One answer to the puzzle is in. Now begin the real guessing games.
That Doug Armstrong and Ken Holland would be part of Team Canada’s management committee for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey was essentially a no-brainer, given that both men had ably assisted Steve Yzerman as Canada won gold at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.
Armstrong gets the GM title, but you can guess Holland is essentially co-GM. The rest of the crew – Rob Blake, Bob Murray, Marc Bergevin – represents a sampling of the deep talent pool Canada has to choose from when it comes to organizing these events.
Really, however, the management team just starts the conversation that will begin generating widespread debate in the fall.
Who will coach the team?
And who will play for Canada?
Those subjects tend to create more discussion, and so it was that the announcement of the management team earlier today really didn’t create a big fuss. If there was an interesting name left off the list, it might have been Dallas GM Jim Nill, who just orchestrated a gold medal for Canada at the recent world championships.
"I can’t guarantee we’re going to win," said Armstrong. "But I can guarantee this group will work tirelessly to get the best players together.
That first crew, 16 of them, will be announced March 1st, although that list could probably be put together now, starting with Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Ryan Getzlaf, Drew Doughty, Carey Price and the other stalwarts that played so brilliantly in Sochi last year.
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It’s the second group of seven that will spur intense debate, even moreso since all will have to be 24 years of age or older, with those younger than that eligible for the combined Canada-U.S. all-star team that will be one of the eight entrants when the tournament opens in September, 2016. So players like Aaron Ekblad, Connor MacDavid and Nathan MacKinnon won’t be eligible to play for Team Canada.
"It’s a different pressure, but it’s pressure," said Holland when asked about player selection. "For us, it’s what we do every day. We let the other people worry about the second-guessing and evaluating."
For head coach, one assumes Toronto’s Mike Babcock will have the right of first refusal, given that he was behind the bench for those two Olympic wins. If Babcock isn’t inclined this time around, just as Yzerman wasn’t inclined to be involved, then the head man would likely come from a list including Joel Quenneville, Todd McLellan, Darryl Sutter, Alain Vigneault and Ken Hitchcock.
"As many great players as we have, we also have a lot of great coaches to choose from," said Armstrong.
The first two teams from each pool of four qualify for a single game semifinal, with the two winners meeting in a best-of-three final. Along with Canada and the U.S., the tourney includes Russia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and an all-star team made up of players from other European nations.
"I believe the timing of the event is good," said Hockey Canada boss Tom Renney. "The players are already in training mode. This sets them up nicely for the season."
The last World Cup was held in 2004 and won by Canada, coached by Pat Quinn and captained by Mario Lemieux. Profits from the event are shared between the NHL and NHL Players Association, and all the games will be played in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre.
Murray of the Anaheim Ducks, who was a bit of a surprise to be included this time, said he prefers the fall tournament to the winter Olympic event.
"You get to start with healthy players," he said. "We had a lot of players involved in the last two Olympics, and when they came back, it didn’t go so well for our team."
None of the other entrants have yet named their management team, although it’s widely anticipated L.A.’s Dean Lombardi will run Team U.S.A. All teams will have a training camp at a location of their choose starting Sept. 4.
