Team Canada has had a rough ride through the preliminary portion of the Olympic schedule, but now comes crunch time. Here we offer up the ways we see Canada walking away with the gold on home ice:
1. Ride Luongo to the Promised Land – This is a moot point now as it has been confirmed that Roberto is getting the start tonight. Lose, we’re out – win, he obviously stays in for the rest of the tournament - minus an atrocious effort against a weaker German side. Brodeur is arguably the greatest goalie ever, but this is Luongo’s chance to shine and take his place at the top for years to come. Plus, he is on his ice in Vancouver – his comfort level with the ice surface, the bounces and the boards can only be a benefit.
2. Shorten the Bench – This is the perennial problem with Canadian hockey teams: too much talent. But we cannot have Crosby averaging 15 minutes a game when he has been use to 23+ his entire life. Elite hockey players need their TOI to be higher, period. They need to get a feel for the flow of the game and you cannot do that with 4 equal lines – Babcock needs to decide on 3 lines tops. Crosby and the San Jose line need to be given the extra time at the expense of others. The defense needs to be shortened too. Babcock has to pick his 6 D horses and ride them.
3. Use the Body – Essentially, start playing the Canadian game. Has there really been enough of this in the first few efforts? Our guys are big and we are playing on an NHL surface, so the historical excuse of not being able to adjust our game to the bigger European surfaces is out the window.
4. Get in Front of the Net - Watching the last game was like watching the Leafs for most of the season. Canada peppered Miller with the rubber and lost. Most coaches will tell you, if you are getting over 40 shots a game, you are not getting in front of the net enough. The style of play that keeps guys in front allows for the skirmishes and battles that result in goals at the expense of high shot totals.
5. Bag the Ego – Now this ties into #2 and the shortened bench, but it is the key to the gold medal. Some guys are going to have accept reduced minutes and Babcock has to tell some forwards they are going to be 4th liners with minimal TOI. We need the Michael Peca, Eric Brewer and Adam Foote types we had in 2002, to play key roles while letting 3 lines and 6 D stay on the ice.
Tell us what you think.
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