'As a team, we expect to win'
More heat on Team Canada
By BRUCE GARRIOCH, Ottawa Sun
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Team Canada's Mario Lemieux (R) and goaltender Martin Brodeur take part in a practice session during training camp for the World Cup of Hockey in Ottawa Saturday. (CP PHOTO/Jonathan Hayward) |
Team Canada took the first step in its bid for a World Cup title yesterday at the University of Ottawa. The 26 players who took part in a two-hour workout under the watchful eye of executive director Wayne Gretzky and coach Pat Quinn showed up ready for battle on Day 1 of training camp.
The group went through a spirited workout as it prepared to face Team USA in its opening exhibition game Monday in Columbus, Ohio.
And, if the performance by Canadian athletes at the Athens Olympics doesn't improve, the players are aware that there's going to be even more pressure on them to bring home a victory at the two-week tournament.
"We know that hockey is the No. 1 sport in Canada and we're always going to be under the microscope," Gretzky said following practice. "There's pressure put upon these players the minute they step on the ice and they understand that because they grew up with this pressure.
"This goes all the way back to 1972 in the Summit Series and in 1976 (with the Canada Cup),'' he said. ''That's why the young players we have here can learn so much from guys like Mario Lemieux and Martin Brodeur.
''We know that we're expected to win and as a team, we expect to win also."
Team Canada -- which opens the tournament Aug. 31 against the U.S. in Montreal -- has undergone a facelift since winning gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
Brodeur remains as the No. 1 goalie, but this time Florida's Roberto Luongo and Montreal's Jose Theodore are his backups.
The squad also features youngsters who lack the international experience players such as Lemieux, Joe Sakic, Adam Foote and Scott Niedermayer bring to the table.
Newcomers such as Dany Heatley, Shane Doan, Brad Richards, Martin St. Louis, Wade Redden, Patrick Marleau and Scott Hannan are going to be relied on to use this experience as preparation for the 2006 Winter Games in Italy.
"We know, looking around the room, that most of the players are young and they are guys who going to be expected to help carry this program at some time during their careers," said Heatley, the Atlanta Thrashers superstar. "We're expected to win and we feel as a team that we should win.
''But I don't think anybody here is feeling any extra pressure and they shouldn't. Everybody here is excited about being part of this. They want to get the job done."
TOUGH CALLS
Canada will hold two more workouts before flying to Columbus on Monday.
Gretzky said no decisions have been made on who will play against the U.S., but indicated Lemieux will suit up for two and possibly all three exhibition games.
Gretzky admitted some players will have to take one for the team in the eight-team tournament because only 20 players can dress each night. That means six players who are used to playing big roles on their NHL teams will have to watch some nights.
"It's tough because you know that those guys want to play and they're not going to tell you any differently," said Quinn. "We know it's going to be tough to make these kinds of decisions, but what we're going to try to do is put the best team on the ice every night. That's how we're going to be successful.
"I don't even think in 1996 (in the World Cup) that we had this many players. There's no question that the decisions will be hard. I know one thing: Whoever does play, will play well and that makes the decisions a little easier."
bruce.garrioch@ott.sunpub.com
