Note: As we sit half-way through Team Canada's first game against Norway, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at what I was thinking team Canada's line combinations should look like back in December. Lo and behold, it seems I think a little bit like Mike Babcock. Here is my post from back on December 31st:
2010 Team Canada Men’s Hockey Roster
Forwards
Patrice Bergeron, L'Ancienne-Lorette, Que. (Boston Bruins)
Sidney Crosby, Cole Harbour, N.S. (Pittsburgh Penguins) Alternate captain
Ryan Getzlaf, Regina, Sask. (Anaheim Ducks)
Dany Heatley, Calgary, Alta. (San Jose Sharks)
Jarome Iginla, St. Albert, Alta. (Calgary Flames) Alternate captain
Patrick Marleau, Aneroid Sask. (San Jose Sharks)
Brenden Morrow, Carlyle, Sask. (Dallas Stars)
Rick Nash, Brampton, Ont. (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Mike Richards, Kenora, Ont. (Philadelphia Flyers)
Corey Perry, Peterborough, Ont. (Anaheim Ducks)
Eric Staal, Thunder Bay, Ont. (Carolina Hurricanes)
Joe Thornton, St. Thomas, Ont. (San Jose Sharks)
Jonathan Toews, Winnipeg, Man. (Chicago Blackhawks)
Defence
Dan Boyle, Ottawa, Ont. (San Jose Sharks)
Drew Doughty, Ottawa, Ont. (LA Kings)
Duncan Keith, Penticton, B.C. (Chicago Blackhawks)
Scott Niedermayer, Cranbrook, B.C. (Anaheim Ducks) - Captain
Chris Pronger, Dryden, Ont. (Philadelphia Flyers) - Alternate captain
Brent Seabrook, Tsawwassen, B.C. (Chicago Blackhawks)
Shea Weber, Sicamous, B.C. (Nashville Predators)
Goalies
Roberto Luongo, Montreal, Que. (Vancouver Canucks)
Martin Brodeur, Montreal, Que. (New Jersey Devils)
Marc-Andre Fleury, Sorel, Que. (Pittsburgh Penguins)
- official roster posted
HERE
While there were a few surprises when Steve Yzerman announced Team Canada’s 2010 entry into the Vancouver Olympics yesterday, the reality was that every single player selected to the roster was a viable candidate to represent Canada and while we can squabble over who was left off of the team, there’s no turning back now so we might as well get used to this lineup over the next 6 weeks as we get ready for the most anticipated Winter Games in history.
The deliberations were long and thought out and the group of men in charge of creating a winning team did their best to bring us, what they think, will be the best Hockey team in the world. Amen to that.
Canada is the money tree when it comes to hockey players and, although we lay claim to many records and winning teams, Canada always wins due to the strong work ethic that is instilled in young Canuck hockey players at the age of 3. Every single member of this Team Canada squad would hands down make any other roster submitted for the upcoming Olympic competition.
The reality is that Canada could very well have two elite squads participating in the Olympics. But that’s not how it works.
But if it did, this is how Pierre Lebrun of ESPN would have chosen Team Canada’s “B” Squad:
Forwards
Brad Richards
Ryan Smyth
Marc Savard
Vincent Lecavalier
Jeff Carter
Mike Cammalleri
Steven Stamkos
Martin St. Louis
Derek Roy
Jordan Staal
Dustin Penner
Mike Fisher
Patrick Sharp
Defensemen
Jay Bouwmeester
Mike Green
Dion Phaneuf
Stephane Robidas
Robyn Regehr
Dan Hamhuis
Francois Beauchemin
Goaltending
Cam Ward
Marty Turco
Carey Price
- For more of Pierre’s breakdown of Canada’s “Shadow Squad”, click here.
As interesting as it would be to see Mr. Lebrun’s team participate in the Games in Vancouver, that is obviously not a possibility.
What is certain is that with little to no practice time available for Team Canada, it is going to be up to the coaches and management to decipher which combinations will yield the greatest results.
So, with that in mind, let’s play the job of Mike Babcock and Steve Yzerman.
Below are my line combo’s as well as special team units, feel free to counter my lineup with one of your own.
Line 1:
Nash-Crosby-Iginla
- Crosby and Iginla…just seems right. Adding Rick Nash to Sid’s other wing could make this the most ferocious line in the tournament.
Line 2:
Staal-Getzlaf-Perry
- Eric Staal is a center, but he is also a left-handed shot and will provide an incredible compliment to one of the most solid duo’s in the NHL since the lockout. Staal will also compliment Getzlaf as a backup option at center, shoring up the line’s ability to win key face-offs. Oh yeah, and there’s all that offense...although Eric has had a slow start with a rocky Hurricanes team, his play of late has been nothing short of Olympian and it was clear to see why Stevie Y & co. chose the Thunder Bay native.
Line 3:
Marleau-Thornton-Heatley
- Yes, yes. This could very well be your first line, second line or the absolute best line in the tournament. They are, after all, the best line in the NHL this season. The versatility of this line will be in its ability to set the tone for Team Canada as well as provide them with 3 legitimate lines that could double as some of the strongest power play units ever assembled. Place this line wherever you want, the reality is that this is one combo that the coaches won’t have to worry about when it comes to chemistry.
Line 4:
Morrow-Richards-Bergeron/Toews
- Your ultimate checking line. Morrow is a solid two-way forward and may be the grittiest player on Team Canada. He will guide the trio of youngsters in Richards, Bergeron and Toews as they will combine to make Team Canada’s 4th line. With 3 centers on this line, it is plain to see that management focused on bringing in capable defensive minded forwards who can win key draws. Canada will not make the mistake of leaving their team vulnerable on the draw, so this 4th line will provide Coach Babcock with a tremendous arsenal of centermen.
Defense
1st Pairing:
Pronger-Boyle
- I personally would have loved to have seen a pairing of Pronger and Mike Green, but since Boyle proved the better offensive candidate to compliment Pronger(mainly because of his defensive awareness), it will be Danny boy skating with the nastiest defenseman in all of the tournament. The dynamic of the hard-hitting Pronger and smooth skating Boyle will force opponents to second guess their approach into Canada’s zone and will also force the opposition’s D-men to stay on their toes due to both Pronger and Boyle’s incredible ability to make brilliant stretch passes.
2nd Pairing:
Weber-Niedermayer
- Again, 1st or 2nd pairing, this combination of Shea Weber and Canada’s captain only makes sense. Weber is a younger version of Chris Pronger and given Chris and Scotty’s former chemistry with the Ducks, it’s a safe bet that if Neidermayer and Pronger do not end up as a regular combo that it will be Scott playing with Shea. Weber is an explosive hitter who possesses an incredible shot. Neidermayer, of course, is the ultimate defenseman, capable of performing every on-ice task that could be demanded from a premiere defender. Avoiding pairing Pronger and Neids together for awhile will help Canada have better balanced and quicker defensive pairings.
3rd Pairing:
Seabrook-Keith
- Although many people suggest that Seabrook got to ride Duncan Keith’s coat-tails onto Team Canada’s blue line, the truth is that the Tsawwasen, B.C. native is exactly what Babcock is looking for in a stable but dynamic 3rd pairing. Seabrook may lack in a few areas, but that can be made up by inserting Drew Doughty into the lineup occasionally.
Alternate:
Doughty
- Drew is the youngest member of Team Canada, but plays like a veteran. He, along with Patrice Bergeron and Jonathan Toews will not necessarily be regular fixtures in Team Canada’s lineup in February, but they will play their fair share and will be relied upon to provide their team-mates with excellent play when they do get their shot. Doughty is phenomenal shooter and one of the most defensively aware D-men in the NHL. The scary part is that this is only Doughty’s second year as a Pro and yet, his play has not suffered one iota from a “sophomore slump”, but rather only improved. His selection basically to this team basically denotes how much the play of guys like Jay Bouwmeester and Dion Phaneuf has fallen off in the last 2 seasons. Both are still tremendously capable and would have made fine additions to Canada’s roster, but not compared to Doughty. Drew is likely being groomed to take on a “Scotty Neidermayer-like” role in the future for Team Canada which also makes his selection a logical move. He will learn and mature in leaps and bounds this February so LA Kings should be very grateful for what Steve Yzerman has done for
their hope for the future!
Power Play:
Unit 1:
Nash-Getzlaf-Heatley
Pronger-Neidermayer
- This trio has been a lightning rod for success for Team Canada in the World Championships in the past and should/will scare the hell out of the opposition.
- As for your top PP duo, the logical choice would be to play it safe and go with the greatest chemistry offensive chemistry on your blue line.
Unit 2:
Staal-Crosby-Perry
Keith-Boyle
- Smooth skating and quick, this power play unit is chalked full of slick passing and sniper shooting. Many people may suggest that Corey Perry isn’t much of a sniper, but I beg to differ. Pairing Crosby with Perry will confuse opposing coaches as this unit will not be able to contained through physical play. Eric Staal is a sniper and a play-maker and would be the ultimate ‘front of the net’ player. Using his size and hands, Staal is magical in close and blocks a lot of the goaltender’s view. With Keith and Boyle manning the points, I expect the tic-tac-toes to fly.
Unit 3:
Marleau-Thornton-Iginla
Doughty-Weber
- Marleau and Thornton have a strong connection on the power play and Jarome Iginla is the most dominant power-forward on the roster. Capitalizing on Thornton’s incredible passing and Marleau’s pin point accuracy, it only makes sense to have someone like Jarome Iginla manning the high slot or causing absolute havoc in the crease. Doughty and Weber may be a bit ‘green’ for an Olympic power-play unit, but Weber is a rock on defense and Doughty’s blasts from the point make him an obvious candidate to see some power play time.
Ok, so the I mixed and matched a lot of the top lines to create some new(and old) PP combinations. One thing I tried to do was to stay away from repeating the same combinations as the regular lines. In order for Canada to keep their opposition on their toes at all times, I feel that it would only make sense to move players around based on their specialties.
Of course it is easy to start with this types of combinations because with so many dynamic pairings on the team already, the coaches can always revert back to the safety of some predetermined power play units. For example, playing the Marleau-Thornton-Heatley trio together would make tons of sense, if it didn’t already make a lot of sense to use them together as a regular line combination.
The same can be said for keeping Perry and Getzlaf together as well as using Nash-Crosby-Iginla as a power play unit, but, in the end, if my proposed mixed power play units didn’t work, they could always revert to that.
As for the D pairings, I feel that it would be wise to use Neidermayer and Pronger together on the top unit. They have the chemistry, leadership and responsibility to handle the load of playing on the top PP unit. Team Canada also boasts a secret weapon in terms of chemistry if they want to pair Getzlaf and Perry together with Neidermayer and Pronger as they won a Stanley Cup together.
Boyle and Keith offer a near complete contrast of what Pronger and Neidermayer bring to the table as they are all about puck control and management. Both are adept stick-handlers who boast a bag full of tricks. Both are spectacularly quick on their feet and can win almost any foot-race you could think of. They are accurate shooters, but most of all, they have incredible vision on the power play and will compliment a Power Play General like Sidney Crosby, perfectly.
Finally, pairing Doughty and Weber together is a way of including these two into the offensive mix. As I mentioned, Doughty is an up and coming offensive juggernaut. He has the shooting and passing instinct to make him a dangerous addition to a power play unit while Weber’s shot is even more powerful and frightening than Doughty’s. Both play large and do a great job of stepping up at their own line to shut a play down, something that is very condusive to helping the Team capitalize on turn-overs and their ability to create odd-man rushes.
Penalty Kill
Unit 1:
Morrow-Richards
Pronger-Neidermayer
- Morrow and Richards are perhaps the two best shutdown-power forwards in the game and will create an incredibly antagonistic combination. Richards and Pronger have chemistry playing in Philly together, while Neidermayer is just as impressive on the penalty kill as he is on the power play.
Unit 2:
Crosby-Bergeron
Keith-Seabrook
- Yes, Sidney is all about the offense, but he and Bergeron share a chemistry from back in their days of Gold Medals with Canada’s World Junior squad. Bergeron is a fierce defender and excellent face-off man so by playing two centermen together who boast prior chemistry simply shores up the PK. Keith and Seabrook share chemistry from their time in Chicago and, although Seabrook doesn’t necessarily figure into the power play plans, he will be key in helping keep the puck out of Canada’s net when they are down a man.
Unit 3:
Staal-Toews
Neidermayer-Weber
- These three youngsters all boast excellent defensive skills, so it would not surprise me to see Babcock give them the occasional chance to kill off penalties together under the careful watch of Team Canada captain Scott Neidermayer.
Expecting chemistry on the penalty kill is always the hardest thing to do as a coach and it always takes a fair bit of time to put together succinct units that can be relied upon, but with so much defensive aggression in the bottom half of the lineup, Canada will likely have no problem mixing and matching combinations as the tournament progresses.
Oh yeah! My goaltenders rank in this order:
1. Brodeur
2. Luongo
3. Fleury
That’s it.
Those are my proposed line combinations for Team Canada as we bid adieu to 2009.
Of course, many things can change between now and mid-February, so we will re-visit this issue as we sit and watch these recently named members of Team Canada battle it out in the NHL.
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