Wednesday, January 16, 2002
Decision time nears
No. 3 goalie, line combos on agenda for Olympic brass
By BRUCE GARRIOCH -- Ottawa Sun
Before going for gold, the braintrust of Canada's Olympic hockey team will gather one last time.
Senators coach Jacques Martin, an associate on the staff, confirmed yesterday he'll go to the NHL all-star game festivities in Los Angeles on Jan. 31 to meet with GM Wayne Gretzky, coach Pat Quinn and the rest of the Team Canada staff.
Their agenda will include naming a No. 3 goaltender, getting injury updates and beginning the groundwork for the line combinations that will be used in the Olympic opener Feb. 15 vs. Sweden.
FINAL PREPARATIONS
"We've got some things that have to be discussed," said Martin. "These meetings are going to give us a chance to do final preparations before the Games.
'`Obviously, there's only a month to go and we're starting to get excited, but everybody has a lot of work to do with their own teams.''
One issue to be settled is which of the three goaltenders will have to wait his turn in Salt Lake City. Dallas netminder Ed Belfour has struggled the most, so it's expected he'll be No. 3.
Belfour has lost his starting job with the Stars to backup Marty Turco and is feuding with coach Ken Hitchcock, another member of Team Canada's staff. Sportsnet reported last weekend Belfour has requested a trade.
That means Toronto's Curtis Joseph and New Jersey's Martin Brodeur will get a chance to play because it's expected Quinn will use two goalies, unless there's an emergency.
"I would think (goaltending) is something that we're going to talk about and the No. 3 position is an issue that (will likely be settled)," said Martin.
While Quinn will take time out from the Olympic meetings to coach the North American squad in the Feb. 2 all-star game at the Staples Center, he'll also study his lineup for Salt Lake City.
If the tournament started tomorrow, it's believed Mario Lemieux would centre a line with Brendan Shanahan on the left side and Paul Kariya on the right.
From there, tough decisions will have to be made.
The rest of the the lines, in no particular order, could look like this (from left to right): Steve Yzerman-Michael Peca-Theoren Fleury, Owen Nolan-Eric Lindros-Jarome Iginla and Ryan Smyth-Joe Sakic-Joe Nieuwendyk. That leaves Simon Gagne as the extra forward.
Because of the depth at centre, Canada is going to have players out of position. Martin's job is to handle the offence, surprising considering the Senators are known for their commitment to defence.
"That was my focus during the orientation camp (in Calgary) in September and Ken Hitchcock handled the defence. I don't expect that's going to change once we get to Salt Lake City," said Martin.
VARIED STRENGTHS
"If you look at the staff, everybody is contributing different things. Wayne Fleming has the international experience and he's going to be able to offer that perspective. I guess they looked at the fact that I've got the highest-scoring team in the league and decided I could handle the offence."
Though Martin's tongue was planted in his cheek with that final comment, he said the depth up front will mean the club will likely try to go with duos. For example, Lemieux and Shanahan could stick together at most times.
Asked if there were concerns that some players are hurt and others struggling, Martin didn't flinch. The Boston Bruins' Joe Thornton still has a shot at making the team, but a player won't be removed unless they're injured.
"We selected these players because they've played in difficult situations before,'' said Martin. '`They're able to elevate their games to the next level and they know what it takes to win.
'`You can't do anything about injuries. You're just going to have to hope those players are ready for the game."
After all, the chase for gold isn't far away.
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