Joe Thornton has climbed a few mountains in his career but none like the one that almost certainly awaits him once the World Cup is over -- the Alps.
As things stand, it's almost a certainty there will be no NHL season. In meetings here, the players' union and league are as far apart as they ever have been on a contract to replace the one that expires Sept. 15.
To that end, Thornton signed a conditional contract with Davos of the Swiss Elite league. He recently visited Davos to check it out.
"It's a beautiful city," the Boston Bruins star from St. Thomas said after yesterday's Team Canada practice. "Nasher (ex-Knight Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets) signed with them, too. We'd probably live next door to each other and get a chance to ski. When I was there, I got the feeling the team is excited about us coming."
No kidding. They're probably raising schnapps toasts to hockey strikes.
Thornton, who was aligned yesterday with Detroit's Kirk Maltby and Shane Doan of Phoenix in head coach Pat Quinn's constant shifting of lines, is more about dealing with the here and now.
Not selected for the 2002 Olympic team, he maintains he wasn't entirely disappointed, that with all the top centremen around, it was understandable and his day would come. It has arrived and probably quite a few more of these hockey summits are in the 25-year-old's future.
"It's a learning process," said Team Canada executive director Wayne Gretzky.
"Gordie Howe said it best years and years ago -- you never stop learning from what the great players do.
"In 1976, Guy Lafleur learned from Bobby Orr. . . . In '81, I learned from Lafleur. In '87, Mario (Lemieux) got to learn from us. Now, here we are in 2004 and guys like Vinnie Lecavalier and Joe Thornton are getting the opportunity to be around guys like Mario and Joe Sakic. It's not to say they aren't good players, but this will make them better players."
This is a younger Team Canada. It's notable that while 18 players on Team USA are over 30 years of age, 19 members of Team Canada's 25-man pool are under 30.
Gretzky and Quinn touched on pure talent not being the only criterion in selecting a team. It has to be that, combined with the kind of savoir- faire that Lemieux, 39 in October, brings to the mix.
"With Mario on the ice and in the locker room, it brings a calming effect to the team," said Gretzky. "The young players appear to be getting more comfortable. We have 10 days together (in preparation) and it's important they all get to know each other."
Quinn stressed the value of players having performed in the Stanley Cup playoffs, as Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis did last spring. They have all been aligned with Lemieux during the past two exhibition games against Team USA.
Quinn said yesterday's troika of Lemieux on wing with Sakic and Stanley Cup finalist Jarome Iginla would remain intact for now at least.
"Being in the Stanley Cup final changes how a player approaches the game," Quinn said. "I always think of Steve Yzerman. For 10 years, he was a wonderful scorer but it took that other side of the game (winning the Stanley Cup) to make him a more complete player."
As for Thornton, he's working, watching and absorbing, along with a lot of other young guys.
