Post by Scrundel on Aug 20, 2004 21:51:35 GMT -5
"OTTAWA (CP) - Joe Sakic passed the puck blindly to his right and found Jarome Iginla right on the tape.
Just like old times.
Sakic, Iginla and Simon Gagne were reunited Friday as Team Canada kicked off a 10-day training camp in preparation for the Aug. 30-Sept. 14 World Cup of Hockey.
Head coach Pat Quinn knows a good thing when he sees one. The Gagne-Sakic-Iginla line scored four of Canada's five goals in the gold medal victory at the Salt Lake Olympics two and half years ago.
Why mess with success?
"We knew right away we weren't going to break that one up, we were going to leave it together," Quinn said Friday after his team's first practice. "Now we'll find out what other ones we can pull together than can contribute as much."
Watched intently by a large group of media at the University of Ottawa hockey rink Friday, superstar Mario Lemieux, recovering from hip surgery, skated a line with Stanley Cup champions Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards -a combination that should send shivers down the spine of the Americans, Canada's opposition in the exhibition opener Monday in Columbus, Ohio.
Big Joe Thornton centred another dangerous line Friday with sniper Dany Heatley to his right and Patrick Marleau to his left.
The checking line, as expected, had Kris Draper between Kirk Maltby and Shane Doan, the same unit dubbed the International Grind Line in 2003 when Canada won the first of back-to-back IIHF world championships.
A fifth forward line Friday had Vincent Lecavalier between Ryan Smyth and Brenden Morrow, and it appears they'll be the odd men out come Monday night.
There's 26 players on the roster but only 20 can dress, meaning three forwards, two defenceman and one goalie will watch from the press box throughout the tournament.
"That's always the hardest part," Team Canada executive director Wayne Gretzky told a packed news conference after Friday's practice. "But I think we've explained to the players -we had a meeting last night -that only 20 guys can dress, that it's imperative everyone is on the same page, that we're going to try and put our best 20 players forward each and every game.
"But one of the things that's always made Team Canada great is that we have a group of unselfish players."
But just because Lecavalier, Smyth and Morrow looked to be on the outside looking in Friday, that doesn't mean they won't play in this tournament. The best-laid plans change in a hurry. Curtis Joseph started as the No. 1 goalie in Salt Lake but quickly lost his job to Martin Brodeur. Three of the four forward lines from the opening game at the Olympics were also scrapped.
"We may find that two or three games into this we'll need to tweak the lines," Quinn said.
Should Lemieux, for example, have a setback because of his hip, don't be surprised to see Lecavalier thrown into his spot between his Tampa Bay Lightning teammates.
The Sakic line is an important leftover from the Olympic team, given that only 10 of the 23 players who were in Salt Lake are on this year's World Cup squad.
One of the biggest hurdles for Canada in this tournament, including the old Canada Cups, is to come together quickly and find chemistry. Quinn hopes the Sakic line can simply pick up where it left off in Salt Lake.
"We were first put together in the second game in Salt Lake and I think with each game we started to feel more and more comfortable together," Sakic, named MVP at the Olympics, said after practice. "Hopefully by the first game here it'll be the same thing."
Iginla was thrilled to re-discover his Olympic linemates Friday.
"I had a great time playing with Joe and Gags in Salt Lake," said the Calgary Flames star. "You're never sure what the lines are going to be and this was just the first day, but it sure was fun to be back playing with them again."
Gagne, who surprised some observers by being named to the team after an average season with the Philadelphia Flyers, sounded somewhat surprised to be back on the big line.
"I was a bit nervous to be back with those two great players," Gagne said. "But we know each well from Salt Lake. It took just a few drills today to get our timing back together."
While the forward lines took shape Friday, the defence pairings seemed a little less written in stone. Veterans Scott Niedermayer and Adam Foote, Canada's top two blue-liners, played some of the practice together but were also split up.
Wade Redden, Ed Jovanovski, Eric Brewer and Robyn Regehr will likely fill out the group of six defencemen who will dress for most games with youngsters Scott Hannan and Jay Bouwmeester the odd men out.
Note: The U.S. team announced Friday that defenceman Eric Weinrich of the St. Louis Blues will replace Derian Hatcher of the Detroit Red Wings, who asked to be excused due to personal reasons."
Just like old times.
Sakic, Iginla and Simon Gagne were reunited Friday as Team Canada kicked off a 10-day training camp in preparation for the Aug. 30-Sept. 14 World Cup of Hockey.
Head coach Pat Quinn knows a good thing when he sees one. The Gagne-Sakic-Iginla line scored four of Canada's five goals in the gold medal victory at the Salt Lake Olympics two and half years ago.
Why mess with success?
"We knew right away we weren't going to break that one up, we were going to leave it together," Quinn said Friday after his team's first practice. "Now we'll find out what other ones we can pull together than can contribute as much."
Watched intently by a large group of media at the University of Ottawa hockey rink Friday, superstar Mario Lemieux, recovering from hip surgery, skated a line with Stanley Cup champions Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards -a combination that should send shivers down the spine of the Americans, Canada's opposition in the exhibition opener Monday in Columbus, Ohio.
Big Joe Thornton centred another dangerous line Friday with sniper Dany Heatley to his right and Patrick Marleau to his left.
The checking line, as expected, had Kris Draper between Kirk Maltby and Shane Doan, the same unit dubbed the International Grind Line in 2003 when Canada won the first of back-to-back IIHF world championships.
A fifth forward line Friday had Vincent Lecavalier between Ryan Smyth and Brenden Morrow, and it appears they'll be the odd men out come Monday night.
There's 26 players on the roster but only 20 can dress, meaning three forwards, two defenceman and one goalie will watch from the press box throughout the tournament.
"That's always the hardest part," Team Canada executive director Wayne Gretzky told a packed news conference after Friday's practice. "But I think we've explained to the players -we had a meeting last night -that only 20 guys can dress, that it's imperative everyone is on the same page, that we're going to try and put our best 20 players forward each and every game.
"But one of the things that's always made Team Canada great is that we have a group of unselfish players."
But just because Lecavalier, Smyth and Morrow looked to be on the outside looking in Friday, that doesn't mean they won't play in this tournament. The best-laid plans change in a hurry. Curtis Joseph started as the No. 1 goalie in Salt Lake but quickly lost his job to Martin Brodeur. Three of the four forward lines from the opening game at the Olympics were also scrapped.
"We may find that two or three games into this we'll need to tweak the lines," Quinn said.
Should Lemieux, for example, have a setback because of his hip, don't be surprised to see Lecavalier thrown into his spot between his Tampa Bay Lightning teammates.
The Sakic line is an important leftover from the Olympic team, given that only 10 of the 23 players who were in Salt Lake are on this year's World Cup squad.
One of the biggest hurdles for Canada in this tournament, including the old Canada Cups, is to come together quickly and find chemistry. Quinn hopes the Sakic line can simply pick up where it left off in Salt Lake.
"We were first put together in the second game in Salt Lake and I think with each game we started to feel more and more comfortable together," Sakic, named MVP at the Olympics, said after practice. "Hopefully by the first game here it'll be the same thing."
Iginla was thrilled to re-discover his Olympic linemates Friday.
"I had a great time playing with Joe and Gags in Salt Lake," said the Calgary Flames star. "You're never sure what the lines are going to be and this was just the first day, but it sure was fun to be back playing with them again."
Gagne, who surprised some observers by being named to the team after an average season with the Philadelphia Flyers, sounded somewhat surprised to be back on the big line.
"I was a bit nervous to be back with those two great players," Gagne said. "But we know each well from Salt Lake. It took just a few drills today to get our timing back together."
While the forward lines took shape Friday, the defence pairings seemed a little less written in stone. Veterans Scott Niedermayer and Adam Foote, Canada's top two blue-liners, played some of the practice together but were also split up.
Wade Redden, Ed Jovanovski, Eric Brewer and Robyn Regehr will likely fill out the group of six defencemen who will dress for most games with youngsters Scott Hannan and Jay Bouwmeester the odd men out.
Note: The U.S. team announced Friday that defenceman Eric Weinrich of the St. Louis Blues will replace Derian Hatcher of the Detroit Red Wings, who asked to be excused due to personal reasons."
