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*** Offical *** World Cup of Hockey THread *** Confirmed ***
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What is that and where can I pick one up? I will be there three nights. The first night I know where I'm going to eat: Le Keg in Old Montreal. The other two nights I will be at the games. One day for Lunch I will be going to Marche. The other day: up in the air.
I've been to Montreal a few times and I know what I like 🙂
-Phil
Martin to replace Leopold for Team USA
TSN.ca Staff
8/25/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - The defending World Cup champion United States suffered their third major loss on the blue-line Wednesday when Jordan Leopold of the Calgary Flames pulled out because of a concussion.
He suffered the injury in the third period of Monday night's 3-1 exhibition win over Canada in Columbus, Ohio - a game in which he scored the final goal.
It may prove to be a crippling loss for the Americans, who have already seen Detroit Red Wings star blue-liners Derian Hatcher and Mathieu Schneider pull out. Leopold, a key part of Calgary's Stanley Cup run this spring, was on a top pairing on this U.S. team with veteran Chris Chelios.
Paul Martin of the New Jersey Devils, coming off his rookie NHL campaign, will replace Leopold.
``Unfortunately Jordan will be unable to participate further in the World Cup due to his injury status,'' American team GM Larry Pleau said in a statement. ``However this represents a tremendous opportunity for Paul Martin, who is a rising young star in the National Hockey League and a player who can contribute for us on defence.''
Martin had 24 points (6-18) and a plus-12 rating in 70 games with the Devils last season.
The U.S. face Canada in a another exhibition game Wednesday night at the Corel Centre.
Cheers,
Aquaman
TSN.ca Staff
8/25/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - The defending World Cup champion United States suffered their third major loss on the blue-line Wednesday when Jordan Leopold of the Calgary Flames pulled out because of a concussion.
He suffered the injury in the third period of Monday night's 3-1 exhibition win over Canada in Columbus, Ohio - a game in which he scored the final goal.
It may prove to be a crippling loss for the Americans, who have already seen Detroit Red Wings star blue-liners Derian Hatcher and Mathieu Schneider pull out. Leopold, a key part of Calgary's Stanley Cup run this spring, was on a top pairing on this U.S. team with veteran Chris Chelios.
Paul Martin of the New Jersey Devils, coming off his rookie NHL campaign, will replace Leopold.
``Unfortunately Jordan will be unable to participate further in the World Cup due to his injury status,'' American team GM Larry Pleau said in a statement. ``However this represents a tremendous opportunity for Paul Martin, who is a rising young star in the National Hockey League and a player who can contribute for us on defence.''
Martin had 24 points (6-18) and a plus-12 rating in 70 games with the Devils last season.
The U.S. face Canada in a another exhibition game Wednesday night at the Corel Centre.
Cheers,
Aquaman
Team Canada making adjustments
Canadian Press
8/25/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - An 11-day training camp is a luxury Team Canada didn't have at the 2002 Winter Olympics, when they jumped in cold for a mid-season tournament and won gold.
Now halfway through their preparations for the Aug. 30-Sept. 14 World Cup of Hockey, the team is still making adjustments for their first tournament game Tuesday against the United States in Montreal.
There are 26 players in camp and only 20 can dress for a game. While some players - such as Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic or Adam Foote - clearly will be key members of the team, much of the lineup remains up in the air.
On a roster that has only 10 returning players from the 2002 team, much will be gleaned from pre-tournament games, such as Wednesday night's match at the Corel Centre against the United States.
In their opening exhibition game on Monday night in Columbus, the Americans outskated Canada to a 3-1 win.
``In the Olympics, you go in and it's a sprint - it's how quickly you can adjust yourself to the team,'' said goaltender Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, a veteran of the inaugeral World Cup in 1996, as well as the 1998 and 2002 Olympics.
``Here, there's a little more time to learn to play with each other. There's a lot of young faces here, so we haven't played together a lot. In Salt Lake City (in 2002), it was mostly older guys. Having the young guys feel comfortable on the team is important. They are the future of Canada's team. They're going to be here for a while.''
The Canadians were upbeat after spending their first three days practising at the University of Ottawa Sports Complex, then got a wake-up call in Columbus.
Line combinations that looked natural on paper were suddenly reconsidered. Defencemen who were thought to be reserves, like the tenacious Scott Hannan of the San Jose Sharks and the rangy Jay Bouwmeester of the Florida Panthers, now looked like they could be starters.
``It's an adjustment,'' said right winger Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames. ``Our first three practices were very high-tempo.
``Guys skated in the summer and we all wanted to be ready, but it's not the same - you're not hitting and you're not in game shape. Guys felt good, but then you jump into a game against the States - a bitter rival - and right away it's in your face.
``They did a better job of being prepared earlier than we were.''
Iginla is not worried. The 2002 Olympic team started slowly and built into world-beaters. There remains plenty of time.
Even the round-robin portion of the tournament, in which Canada will play against the United States, Slovakia and Russia, is not crucial. All the teams qualify for the quarter-finals, when single-game knockout competition begins.
``You just want to keep climbing, keep improving,'' said Iginla.
One who has looked sharp early is Brodeur, who shut out the Americans in the first half of the opening pre-tournament game, before the Panthers' Roberto Luongo took over.
From the beginning, the plan was for Brodeur to play half of the first game and all of the final exhibition match on Saturday night against Slovakia.
``I feel good in the net,'' he said.
NOTES: On Tuesday night, a public practice and an intra-squad game were held at the Corel Centre. The match - one 20-minute period - was played three skaters per side and looked like a game of shinny at a local rink, albeit with some of the world's best players. Some observers wondered whether it wasn't a waste of a precious day of preparation. Head coach Pat Quinn disagreed: ``It was to get the rust off, to get into some competitive situations, and 3-on-3 is a good way.''
The Czech team lost another player to injury when Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Frantisek Kaberle was forced to withdraw Wednesday due to a groin injury. He will be replaced with Martin Skoula of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. It was the third change for the Czechs, who earlier replaced Detroit Red Wings forward Robert Lang with Petr Sykora of the Ducks and Pavel Kubina of the Tampa Bay Lightning with Red Wings defenceman Jiri Fischer.
Cheers,
Aquaman
Canadian Press
8/25/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - An 11-day training camp is a luxury Team Canada didn't have at the 2002 Winter Olympics, when they jumped in cold for a mid-season tournament and won gold.
Now halfway through their preparations for the Aug. 30-Sept. 14 World Cup of Hockey, the team is still making adjustments for their first tournament game Tuesday against the United States in Montreal.
There are 26 players in camp and only 20 can dress for a game. While some players - such as Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic or Adam Foote - clearly will be key members of the team, much of the lineup remains up in the air.
On a roster that has only 10 returning players from the 2002 team, much will be gleaned from pre-tournament games, such as Wednesday night's match at the Corel Centre against the United States.
In their opening exhibition game on Monday night in Columbus, the Americans outskated Canada to a 3-1 win.
``In the Olympics, you go in and it's a sprint - it's how quickly you can adjust yourself to the team,'' said goaltender Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, a veteran of the inaugeral World Cup in 1996, as well as the 1998 and 2002 Olympics.
``Here, there's a little more time to learn to play with each other. There's a lot of young faces here, so we haven't played together a lot. In Salt Lake City (in 2002), it was mostly older guys. Having the young guys feel comfortable on the team is important. They are the future of Canada's team. They're going to be here for a while.''
The Canadians were upbeat after spending their first three days practising at the University of Ottawa Sports Complex, then got a wake-up call in Columbus.
Line combinations that looked natural on paper were suddenly reconsidered. Defencemen who were thought to be reserves, like the tenacious Scott Hannan of the San Jose Sharks and the rangy Jay Bouwmeester of the Florida Panthers, now looked like they could be starters.
``It's an adjustment,'' said right winger Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames. ``Our first three practices were very high-tempo.
``Guys skated in the summer and we all wanted to be ready, but it's not the same - you're not hitting and you're not in game shape. Guys felt good, but then you jump into a game against the States - a bitter rival - and right away it's in your face.
``They did a better job of being prepared earlier than we were.''
Iginla is not worried. The 2002 Olympic team started slowly and built into world-beaters. There remains plenty of time.
Even the round-robin portion of the tournament, in which Canada will play against the United States, Slovakia and Russia, is not crucial. All the teams qualify for the quarter-finals, when single-game knockout competition begins.
``You just want to keep climbing, keep improving,'' said Iginla.
One who has looked sharp early is Brodeur, who shut out the Americans in the first half of the opening pre-tournament game, before the Panthers' Roberto Luongo took over.
From the beginning, the plan was for Brodeur to play half of the first game and all of the final exhibition match on Saturday night against Slovakia.
``I feel good in the net,'' he said.
NOTES: On Tuesday night, a public practice and an intra-squad game were held at the Corel Centre. The match - one 20-minute period - was played three skaters per side and looked like a game of shinny at a local rink, albeit with some of the world's best players. Some observers wondered whether it wasn't a waste of a precious day of preparation. Head coach Pat Quinn disagreed: ``It was to get the rust off, to get into some competitive situations, and 3-on-3 is a good way.''
The Czech team lost another player to injury when Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Frantisek Kaberle was forced to withdraw Wednesday due to a groin injury. He will be replaced with Martin Skoula of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. It was the third change for the Czechs, who earlier replaced Detroit Red Wings forward Robert Lang with Petr Sykora of the Ducks and Pavel Kubina of the Tampa Bay Lightning with Red Wings defenceman Jiri Fischer.
Cheers,
Aquaman
Naslund and Sweden edge Finland in OT
Canadian Press
8/25/2004
STOCKHOLM (CP) - Vancouver Canucks star Markus Naslund scored two minutes into overtime to give Sweden a 2-1 victory over archrival Finland in a World Cup tune-up match Wednesday night.
Florida forward Olli Jokinen gave Finland an early lead with a goal just 46 seconds into the contest. Sweden tied the game at 6:44 of the third with a Jorgen Jonsson goal.
Sweden outshot Finland, 32-22. Philadelphia defenceman Kim Jonsson was named Man of the Match for Sweden while Jokinen received the same honour for Finland.
Cheers,
Aquaman
Canadian Press
8/25/2004
STOCKHOLM (CP) - Vancouver Canucks star Markus Naslund scored two minutes into overtime to give Sweden a 2-1 victory over archrival Finland in a World Cup tune-up match Wednesday night.
Florida forward Olli Jokinen gave Finland an early lead with a goal just 46 seconds into the contest. Sweden tied the game at 6:44 of the third with a Jorgen Jonsson goal.
Sweden outshot Finland, 32-22. Philadelphia defenceman Kim Jonsson was named Man of the Match for Sweden while Jokinen received the same honour for Finland.
Cheers,
Aquaman
Canada gets back at U.S. in exhibition
Canadian Press
8/25/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Sakic and Brad Richards scored in the second period as Canada downed the United States 3-1 in a World Cup of Hockey exhibition game Wednesday night.
The victory avenged a 3-1 loss to the Americans on Monday night in Columbus and was marked by a much-needed rise in energy and physical play by Canada.
Chris Drury scored in the third period for the U.S., which outshot Canada 27-21, including 15-6 in the third period with the home side protecting a lead.
Canada plays its final exhibition game Saturday night against Slovakia in Ottawa. It begins tournament play Tuesday night in Montreal against the U.S.
After a scoreless first period in which U.S. goaltender Robert Esche was sharp, Ty Conklin took over in the second frame and was beaten three times.
Lecavalier was on a 2-on-1 with superstar Mario Lemieux during a powerplay and the Tampa Bay centre beat Conklin with a surprise low shot between the pads at 5:25 of the middle period in front of 18,500 at the Corel centre.
Only 2:20 later, Sakic also elected to shoot on a 2-on-1 and scored through the five-hole. On a power play at 19:30, Richards took a return pass from Lemieux and again beat Conklin between the pads.
Lemieux was impressive in his first action after sitting out Monday's game along with linemates Richards and Martin St. Louis.
Canada's Roberto Luongo, victim of all three U.S. goals on Monday, stopped all eight shots he faced in the first half of the game, including a smart glove save on a deflection by Keith Tkachuk.
Jose Theodore took over 10:24 into the second period and was equally solid and much busier. The two are battling for the back-up job behind No. 1 goaltender Martin Brodeur.
After a giveaway in Canada's end, Drury stopped Aaron Miller's shot and fired into an open side past the fallen Thoedore at 4:10 of the third period.
Canada turned in a strong defensive game, did a better job of holding off the Americans' two-man forecheck, and kept pressure on the U.S. defence, which may be a weak area.
Dany Heatley had the best chance in a close-checking first period when he intercepted a soft pass up the middle by Brian Leetch, but his wrist shot from the slot was gloved by Esche.
The Americans had a goal disallowed for interference midway through the period after Doug Weight broke in the right side and the puck went in after he plowed into Luongo.
Canada switched two defence pairs, putting Wade Redden with Ed Jovonovski and Eric Brewer with Adam Foote.
The teams agreed to use 22 players each - two more than normal. Canada had 12 forwards and eight defencemen while the U.S. had 14 forwards and six defenders.
Notes - Canada opted to sit out Kirk Maltby, Kris Draper and Simon Gagne, as well as goalie Martin Brodeur. . . Brett Hull, Rick DiPietro, Paul Martin and the injured Jordan Leopold and Brian Rafalski sat out for the U.S. . . Pre-game team workouts Wednesday morning were cancelled as American players met with NHLPA representatives in town for negotiations on new CBA. The union is to meet Thursday with Team Canada. Canada is 8-3-1 all time vs. the U.S. in Canada Cup and World Cup play.
Cheers,
Aquaman
Canadian Press
8/25/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Sakic and Brad Richards scored in the second period as Canada downed the United States 3-1 in a World Cup of Hockey exhibition game Wednesday night.
The victory avenged a 3-1 loss to the Americans on Monday night in Columbus and was marked by a much-needed rise in energy and physical play by Canada.
Chris Drury scored in the third period for the U.S., which outshot Canada 27-21, including 15-6 in the third period with the home side protecting a lead.
Canada plays its final exhibition game Saturday night against Slovakia in Ottawa. It begins tournament play Tuesday night in Montreal against the U.S.
After a scoreless first period in which U.S. goaltender Robert Esche was sharp, Ty Conklin took over in the second frame and was beaten three times.
Lecavalier was on a 2-on-1 with superstar Mario Lemieux during a powerplay and the Tampa Bay centre beat Conklin with a surprise low shot between the pads at 5:25 of the middle period in front of 18,500 at the Corel centre.
Only 2:20 later, Sakic also elected to shoot on a 2-on-1 and scored through the five-hole. On a power play at 19:30, Richards took a return pass from Lemieux and again beat Conklin between the pads.
Lemieux was impressive in his first action after sitting out Monday's game along with linemates Richards and Martin St. Louis.
Canada's Roberto Luongo, victim of all three U.S. goals on Monday, stopped all eight shots he faced in the first half of the game, including a smart glove save on a deflection by Keith Tkachuk.
Jose Theodore took over 10:24 into the second period and was equally solid and much busier. The two are battling for the back-up job behind No. 1 goaltender Martin Brodeur.
After a giveaway in Canada's end, Drury stopped Aaron Miller's shot and fired into an open side past the fallen Thoedore at 4:10 of the third period.
Canada turned in a strong defensive game, did a better job of holding off the Americans' two-man forecheck, and kept pressure on the U.S. defence, which may be a weak area.
Dany Heatley had the best chance in a close-checking first period when he intercepted a soft pass up the middle by Brian Leetch, but his wrist shot from the slot was gloved by Esche.
The Americans had a goal disallowed for interference midway through the period after Doug Weight broke in the right side and the puck went in after he plowed into Luongo.
Canada switched two defence pairs, putting Wade Redden with Ed Jovonovski and Eric Brewer with Adam Foote.
The teams agreed to use 22 players each - two more than normal. Canada had 12 forwards and eight defencemen while the U.S. had 14 forwards and six defenders.
Notes - Canada opted to sit out Kirk Maltby, Kris Draper and Simon Gagne, as well as goalie Martin Brodeur. . . Brett Hull, Rick DiPietro, Paul Martin and the injured Jordan Leopold and Brian Rafalski sat out for the U.S. . . Pre-game team workouts Wednesday morning were cancelled as American players met with NHLPA representatives in town for negotiations on new CBA. The union is to meet Thursday with Team Canada. Canada is 8-3-1 all time vs. the U.S. in Canada Cup and World Cup play.
Cheers,
Aquaman
Naslund and Sweden edge Finland in OT
Canadian Press
8/25/2004
STOCKHOLM (CP) - Vancouver Canucks star Markus Naslund scored two minutes into overtime to give Sweden a 2-1 victory over archrival Finland in a World Cup tune-up match Wednesday night.
Florida forward Olli Jokinen gave Finland an early lead with a goal just 46 seconds into the contest. Sweden tied the game at 6:44 of the third with a Jorgen Jonsson goal.
Sweden outshot Finland, 32-22. Philadelphia defenceman Kim Jonsson was named Man of the Match for Sweden while Jokinen received the same honour for Finland.
Cheers,
Aquaman
Canadian Press
8/25/2004
STOCKHOLM (CP) - Vancouver Canucks star Markus Naslund scored two minutes into overtime to give Sweden a 2-1 victory over archrival Finland in a World Cup tune-up match Wednesday night.
Florida forward Olli Jokinen gave Finland an early lead with a goal just 46 seconds into the contest. Sweden tied the game at 6:44 of the third with a Jorgen Jonsson goal.
Sweden outshot Finland, 32-22. Philadelphia defenceman Kim Jonsson was named Man of the Match for Sweden while Jokinen received the same honour for Finland.
Cheers,
Aquaman
WC: Lemieux doesn't look out of place
Canadian Press
8/25/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - Once he shook off the rust, Mario Lemieux certainly didn't look like someone who hadn't played in 10 months.
His trademark soft, precise passes gave linemates Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis chances to score. His simple presence gave them room to skate.
In the end, he collected an assist and got a standing ovation after being named the game's second star in Team Canada's 3-1 exhibition victory over the United States at the Corel Centre on Wednesday night.
"Things went pretty well," he said in French, cracking a confident smile.
"It's been 10 months since I last played, so it was difficult in the first period but I felt much better in the second and third periods," added the 38-year-old Team Canada captain.
His line got its first action of the exhibition and Richards was particularly noticeable on Lemieux's left side, giving Canada a 3-0 lead with 30 seconds to go in the second period after taking a pass from Super Mario and ripping a wrist shot between Ty Conklin's pads.
For Richards, it was yet another dream-like moment in a year full of them after winning the Stanley Cup and being named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP. You can imagine the thrill of having Lemieux set him up for a goal and then getting the congratulatory tap from the big guy.
"A lot of things have happened lately that are pretty surreal and that was another one, him coming over and tapping me (on the pads), not to mention getting a pass from him for my goals," said Richards, who was seven years old when Lemieux scored the Canada Cup winner in 1987.
"It's just exciting, I'm just soaking it up. But I have to stay focused and not get carried away with it."
Lemieux spent most of his night trying to set up his linemates rather than trying to score, as testimony by his one shot on goal. But he says that's the way he plays now.
"The last few years I've been more of a passer," Lemieux said. "My game, one on one, isn't what it used to be. That's why I try to be patient and set up the other guys. I think my game has changed over the years."
He could have scored just over five minutes into the second period when he flew in on a 2-on-1 break with Vincent Lecavalier, but the Tampa star chose to shoot instead and scored the game's opening goal.
"He made the right play," said Lemieux, noting that American defenceman Eric Weinrich had swayed to his side. "The last thing I want these guys to do is to force it when it's not there.
"I just want them to play the same way they do on their own team."
Lemieux is expected to play every game from here on in after missing Monday night's exhibition opener, his next test coming Saturday night against Slovakia. He's exceeded his own expectations since training camp opened last Friday, looking sharp after recovering from surgery to his left hip seven months ago.
If there's one complaint, it's a familiar one, Lemieux felt he didn't have much room out there.
"It was a lot more fun when you had more room in the Olympics, that was a totally different game," Lemieux said. "But right now it's a smaller ice surface and that's what we have to work with. I'd like to see the ice a little big bigger, but that's not in the cards right now."
Cheers,
Aquaman
Canadian Press
8/25/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - Once he shook off the rust, Mario Lemieux certainly didn't look like someone who hadn't played in 10 months.
His trademark soft, precise passes gave linemates Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis chances to score. His simple presence gave them room to skate.
In the end, he collected an assist and got a standing ovation after being named the game's second star in Team Canada's 3-1 exhibition victory over the United States at the Corel Centre on Wednesday night.
"Things went pretty well," he said in French, cracking a confident smile.
"It's been 10 months since I last played, so it was difficult in the first period but I felt much better in the second and third periods," added the 38-year-old Team Canada captain.
His line got its first action of the exhibition and Richards was particularly noticeable on Lemieux's left side, giving Canada a 3-0 lead with 30 seconds to go in the second period after taking a pass from Super Mario and ripping a wrist shot between Ty Conklin's pads.
For Richards, it was yet another dream-like moment in a year full of them after winning the Stanley Cup and being named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP. You can imagine the thrill of having Lemieux set him up for a goal and then getting the congratulatory tap from the big guy.
"A lot of things have happened lately that are pretty surreal and that was another one, him coming over and tapping me (on the pads), not to mention getting a pass from him for my goals," said Richards, who was seven years old when Lemieux scored the Canada Cup winner in 1987.
"It's just exciting, I'm just soaking it up. But I have to stay focused and not get carried away with it."
Lemieux spent most of his night trying to set up his linemates rather than trying to score, as testimony by his one shot on goal. But he says that's the way he plays now.
"The last few years I've been more of a passer," Lemieux said. "My game, one on one, isn't what it used to be. That's why I try to be patient and set up the other guys. I think my game has changed over the years."
He could have scored just over five minutes into the second period when he flew in on a 2-on-1 break with Vincent Lecavalier, but the Tampa star chose to shoot instead and scored the game's opening goal.
"He made the right play," said Lemieux, noting that American defenceman Eric Weinrich had swayed to his side. "The last thing I want these guys to do is to force it when it's not there.
"I just want them to play the same way they do on their own team."
Lemieux is expected to play every game from here on in after missing Monday night's exhibition opener, his next test coming Saturday night against Slovakia. He's exceeded his own expectations since training camp opened last Friday, looking sharp after recovering from surgery to his left hip seven months ago.
If there's one complaint, it's a familiar one, Lemieux felt he didn't have much room out there.
"It was a lot more fun when you had more room in the Olympics, that was a totally different game," Lemieux said. "But right now it's a smaller ice surface and that's what we have to work with. I'd like to see the ice a little big bigger, but that's not in the cards right now."
Cheers,
Aquaman
Canada experiments with Mario on the wing
Canadian Press
8/26/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - Jarome Iginla and Joe Sakic found themselves with a new left winger on Thursday - Team Canada captain Mario Lemieux.
``It's a pretty good day waking up and practising with Mario and Joe,'' Iginla said after their first workout together at the Corel Centre. ``They're two of the most exciting guys in the game, but that's part of the fun of playing for Team Canada.
``There's so much skill here, all line combinations are pretty exciting.''
The team is only halfway through training camp for the Aug. 30-Sept. 14 World Cup of Hockey, so it is only normal for the coaching staff to experiment with lines and defence pairings -including shifting the 38-year-old Lemieux from centre to left wing to reduce his defensive workload.
Lemieux, who has played on the wing before, including at the 2002 Olympics, was a force at centre between young wingers Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards in a 3-1 exhibition win over the United States on Wednesday night.
``We wanted to change our centre ice look a bit and the load the centre iceman has to play on a defensive basis down in the zone,'' said head coach Pat Quinn. ``Mario was fine, but we thought we'd look at him on the wing to see if we can take some of that pressure away from him.
``It's an experiment. You hope it works.''
The line is expected to see its first game action when Canada completes its pre-tournament exhibition schedule against Slovakia on Saturday night at the Corel Centre.
Since camp opened Friday, Sakic and Iginla have had Simon Gagne and then Patrick Marleau as their left winger. Now they have one of the greatest players of all-time, a six-time NHL scoring leader and three-time most valuable player.
Against the Americans, Lemieux's first game since Nov. 1 and since undergoing a major hip operation, he set up a power-play goal by Richards and was the decoy as Vincent Lecavalier scored on a 2-on-1.
He has no problem moving to the wing.
``I can play centre or left wing,'' he said. ``Right wing is different, although I played it in 1987 with Wayne (Gretzky), which was fun. ``But it doesn't matter at this level.
``They've made some changes to see if we can improve. I guess it won't be the end of it. From past experience at these tournaments, they change lines quite a bit, trying to find the right combinations.''
Asked how his body felt after it's first game in nine months, Lemieux said ``pretty good.''
Quinn said the lineup had to be shuffled because some of the 26 players in camp will have to sit out for the Slovakia game, although he gave no indication who they would be.
Other lines Thursday had Richards at centre with St. Louis and Gagne; Marleau at centre with Ryan Smyth and Brenden Morrow; Lecavalier with Dany Heatley and Kris Draper, and Joe Thornton with Shane Doan and Kirk Maltby.
Putting together Lemieux's and Sakic's playmaking skills with a power winger and scorer in Iginla could be devastating for opposing checkers.
Quinn smiled at the thought of it. He also confirmed Lemieux would play on Saturday.
``You dream about those sorts of things,'' he said. ``But you still have to get (room on the) ice and against the American team, we didn't get much ice.
``It may be different against the European teams, but certainly, if they get some ice or make themselves some ice, there's a lot of possibilities offensively.''
The veteran Sakic, who opened the 2002 Olympics on a line with Lemieux before being put with Iginla and Gagne, took it as another challenge.
``Offensively, you just read off each other,'' the Colorado Avalanche star said. ``We have a couple of days to get used to each other and hopefully, we can get it going for Saturday night.''
Cheers,
Aquaman
Canadian Press
8/26/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - Jarome Iginla and Joe Sakic found themselves with a new left winger on Thursday - Team Canada captain Mario Lemieux.
``It's a pretty good day waking up and practising with Mario and Joe,'' Iginla said after their first workout together at the Corel Centre. ``They're two of the most exciting guys in the game, but that's part of the fun of playing for Team Canada.
``There's so much skill here, all line combinations are pretty exciting.''
The team is only halfway through training camp for the Aug. 30-Sept. 14 World Cup of Hockey, so it is only normal for the coaching staff to experiment with lines and defence pairings -including shifting the 38-year-old Lemieux from centre to left wing to reduce his defensive workload.
Lemieux, who has played on the wing before, including at the 2002 Olympics, was a force at centre between young wingers Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards in a 3-1 exhibition win over the United States on Wednesday night.
``We wanted to change our centre ice look a bit and the load the centre iceman has to play on a defensive basis down in the zone,'' said head coach Pat Quinn. ``Mario was fine, but we thought we'd look at him on the wing to see if we can take some of that pressure away from him.
``It's an experiment. You hope it works.''
The line is expected to see its first game action when Canada completes its pre-tournament exhibition schedule against Slovakia on Saturday night at the Corel Centre.
Since camp opened Friday, Sakic and Iginla have had Simon Gagne and then Patrick Marleau as their left winger. Now they have one of the greatest players of all-time, a six-time NHL scoring leader and three-time most valuable player.
Against the Americans, Lemieux's first game since Nov. 1 and since undergoing a major hip operation, he set up a power-play goal by Richards and was the decoy as Vincent Lecavalier scored on a 2-on-1.
He has no problem moving to the wing.
``I can play centre or left wing,'' he said. ``Right wing is different, although I played it in 1987 with Wayne (Gretzky), which was fun. ``But it doesn't matter at this level.
``They've made some changes to see if we can improve. I guess it won't be the end of it. From past experience at these tournaments, they change lines quite a bit, trying to find the right combinations.''
Asked how his body felt after it's first game in nine months, Lemieux said ``pretty good.''
Quinn said the lineup had to be shuffled because some of the 26 players in camp will have to sit out for the Slovakia game, although he gave no indication who they would be.
Other lines Thursday had Richards at centre with St. Louis and Gagne; Marleau at centre with Ryan Smyth and Brenden Morrow; Lecavalier with Dany Heatley and Kris Draper, and Joe Thornton with Shane Doan and Kirk Maltby.
Putting together Lemieux's and Sakic's playmaking skills with a power winger and scorer in Iginla could be devastating for opposing checkers.
Quinn smiled at the thought of it. He also confirmed Lemieux would play on Saturday.
``You dream about those sorts of things,'' he said. ``But you still have to get (room on the) ice and against the American team, we didn't get much ice.
``It may be different against the European teams, but certainly, if they get some ice or make themselves some ice, there's a lot of possibilities offensively.''
The veteran Sakic, who opened the 2002 Olympics on a line with Lemieux before being put with Iginla and Gagne, took it as another challenge.
``Offensively, you just read off each other,'' the Colorado Avalanche star said. ``We have a couple of days to get used to each other and hopefully, we can get it going for Saturday night.''
Cheers,
Aquaman
Jokinen, Peltonen lead Finns past Germany
Associated Press
8/26/2004
HELSINKI (AP) - Olli Jokinen's line combined for seven of Finland's eight points in a 4-2 win over Germany 4-2 in a final tuneup Thursday for the World Cup of Hockey tournament.
Jokinen, the Florida Panthers' top goal scorer last season, scored twice and was named most valuable player for Finland. Ville Peltonen, the former NHL player who has starred in Finland and Switzerland the last two seasons, had two goals and one assist.
Tuomo Ruutu of the Chicago Blackhawks, the other winger on Jokinen's line, had two assists. Veteran Kimmo Timonen of the Nashville Predators, who plays defence with Dallas Stars veteran Teppo Numminen, also picked up an assist.
Jochen Hecht of the Buffalo Sabres and Christoph Schubert of the Ottawa Senators, two of seven German NHL players, scored.
German coach Franz Reindl didn't blame fatigue for the loss even though his team arrived in the Finnish capital at 4:30 a.m. after a game on Wednesday in Cologne, where the Germans lost 7-4 to the Czech Republic after blowing a 2-0 lead.
``It was a tough game for us,'' Reindl said of the loss to Finland. ``The players got four hours of sleep.
``They (the Finns) forced us to make mistakes. They played very physical. They showed us how to play pro hockey.''
Coach Raimo Summanen was pleased with the win less than 24 hours after his team blew a 1-0 lead in a 2-1 overtime loss to Sweden in Stockholm.
``We still need to work on parts of our game,'' he said. ``But I'm really satisfied with the players' attitude in the three (warmup) games.''
Peltonen opened the scoring 3:31 in, first deking a German defenceman and then beating goalie Olaf Kolzig with a low shot.
Hecht, unchecked in front but with his back to the goal, tied it at 13:04 when he swung around and wristed the puck low past Miikka Kiprusoff, the Finnish goalie who had a sensational run in the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring with the Calgary Flames.
Schubert gave Germany its only lead in the game 11:34 into the second period with a power-play goal. With Kiprusoff out of position and down on the ice after saving a shot, Schubert got the opening he wanted with his slap shot from the right circle.
Jokinen, who scored Finland's only goal against the Swedes, tied it 2-2 at 16:10. Peltonen set up the goal with a pass from the boards to Jokinen, who beat Kolzig from close range.
Jokinen put the Finns ahead for good at 13:01 of the third when he knocked a rebound past Kolzig. Just 2:48 later, Peltonen scored a fluke goal on a breakaway to make it 4-2. Peltonen's intended pass in the German end took a lucky bounce off a German defenceman and he got the puck on the doorstep for an easy tap-in.
Finland didn't use Teemu Selanne, who has a minor injury, and Saku Koivu of the Montreal Canadiens.
Finland opens the European pool on Monday against the Czech Republic in Helsinki.
Germany starts on Tuesday in Stockholm against Sweden.
CHeers,
Aquaman
Associated Press
8/26/2004
HELSINKI (AP) - Olli Jokinen's line combined for seven of Finland's eight points in a 4-2 win over Germany 4-2 in a final tuneup Thursday for the World Cup of Hockey tournament.
Jokinen, the Florida Panthers' top goal scorer last season, scored twice and was named most valuable player for Finland. Ville Peltonen, the former NHL player who has starred in Finland and Switzerland the last two seasons, had two goals and one assist.
Tuomo Ruutu of the Chicago Blackhawks, the other winger on Jokinen's line, had two assists. Veteran Kimmo Timonen of the Nashville Predators, who plays defence with Dallas Stars veteran Teppo Numminen, also picked up an assist.
Jochen Hecht of the Buffalo Sabres and Christoph Schubert of the Ottawa Senators, two of seven German NHL players, scored.
German coach Franz Reindl didn't blame fatigue for the loss even though his team arrived in the Finnish capital at 4:30 a.m. after a game on Wednesday in Cologne, where the Germans lost 7-4 to the Czech Republic after blowing a 2-0 lead.
``It was a tough game for us,'' Reindl said of the loss to Finland. ``The players got four hours of sleep.
``They (the Finns) forced us to make mistakes. They played very physical. They showed us how to play pro hockey.''
Coach Raimo Summanen was pleased with the win less than 24 hours after his team blew a 1-0 lead in a 2-1 overtime loss to Sweden in Stockholm.
``We still need to work on parts of our game,'' he said. ``But I'm really satisfied with the players' attitude in the three (warmup) games.''
Peltonen opened the scoring 3:31 in, first deking a German defenceman and then beating goalie Olaf Kolzig with a low shot.
Hecht, unchecked in front but with his back to the goal, tied it at 13:04 when he swung around and wristed the puck low past Miikka Kiprusoff, the Finnish goalie who had a sensational run in the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring with the Calgary Flames.
Schubert gave Germany its only lead in the game 11:34 into the second period with a power-play goal. With Kiprusoff out of position and down on the ice after saving a shot, Schubert got the opening he wanted with his slap shot from the right circle.
Jokinen, who scored Finland's only goal against the Swedes, tied it 2-2 at 16:10. Peltonen set up the goal with a pass from the boards to Jokinen, who beat Kolzig from close range.
Jokinen put the Finns ahead for good at 13:01 of the third when he knocked a rebound past Kolzig. Just 2:48 later, Peltonen scored a fluke goal on a breakaway to make it 4-2. Peltonen's intended pass in the German end took a lucky bounce off a German defenceman and he got the puck on the doorstep for an easy tap-in.
Finland didn't use Teemu Selanne, who has a minor injury, and Saku Koivu of the Montreal Canadiens.
Finland opens the European pool on Monday against the Czech Republic in Helsinki.
Germany starts on Tuesday in Stockholm against Sweden.
CHeers,
Aquaman
Liles replaces Gill for USA at World Cup
TSN.ca Staff
8/26/2004
USA Hockey today announced that defenceman John-Michael Liles of the Colorado Avalanche will replace Hal Gill on Team USA's roster for the World Cup of Hockey.
Gill, who was named to the team on August 11 to replace Mathieu Schneider, will be unable to participate after sustaining a broken foot in Wednesday night's 3-1 exhibition game loss to Canada in Ottawa. Gill is a seven-year NHL veteran, having spent all of his career with the Boston Bruins.
"Unfortunately the injury sustained by Hal Gill represents a loss for our team," said Team USA General Manager Larry Pleau.
"But we were very impressed after John-Michael Liles handed in an outstanding first year in the National Hockey League last season. He will add youth, offensive skills and speed to our roster."
Liles led all NHL rookie defensemen in scoring (34 points), goals (10) and assists (24), while tying for the lead in games played (79).
Cheers,
Aquaman
TSN.ca Staff
8/26/2004
USA Hockey today announced that defenceman John-Michael Liles of the Colorado Avalanche will replace Hal Gill on Team USA's roster for the World Cup of Hockey.
Gill, who was named to the team on August 11 to replace Mathieu Schneider, will be unable to participate after sustaining a broken foot in Wednesday night's 3-1 exhibition game loss to Canada in Ottawa. Gill is a seven-year NHL veteran, having spent all of his career with the Boston Bruins.
"Unfortunately the injury sustained by Hal Gill represents a loss for our team," said Team USA General Manager Larry Pleau.
"But we were very impressed after John-Michael Liles handed in an outstanding first year in the National Hockey League last season. He will add youth, offensive skills and speed to our roster."
Liles led all NHL rookie defensemen in scoring (34 points), goals (10) and assists (24), while tying for the lead in games played (79).
Cheers,
Aquaman
Canada experiments with Mario at wing
Canadian Press
8/26/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - Jarome Iginla and Joe Sakic found themselves with a new left winger on Thursday - Team Canada captain Mario Lemieux.
``It's a pretty good day waking up and practising with Mario and Joe,'' Iginla said after their first workout together at the Corel Centre. ``They're two of the most exciting guys in the game, but that's part of the fun of playing for Team Canada.
``There's so much skill here, all line combinations are pretty exciting.''
The team is only halfway through training camp for the Aug. 30-Sept. 14 World Cup of Hockey, so it is only normal for the coaching staff to experiment with lines and defence pairings -including shifting the 38-year-old Lemieux from centre to left wing to reduce his defensive workload.
Lemieux, who has played on the wing before, including at the 2002 Olympics, was a force at centre between young wingers Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards in a 3-1 exhibition win over the United States on Wednesday night.
``We wanted to change our centre ice look a bit and the load the centre iceman has to play on a defensive basis down in the zone,'' said head coach Pat Quinn. ``Mario was fine, but we thought we'd look at him on the wing to see if we can take some of that pressure away from him.
``It's an experiment. You hope it works.''
The line is expected to see its first game action when Canada completes its pre-tournament exhibition schedule against Slovakia on Saturday night at the Corel Centre.
Since camp opened Friday, Sakic and Iginla have had Simon Gagne and then Patrick Marleau as their left winger. Now they have one of the greatest players of all-time, a six-time NHL scoring leader and three-time most valuable player.
Against the Americans, Lemieux's first game since Nov. 1 and since undergoing a major hip operation, he set up a power-play goal by Richards and was the decoy as Vincent Lecavalier scored on a 2-on-1.
He has no problem moving to the wing.
``I can play centre or left wing,'' he said. ``Right wing is different, although I played it in 1987 with Wayne (Gretzky), which was fun. ``But it doesn't matter at this level.
``They've made some changes to see if we can improve. I guess it won't be the end of it. From past experience at these tournaments, they change lines quite a bit, trying to find the right combinations.''
Asked how his body felt after it's first game in nine months, Lemieux said ``pretty good.''
Quinn said the lineup had to be shuffled because some of the 26 players in camp will have to sit out for the Slovakia game, although he gave no indication who they would be.
Other lines Thursday had Richards at centre with St. Louis and Gagne; Marleau at centre with Ryan Smyth and Brenden Morrow; Lecavalier with Dany Heatley and Kris Draper, and Joe Thornton with Shane Doan and Kirk Maltby.
Putting together Lemieux's and Sakic's playmaking skills with a power winger and scorer in Iginla could be devastating for opposing checkers.
Quinn smiled at the thought of it. He also confirmed Lemieux would play on Saturday.
``You dream about those sorts of things,'' he said. ``But you still have to get (room on the) ice and against the American team, we didn't get much ice.
``It may be different against the European teams, but certainly, if they get some ice or make themselves some ice, there's a lot of possibilities offensively.''
The veteran Sakic, who opened the 2002 Olympics on a line with Lemieux before being put with Iginla and Gagne, took it as another challenge.
``Offensively, you just read off each other,'' the Colorado Avalanche star said. ``We have a couple of days to get used to each other and hopefully, we can get it going for Saturday night.''
Cheers,
Aquaman
Canadian Press
8/26/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - Jarome Iginla and Joe Sakic found themselves with a new left winger on Thursday - Team Canada captain Mario Lemieux.
``It's a pretty good day waking up and practising with Mario and Joe,'' Iginla said after their first workout together at the Corel Centre. ``They're two of the most exciting guys in the game, but that's part of the fun of playing for Team Canada.
``There's so much skill here, all line combinations are pretty exciting.''
The team is only halfway through training camp for the Aug. 30-Sept. 14 World Cup of Hockey, so it is only normal for the coaching staff to experiment with lines and defence pairings -including shifting the 38-year-old Lemieux from centre to left wing to reduce his defensive workload.
Lemieux, who has played on the wing before, including at the 2002 Olympics, was a force at centre between young wingers Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards in a 3-1 exhibition win over the United States on Wednesday night.
``We wanted to change our centre ice look a bit and the load the centre iceman has to play on a defensive basis down in the zone,'' said head coach Pat Quinn. ``Mario was fine, but we thought we'd look at him on the wing to see if we can take some of that pressure away from him.
``It's an experiment. You hope it works.''
The line is expected to see its first game action when Canada completes its pre-tournament exhibition schedule against Slovakia on Saturday night at the Corel Centre.
Since camp opened Friday, Sakic and Iginla have had Simon Gagne and then Patrick Marleau as their left winger. Now they have one of the greatest players of all-time, a six-time NHL scoring leader and three-time most valuable player.
Against the Americans, Lemieux's first game since Nov. 1 and since undergoing a major hip operation, he set up a power-play goal by Richards and was the decoy as Vincent Lecavalier scored on a 2-on-1.
He has no problem moving to the wing.
``I can play centre or left wing,'' he said. ``Right wing is different, although I played it in 1987 with Wayne (Gretzky), which was fun. ``But it doesn't matter at this level.
``They've made some changes to see if we can improve. I guess it won't be the end of it. From past experience at these tournaments, they change lines quite a bit, trying to find the right combinations.''
Asked how his body felt after it's first game in nine months, Lemieux said ``pretty good.''
Quinn said the lineup had to be shuffled because some of the 26 players in camp will have to sit out for the Slovakia game, although he gave no indication who they would be.
Other lines Thursday had Richards at centre with St. Louis and Gagne; Marleau at centre with Ryan Smyth and Brenden Morrow; Lecavalier with Dany Heatley and Kris Draper, and Joe Thornton with Shane Doan and Kirk Maltby.
Putting together Lemieux's and Sakic's playmaking skills with a power winger and scorer in Iginla could be devastating for opposing checkers.
Quinn smiled at the thought of it. He also confirmed Lemieux would play on Saturday.
``You dream about those sorts of things,'' he said. ``But you still have to get (room on the) ice and against the American team, we didn't get much ice.
``It may be different against the European teams, but certainly, if they get some ice or make themselves some ice, there's a lot of possibilities offensively.''
The veteran Sakic, who opened the 2002 Olympics on a line with Lemieux before being put with Iginla and Gagne, took it as another challenge.
``Offensively, you just read off each other,'' the Colorado Avalanche star said. ``We have a couple of days to get used to each other and hopefully, we can get it going for Saturday night.''
Cheers,
Aquaman
WC tune-up: Czechs beat Sweden
Associated Press
8/27/2004
PRAGUE (AP) - Tomas Vlasak, Martin Straka, Tomas Kaberle, Vaclav Prospal and Jiri Slegr scored as the Czech Republic beat Sweden 5-3 in their last World Cup warmup on Friday.
Sweden captain Mats Sundin scored two goals.
``The result is not of major importance in such a friendly,'' Czech assistant coach Marian Jelinek said. ``But we're satisfied with our performance.''
Markus Naslund opened the scoring 4:42 in with a power-play goal after a pass from Sundin.
Petr Cajanek set up a power-play tying goal for the Czechs with a perfect pass to unmarked Vlasak - one of only two members of the Czech World Cup team based in Europe - who scored from close range with 16 seconds remaining in the first period.
Straka gave the Czechs a 2-1 lead at 6:50 in the second when he wristed the puck between the legs of Sweden goalie Mikael Tellqvist. Radek Dvorak set up the goal.
Kaberle added the third for the Czechs from close range at 16:52 in the second.
Prospal made it 4-1 at 6:31 in the third period, capitalizing on a Tellqvist blunder.
Sweden replied just 45 seconds later with Sundin's first goal.
Sweden coach Hardy Nilsson pulled off Tellqvist at 16:53 and Sundin scored his second with 41 seconds remaining to reduce the Czech lead to 4-3.
Slegr finished the scoring into an empty net nine seconds before the final whistle.
Major stars of both teams, Jaromir Jagr of the New York Rangers and Peter Forsberg of the Colorado Avalanche, did not play.
The Czechs were unbeaten in their three exhibition games ahead of the World Cup, after they tied Finland 1-1, and beat Germany 7-4 this week.
Sweden blanked Slovakia away 2-0 on Sunday, and beat archrival Finland 2-1 in overtime on Wednesday in tuneups.
The eight-team World Cup starts on Monday in North America and Europe. The Czech Republic and Sweden are in the European Pool with Finland and Germany.
The Czechs, who finished last at the previous World Cup in 1996, play Finland in the European opener in Helsinki on Monday.
The Swedes, semifinalists in 1996, will play in Stockholm against Germany on Tuesday.
Cheers,
Aquaman
Associated Press
8/27/2004
PRAGUE (AP) - Tomas Vlasak, Martin Straka, Tomas Kaberle, Vaclav Prospal and Jiri Slegr scored as the Czech Republic beat Sweden 5-3 in their last World Cup warmup on Friday.
Sweden captain Mats Sundin scored two goals.
``The result is not of major importance in such a friendly,'' Czech assistant coach Marian Jelinek said. ``But we're satisfied with our performance.''
Markus Naslund opened the scoring 4:42 in with a power-play goal after a pass from Sundin.
Petr Cajanek set up a power-play tying goal for the Czechs with a perfect pass to unmarked Vlasak - one of only two members of the Czech World Cup team based in Europe - who scored from close range with 16 seconds remaining in the first period.
Straka gave the Czechs a 2-1 lead at 6:50 in the second when he wristed the puck between the legs of Sweden goalie Mikael Tellqvist. Radek Dvorak set up the goal.
Kaberle added the third for the Czechs from close range at 16:52 in the second.
Prospal made it 4-1 at 6:31 in the third period, capitalizing on a Tellqvist blunder.
Sweden replied just 45 seconds later with Sundin's first goal.
Sweden coach Hardy Nilsson pulled off Tellqvist at 16:53 and Sundin scored his second with 41 seconds remaining to reduce the Czech lead to 4-3.
Slegr finished the scoring into an empty net nine seconds before the final whistle.
Major stars of both teams, Jaromir Jagr of the New York Rangers and Peter Forsberg of the Colorado Avalanche, did not play.
The Czechs were unbeaten in their three exhibition games ahead of the World Cup, after they tied Finland 1-1, and beat Germany 7-4 this week.
Sweden blanked Slovakia away 2-0 on Sunday, and beat archrival Finland 2-1 in overtime on Wednesday in tuneups.
The eight-team World Cup starts on Monday in North America and Europe. The Czech Republic and Sweden are in the European Pool with Finland and Germany.
The Czechs, who finished last at the previous World Cup in 1996, play Finland in the European opener in Helsinki on Monday.
The Swedes, semifinalists in 1996, will play in Stockholm against Germany on Tuesday.
Cheers,
Aquaman
Bouwmeester, Hannan look to start
Canadian Press
8/27/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - If Jay Bouwmeester and Scott Hannan fail to crack the starting lineup when Team Canada opens its World Cup of Hockey campaign Tuesday night in Montreal, it will be through no fault of their own.
They arrived at training camp last Friday clearly the seventh and eighth defencemen, having been replacements for injured veterans Rob Blake and Chris Pronger, knowing they had their work cut out to slip into the top six.
They've done all that's been asked of them to date, putting pressure on Eric Brewer, Wade Redden, Ed Jovanovski and Robyn Regehr to keep their jobs alongside sure-bet veterans Adam Foote and Scott Niedermayer.
``Both those guys have stepped up, and I think at the end of the day, we're going to need everyone that's here,'' assistant coach Ken Hitchcock, who handles the defence, said Friday after Canada's practice. ``Where they start out in Game 1, who knows, but our experience from '96 (World Cup) is that we'll end up needing every player.''
They'll likely get a final shot to impress head coach Pat Quinn and the rest of the coaching staff when Canada wraps up exhibition play Saturday night with a game against Slovakia, depending whether the Canadians will once again get the green light to dress 22 players and therefore all eight defencemen, something the Slovaks will need to agree to.
Bouwmeester is the youngest of the blue-liners at 20 years old but has played for Canada in the last two IIHF world championships, being named the tournament's top defenceman in 2003. A fluid and smooth skater, he makes the right pass and rarely makes a mistake.
The six-foot-three, 209-pound Bouwmeester also showed in Wednesday night's 3-1 over the United States that he can throw his weight around, hammering winger Tony Amonte into the boards in a thunderous bodycheck that had the Corel Centre crowd of 18,500 on its feet.
After some early jitters when camp opened last week, the soft-spoken Edmonton native has found a comfort zone among Canada's elite players.
``I really didn't expect too much coming in here,'' Bouwmeester said Friday. ``You do your best and you learn things as you go along and I think things have gone pretty well so far.
``As things move on, you get a little more comfortable, and just get used to the surroundings,'' he added. ``It's pretty easy to play with these guys. I'm learning a lot and really enjoying myself.''
Hannan, 25, has no previous international experience but caught the eye of Team Canada executive director Wayne Gretzky and his assistants Kevin Lowe and Steve Tambellini by having a monster of a playoff with the San Jose Sharks, night after night shutting down the opposition's top forward.
Now he's looking like he belongs among the world's best.
``My expectations? Really just to play my best and let the chips fall where they may,'' the long-haired Hannan said Friday. ``As far as how it's gone so far, I think I've played well. It was a bit of a shock when you first show up here, it's the first time I've played at this level. You sit around and look at the guys around the room and it's just amazing.
``But I think I've settled down, especially in the last few days I think things have gone pretty well,'' added the 6-2, 220-pound native of Richmond, B.C.
Hannan and Bouwmeester have been the only defence pairing that hasn't been switched up since last Friday, and they've begun to develop a little chemistry.
``He's a great skater, he's the Big Smooth out there,'' Hannan said of Bouwmeester. ``He moves the puck well. And for being so young, he's got a lot of composure.''
The two players are part of an impressive wave of young defencemen that will give Canada more than enough to choose from in years to come, a group that not only includes the more established names like Redden, Jovanovski and Brewer but also others such as Regehr, as well as Bryan McCabe, Derek Morris, Sheldon Souray, Chris Phillips, Brad Stuart, Mike Rathje and Nick Boynton, among others.
``We're so fortunate to have that depth,'' said Foote, 33, who played in the 1996 World Cup as well as the 1998 Winter Games and 2002 in Salt Lake City. ``A couple of guys that have been around a long time went down in Blake and Pronger, and we lost Al MacInnis earlier last season.
``But the young guys that are here have jumped in and they look good if you ask me.''
Realistically, Team Canada is not as good a team without Blake and Pronger, two experienced international performers who would have been top-four defencemen here with Foote and Niedermayer.
On the other hand, it's a glorious opportunity for Redden, Jovanovski, Brewer, Regehr, Bouwmeester and Hannan to prove they can go to that level. But only four of them will dress Tuesday at the Bell Centre.
``I think they've all really improved, so it's a real nice problem to have,'' said Hitchcock. ``Pat and the rest of the coaching staff, we're going to have some real decisions to make. I mean we knew where Foote and Niedermayer were from Day 1, but everyone else has been improving daily, you can see it in the game and you can see in the practices.
``So it's going to be fun to watch this.''
Cheers,
Aquaman
Canadian Press
8/27/2004
OTTAWA (CP) - If Jay Bouwmeester and Scott Hannan fail to crack the starting lineup when Team Canada opens its World Cup of Hockey campaign Tuesday night in Montreal, it will be through no fault of their own.
They arrived at training camp last Friday clearly the seventh and eighth defencemen, having been replacements for injured veterans Rob Blake and Chris Pronger, knowing they had their work cut out to slip into the top six.
They've done all that's been asked of them to date, putting pressure on Eric Brewer, Wade Redden, Ed Jovanovski and Robyn Regehr to keep their jobs alongside sure-bet veterans Adam Foote and Scott Niedermayer.
``Both those guys have stepped up, and I think at the end of the day, we're going to need everyone that's here,'' assistant coach Ken Hitchcock, who handles the defence, said Friday after Canada's practice. ``Where they start out in Game 1, who knows, but our experience from '96 (World Cup) is that we'll end up needing every player.''
They'll likely get a final shot to impress head coach Pat Quinn and the rest of the coaching staff when Canada wraps up exhibition play Saturday night with a game against Slovakia, depending whether the Canadians will once again get the green light to dress 22 players and therefore all eight defencemen, something the Slovaks will need to agree to.
Bouwmeester is the youngest of the blue-liners at 20 years old but has played for Canada in the last two IIHF world championships, being named the tournament's top defenceman in 2003. A fluid and smooth skater, he makes the right pass and rarely makes a mistake.
The six-foot-three, 209-pound Bouwmeester also showed in Wednesday night's 3-1 over the United States that he can throw his weight around, hammering winger Tony Amonte into the boards in a thunderous bodycheck that had the Corel Centre crowd of 18,500 on its feet.
After some early jitters when camp opened last week, the soft-spoken Edmonton native has found a comfort zone among Canada's elite players.
``I really didn't expect too much coming in here,'' Bouwmeester said Friday. ``You do your best and you learn things as you go along and I think things have gone pretty well so far.
``As things move on, you get a little more comfortable, and just get used to the surroundings,'' he added. ``It's pretty easy to play with these guys. I'm learning a lot and really enjoying myself.''
Hannan, 25, has no previous international experience but caught the eye of Team Canada executive director Wayne Gretzky and his assistants Kevin Lowe and Steve Tambellini by having a monster of a playoff with the San Jose Sharks, night after night shutting down the opposition's top forward.
Now he's looking like he belongs among the world's best.
``My expectations? Really just to play my best and let the chips fall where they may,'' the long-haired Hannan said Friday. ``As far as how it's gone so far, I think I've played well. It was a bit of a shock when you first show up here, it's the first time I've played at this level. You sit around and look at the guys around the room and it's just amazing.
``But I think I've settled down, especially in the last few days I think things have gone pretty well,'' added the 6-2, 220-pound native of Richmond, B.C.
Hannan and Bouwmeester have been the only defence pairing that hasn't been switched up since last Friday, and they've begun to develop a little chemistry.
``He's a great skater, he's the Big Smooth out there,'' Hannan said of Bouwmeester. ``He moves the puck well. And for being so young, he's got a lot of composure.''
The two players are part of an impressive wave of young defencemen that will give Canada more than enough to choose from in years to come, a group that not only includes the more established names like Redden, Jovanovski and Brewer but also others such as Regehr, as well as Bryan McCabe, Derek Morris, Sheldon Souray, Chris Phillips, Brad Stuart, Mike Rathje and Nick Boynton, among others.
``We're so fortunate to have that depth,'' said Foote, 33, who played in the 1996 World Cup as well as the 1998 Winter Games and 2002 in Salt Lake City. ``A couple of guys that have been around a long time went down in Blake and Pronger, and we lost Al MacInnis earlier last season.
``But the young guys that are here have jumped in and they look good if you ask me.''
Realistically, Team Canada is not as good a team without Blake and Pronger, two experienced international performers who would have been top-four defencemen here with Foote and Niedermayer.
On the other hand, it's a glorious opportunity for Redden, Jovanovski, Brewer, Regehr, Bouwmeester and Hannan to prove they can go to that level. But only four of them will dress Tuesday at the Bell Centre.
``I think they've all really improved, so it's a real nice problem to have,'' said Hitchcock. ``Pat and the rest of the coaching staff, we're going to have some real decisions to make. I mean we knew where Foote and Niedermayer were from Day 1, but everyone else has been improving daily, you can see it in the game and you can see in the practices.
``So it's going to be fun to watch this.''
Cheers,
Aquaman
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