚ Accepting the responsibility of putting a red and white jersey over your head — “Being an Olympian to me is much bigger than just being part of a regular hockey team,”
“You’re part of a bigger team — the Canadian team,” said Babcock, who coached the 2010 group. “That’s not just the Canadian hockey team, that’s the Canadian Olympic team. I think it’s a special, special thing. When you get special opportunities, your preparation should be the same. Our preparation this week has to be gold-medal preparation.”