Sunday, December 16, 2001
No. 1 question: Who starts in net?
By BRUCE GARRIOCH -- Ottawa Sun
Who's No. 1 for Canada?
That question won't be answered until the Olympics in February. But emerging from yesterday's unveiling of Team Canada was concern about goaltending because of the absence of Patrick Roy.
While Team Canada GM Wayne Gretzky insisted he wasn't going to "beg anybody" to play, the inclusion of Dallas goalie Ed Belfour with Toronto's Curtis Joseph and New Jersey's Martin Brodeur indicates there's worry about experience.
"Patrick Roy made the decision that he wasn't going to play. That's his decision and good for him. I certainly wasn't going to go out and beg anybody to play for their country," said Gretzky, sounding a little bitter.
"We feel like we've got three good goaltenders and we don't have any definition on where anybody is going to stand. We like all three of our goaltenders. Exactly how they're going to be used is going to be up to (coach) Pat Quinn."
Phoenix goalie Sean Burke, who has put up solid numbers this season, was viewed as a favourite because of his relationship with Gretzky. But when push came to shove the Team Canada staff realized it needed experience in Salt Lake City.
Brodeur has struggled with the Devils, though he shut out the Senators 2-0 last night. After a tough start, Joseph has been more consistent of late while Belfour has been the best of the three.
"When you look at a guy like Belfour, he brings a lot of experience. He's been an excellent goaltender for a long time," said Senators coach Jacques Martin, an associate coach with Team Canada. "I know that this was one of the most difficult decisions that we made.
"You look at a guy like Belfour, he's won the Stanley Cup and he knows what it takes to play at this level. He had success against guys like Dominik Hasek and Tommy Salo. These are guys that we're going to be facing in Salt Lake."
BETTER SITUATION
Brodeur, 13-12-3 with a 2.47 goals-against average prior to last night's game, wasn't surprised by his selection. Now he'd like to get his game back on track so he can push for the No. 1 job at the Games.
"I like the situation more this time around," Brodeur said. "I didn't like what happened in Nagano in 1998 when I didn't play. It looks like everybody is going to have a chance to play and then they'll ride the wave of the hot hand.
"This is a good situation. They're going into this tournament with an open mind and they're going to wait until we get there to decide who will play ... this is a good chance for me."
Brodeur said he got the news in a call from Gretzky just 20 minutes before the team's unveiling.
"I called my dad so that he could relax," said Brodeur. "I was pretty confident I was going to be there based on the indications I had gotten from Team Canada officials. But this removes all the doubt.
"Now I can just focus on getting ready for February because I want to have a hot hand when I go in there. You look at the talent we've got on that team, the skill, and I'm definitely excited about our chances."
2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
