Yzerman selected to engineer another golden contender

Hockey Canada decided not to mess with success on Monday, naming Steve Yzerman to lead the management staff for the senior men’s hockey team in the lead- up to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

As executive director, Yzerman — the Tampa Bay Lightning GM and Detroit Red Wings legend — will be joined by Edmonton Oilers president of hockey operations Kevin Lowe, who’ll act as general manager, and Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland and St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong, who’ll act as assistant GMS.

It’s the same group that spearheaded the Canadian team that won the gold medal at the 2010 Games in Vancouver, downing the United States in the final on Sidney Crosby’s overtime goal.

“Vancouver was one of the greatest experiences of my career in hockey,” Yzerman, a member of Canada’s gold medal team in 2002 and a hockey hall- of- famer, said at a news conference in Calgary.

“It was a very rewarding and enjoyable experience for us all, so we really look forward to being part of Sochi.”

Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli and Dave Nonis, the Toronto Maple Leafs assistant GM, will also be in Yzerman’s group as advisers.

While the 2010 management staff is chock full of Nhlers, the question remains whether NHL players will take part in the Sochi Games.

NHL players have represented their respective countries since the 1998 Games, but there is no agreement in place between the International Ice Hockey Federation and the NHL or the players’ union regarding participation at Sochi.

Participation in the Games is expected to be an issue in the upcoming collective bargaining negotiation between the NHL and the NHLPA.

“Hockey Canada certainly hopes that NHL players will be playing in Russia in the 2014 Olympics, but it’s not Hockey Canada’s decision,” Bob Nicholson, the organization’s president, told reporters.

“It’s a decision that will be made by the National Hockey League [ and] the National Hockey League Players’ Association through their collective bargaining agreement.”

The group’s first task will be to assemble the men’s team that will represent Canada at the IIHF world championship in May in Finland and Sweden.

The event, which runs May 4- 20, is important to the national team, Nicholson said, citing the fact that Canada has slipped to No. 4 in the IIHF world rankings and the results of the next two world championships will help determine seeding for the 2014 Games.

Russia is ranked No. 1 in the world at the moment, followed by Finland, Sweden, Canada and the Czech Republic.

“We’ve had a couple of years where the team has played amazingly well, but the results haven’t been there,” Lowe said of recent IIHF tournaments. “We have a little work to do.

“We hope to put together a team that can get back on top and win the world championship.”