Mike Babcock has a pretty good idea of the kind of attributes he’ll be looking for in his players at the upcoming 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
The coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs offered some insight during his appearance on Prime Time Sports Thursday evening, and explained why he doesn’t place too much importance on specific roles (such as checking forwards) before the team is formed.
“I think checkers at this level are goal-scorers anyway,” Babcock told hosts Bob McCown and John Shannon on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. “Your hockey IQ has to be off the charts to play in this tournament. I mean, Jonathan Toews at two Olympics has checked for me. I don’t think he’s a checker. He has the puck when he’s on the ice. That’s how he checks.
“You’re going to find the best possible players and then encourage them to play the way we need to have success.”
Babcock, who was officially introduced as the head coach of Team Canada on Thursday, is happy to be part of a coaching staff and management team that will be heavily involved in the selection process, along with assistants Joel Quenneville, Claude Julien, Bill Peters, Barry Trotz and general manager Doug Armstrong.
“We’ll watch [the players] closely,” said Babcock. “It’s a great opportunity. The selection process is so very important. Doug [Armstrong] is very organized and it’ll be a fun process.”
While Babcock is certainly excited for the role, he says it’s hard to imagine the event providing the same type of atmosphere as the Olympic Games.
“I’ve never been to anything like it,” said Babcock. “The opportunity for the players, coaches, fans. I’d go as just as fan to be around the people. The energy in Sochi and Vancouver was something I’ve never seen before.
“Nothing will replace the Olympics.”
