love the puck

Friday, December 23, 2005

Whether you want to admit it or not, Wayne Gretzky saw you coming. He knew that when he announced the members of Team Canada circa 2006, there would be people who would say he's wrong. People who would say the greatest hockey player of all time, the orchestrator of the last gold medal winning team, is wrong this time around.

But Wayne Gretzky knows a thing or two about hockey. He knows how to get the most out of elite players. He has an amazing sense for who he can trust, and who he can't. And here's the defense of Gretzky's decisions.

Todd Bertuzzi is an Olympian because it is an event for the best athletes in the World, and Bertuzzi is simply one of those athletes. He has skill and size in abundance and is capable of dominating any opponent. He is averaging a hair under a point-per-game in the best hockey league in the world after having more than a year and a half away from the game. No teammate has ever questioned his character, and he has handled his adversities in the best possible way.

Bertuzzi has already gleamed with enthusiasm upon hearing he has been entrusted with this honour. Does anyone really think Todd Bertuzzi will be a detriment to Team Canada? I think he'll be ready to play his heart out, for Wayne who trusted him, and for the country he loves. He deserves to be on Team Canada.

Kris Draper hasn't been scoring. Kris Draper plays on a team that doesn't ask him to score. His job on Team Canada will not be to put pucks in the net. Last I checked, there are three lines of elite scorers that will do that. Draper will kill penalties, win faceoffs, and play crucial minutes in close games against the best forwards on opposing teams. Draper is a proven winner, and no can take away his performance in the World Cup of Hockey in 2004.

Some made the argument for John Madden. Some say Eric Staal can play both ways. Both arguments are good ones. However, Wayne has played against Draper, and knows his capabilities. And last time there was a major international tournament, Kris got the job done.

Rick Nash went to the 2005 Men's World Hockey Championships in Innsbruck, Austria and put to rest any qualms about his game. Left off the World Cup team, Nash showed offensive skills so vast there is no way to leave him off any Team Canada in the near future. Has he been injured? Yes. No one is denying that. But already a Rocket Richard trophy winner, and with three goals in his first three games back, Nash is a proven scorer who loves the big ice. You may not like the pick now, but come February, when it counts, you'll love number 61 in red.

Now the taxi squad that was named were the right names. Bryan McCabe, Jason Spezza and Eric Staal would be counted on to log huge minutes for any other team but Canada.

Staal is the most deserving player. He is a dynamic, two way threat, with amazing speed and more importantly, he currently is leading the NHL with 24 goals.

Spezza doesn't make the big club simply because of a lack of versatility. Canada is too deep at center and Spezza doesn't kill penalties, doesn't play the wing, and isn't a premier defensive center. If he was to play, he'd be a scorer, and Canada is too deep at those center positions.

McCabe likely won't see much ice in Turin, because even if one injury was suffered to the Canada defense, they'd likely roll six defense anyway. McCabe is playing well, but Canada has the best defense in the world.

Wayne Gretzky might not be sleeping like a baby at night, but he sure doesn't hear you criticizing him. He knows you can't please everybody, and it's like he said at the start of this process; the only right answer, is a gold medal.

Posted by Jon at 12:44 PM | | e-mail me