Both management groups for Canada and the United States met this weekend to further discuss their respective teams for the upcoming Sochi Olympics. The U.S. will announce their team Jan. 1 in Detroit, and Canada will wait until the last possible moment, Jan. 7, to announce theirs.
While both groups are veiled in secrecy, it sounds like the two nations are near the same point, agreeing on the first nine forwards and perhaps the first five or six defencemen with the goalie equation still open. However, you have to wonder if both are still asking a few questions about the 25-man roster. And you have to wonder how many of the 25 names will see their way on to an official score sheet. You see, each team can dress only 20 skaters for each game.
Will that be 13 forwards and seven D?
Or 12 forwards and eight D?
Both sides advised me that they have yet to officially decide the numbers. What will the power play look like? Four forwards and a defenceman, or the conventional three forwards and two D on the points?
Considering the 20 skaters per game is two more bodies than NHL teams ice, will Canadian and U.S. coaches Mike Babcock and Dan Bylsma be flexible enough to use all 20, or will North American instinct take over and both coaches shorten the benches enough just to win. Just as importantly, will the players—all of them stars and used to playing big minutes—accept smaller rolls or no roll at all? Big questions with just a few weeks left in the process. Maybe, just maybe, will we hear in the next few weeks that veteran players will opt not to play for their countries if they can’t contribute the way they are used to contributing?
You have to know that there are some NHL teams growing a little weary of hearing about the Olympic selection process. It has become a go-to topic on all levels of the media, and even in some dressing rooms. Certainly when you hear of “bubble” players trying to impress Messrs. Babcock and Bylsma while playing the Red Wings and Penguins, there must be those executives frustrated the Sochi storyline is taking precedent over NHL regular-season wins.
We keep hearing that Canada is determined to change the style of its play to compensate for the larger ice surface. Speed and tempo will replace grit and size as keys to victory. Remember, two of the three Olympics played on 200-by-100 ice (Nagano, Turino) saw Canada miss the podium. On the U.S. side, the core group from Vancouver will be in Sochi. That includes an impressive collection of speedy forwards that took Canada to extra time in the final.
So truthfully, while we keep wondering which players are in or out, and who’s on the bubble, perhaps it’s more a discussion of how and when those players will be used that is dominating the talks behind closed doors.
