December 27, 2012
Team Canada's defencemen put to the test
By Terry Koshan, QMI Agency
 Canada's (L-R) Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan Murphy, and Boone Jenner stand during team practice for the 2013 IIHF U20 World Junior Hockey Championship in Ufa, December 27, 2012. (REUTERS/Mark Blinch) |
UFA, RUSSIA - Andre Tourigny wouldn’t mind seeing one of his defencemen put a player through the boards.
Yet Canada’s assistant coach, who runs the group of seven on head coach Steve Spott’s bench, knows that probably won’t happen at the 2013 World Junior Championship.
Tourigny likes his defenders, even taking into consideration they’re not a hit-hard-first, ask-questions-later bunch.
“If we could have a punisher, we would love that, but it’s not a concern,” Tourigny said after practice on Thursday. “I think we have a pretty good mix. I like the way we play defensively, and our guys are good in transition.”
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