Wednesday, November 28, 2001
The Last Word
There's no doubt Canada's Olympic hockey team will have an
immensely talented roster. From the first line to the fourth, this will
be a team to be reckoned with.
By AL STRACHAN -- Toronto Sun
The Olympic organizers have not yet decided on the final roster for Team Canada 2002. But they are a lot closer than they were two months ago and they even have a couple of tentative lines in mind.
"Tentative" is the key word. Mario Lemieux's hip injury could throw out the first-line plans and the resultant shuffles could have repercussions down the ladder.
But the tentative first line would have Lemieux playing with Brendan Shanahan and Paul Kariya.
The fourth line, which, in the minds of organizers, is the most crucial, would see Mike Peca at centre with Steve Yzerman at left wing, and Theoren Fleury on the right side.
"I'd be the biggest guy on the line," Yzerman said with a laugh when told of the concept.
It would be close, but let's concede that the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder certainly wouldn't be the smallest. Still, when the Olympic organizers contemplated this grouping, they weren't thinking of size. They were thinking of effectiveness.
They want a fourth line that can go out in crucial situations -- tight games, late-period faceoffs and so on -- and not only shut down the opposition, but be a genuine threat to score.
There are few developments more demoralizing to a team than to send out the big gunners when a goal is badly needed, only to give up a goal instead.
This is a line that could turn the tables in just that fashion. All three players are defensively effective, yet capable of scoring if given the slightest opening.
Yzerman says he has no qualms at all about switching from his accustomed position at centre to the left wing, and he thinks his two proposed linemates would be ideal.
"I've played with Theo before in international competition," he said. "We were on a line together and it was quite effective. And Mike Peca is easy to play with."
What makes one guy easier to play with than another?
"Guys who are good skaters with good skill are easy to play with," Yzerman said. "I think they're straight-ahead guys. They go to the net and they drive. They're not all over. You're not trying to figure out where the heck they're going.
"They play a skill game, but a simple game. They use the wingers well and make the puck do the work, I guess, rather than trying to go through the whole team."
Yzerman sees no difficulty in using Fleury as a defensively oriented forward either.
"That's what he did early in his career, not so much following guys around but having defensive responsibilities," Yzerman said. "I don't want to call him a checker, but he plays well in a defensive role."
The proposed top line is one that was formulated at the Olympic training camp in Calgary in September. One of the purposes of that camp was to try out different combinations to see which players worked well with each other.
The Kariya-Shanahan-Lemieux line was used on the first day and then disbanded. But it was a combination that suited Lemieux and, as long as he is healthy enough to play, that's the one that will be used to open the Olympics.
Shanahan is delighted.
"I wasn't even invited to the camp," he said. "Then you get the late call. Then to see these were my two linemates, that was a nice surprise, when two days before I was thinking that I wasn't even going to be there."
Now, the question is which one will play which position. Lemieux, surprisingly enough, has suggested he might play right wing and Kariya will move to centre. But really, the way those two cover the ice, the designated position doesn't matter much.
Shanahan will be on the left side, but originally, even that wasn't a certainty.
"Paul took some shifts at left and I took some at right," he said. "I prefer left. Offensively it's my best position. I've played my whole career there."
And, as is often the case with these high-level players, there is an experience factor to be considered.
"I played with Paul in the '94 world championship, with Jason Arnott at centre," Shanahan said. "We really clicked. Paul uses his speed, then I come late and drive through the middle. If I get it, I shoot it. If I don't, I go to the net."
And while there, he can create some turmoil, blocking the goaltender's view and attracting the attention of defencemen. There are few aspects of the game more delightful to Kariya and Lemieux than defencemen whose minds are focused elsewhere.
There is also another option. As Shanahan said, "I can play deep and play a defensive role if Paul and Mario want to concentrate on offence."
Two lines. Two totally different responsibilities. But one common thread.
Both should be highly effective.
2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
