Russians and Swedes Present Massive Challenge For Canada

Alexander Ovechkin celebrates following Russia’s 2008 IIHF World Championship overtime win in the gold medal game against Canada. Getty Images.

Editor’s Note By Hockey Now's Andrew Chong /

It’s hard to imagine that a team made up entirely of NHL first-liners would not be the favourite to win a hockey tournament. But that’s the case for Team Canada going into the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

It is inaccurate to say Canada is the favourite to win gold. It makes more sense to say Canada is among a trio of hockey powers – along with Sweden and Russia – who are equally qualified to assert themselves as the world’s best hockey nation by winning gold in Vancouver.

Over the last three Olympic Games, Canada finished seventh in Turin (2006), first in Salt Lake (2002), and fourth in Nagano (1998).

In a level of competition similar to the Olympics, Canada won the World Cup of Hockey in 2004 and finished second to the Americans in 1996.

And despite the limited talent pool to choose from at the IIHF World Championships, it’s worth noting that Canada has won only one gold in this tournament in the past five years.

So even though Canada has had some significant successes, they’ve also had some major disappointments and the team has plenty to prove in international play before they can be called the unarguable best team in the world. And with a theoretical starting line whose 2009/10 combined salaries are greater than the entire Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, or Phoenix Coyotes roster (ie. Crosby-Lecavalier-Heatley, Niedermayer-Bouwmeester, and Luongo for a total of $47.5 million), Team Canada’s roster is as good on paper as any team in the world – but is it worthy of gold?

The Swedes are the reigning Olympic champions and their elite core of Lundqvist, Lidstrom, Zetterberg, Alfredsson, Franzen, Nick Backstrom, and the Sedin twins could be bolstered by a surprise veteran addition or two if any of Sundin, Forsberg, or Naslund come out of the woodwork.

The Russians are officially the IIHF’s top-ranked international team (based on the most recent Olympics and the most recent four World Championships) and they are led by three Hart Trophy finalists (player most valuable to his team) in Ovechkin, Malkin, and Datsyuk. Malkin beat out Crosby to win arguably the most coveted individual NHL award – the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP – and he won the Art Ross for the regular season scoring title. Datsyuk won the Selke for the league’s best defensive forward. And Ovechkin won the Hart, the Rocket Richard for the goal-scoring title, and the Pearson for the MVP as voted by the players. Add Kovalchuk and Semin to that mix and you’ve got possibly the five most gifted offensive stars on earth on one team.

Besides Blue Jackets keeper Steve Mason winning the Calder for top rookie, the rest of the NHL’s major player awards also went to non-Canadians. Slovakia’s Chara won best defenceman, Czech Republic’s Krejci won the plus-minus award, and U.S.A.’s Thomas won best goaltender.

Non-Canadians snatching up all the awards is becoming a bit of a trend. In 2008, Marty Brodeur’s Vezina was the only major player award won by a Canadian.

Canada’s roster looks somewhat more favourable compared to the next tier of teams – the Czechs, Finns, and Americans – though all three pose very solid rosters.

The Czechs’ will be led by Jagr who led his country to gold in 1996 and who still seems to have something in the tank, averaging nearly a point per game in Russia’s KHL (a league that does not count second assists).

The Finns have two high-end goaltenders in Kiprusoff and Backstrom which gives them a chance to win any game against any country, especially in the single-game-knockout Olympic playoff format.

The Americans are led by the only North American player to finish last season in the top five for both goals and points in Zach Parise and are led by a Vezina-winner in Thomas.

So Sweden is the defending champion and Russia is the IIHF’s top-ranked team – but what exactly is Canada’s identity? This country’s place among the international hockey powers is somewhat blurred; but a gold medal in February 2010 would sure clear things up.

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Hockey sticks: Don't get stuck with a 'lemon'!

For those of you who didn't know, hockey sticks used to be made of wood. And at one point, aluminum shafts with wooden or graphite blades were popular. Then it was graphite everything! Now it's a combination of composite materials meant to give the player a lighter and sturdier hockey stick whether it was a one or two-piece stick. It seems like the most popular one among the pros is the one piece.

Here's a sweet vid of how some current sticks are factory made. Enjoy!



I wonder if the hockey sticks in the following video were "lemons".

Hockey parents are ridiculous (In a good way)

HOCKEY DAD / Rhys Adams and his father Craig Adams of the Pittsburgh Penguins hang out in the dressing room after practice. Getty Images photo.

By / Andrew Chong

The start of another season means hockey parents across the country will once again be assuming their roles as some of the greatest people on the planet.

To start –– and this is no great revelation — hockey’s expensive. Parents make massive financial sacrifices for their kids to play. Forbes.com lists ice hockey as one of the world’s top ten most expensive sports alongside polo, yacht racing, and aerobatics (yes, that’s flying planes for fun).

And unlike the sunny skies associated with the aforementioned luxury sports, hockey parents chauffeur their kids through rain and snow and rush hour traffic only to arrive at a cold, dim arena. They wake up too-early, go to bed too-late, work too many volunteer hours and pay too much money — but most hockey parents will tell you it’s all worth it. In fact, I’ve never actually heard otherwise.

As 2009/10 kicks off, Hockey Now salutes the hockey parents of Canada. Thanks for all you do. Your generosity is ridiculous—and we mean that in the same way that Pavel Datsyuk’s dangles are ridiculous (see stickhandling video at hockeynow.ca).

So, enjoy something from the hockey world that’s actually free – this latest edition of Hockey Now.

SHARKS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING

It would appear the Heatley-injected San Jose Sharks have developed a striking resemblance to the 2004 Stanley Cup Champions – the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The pre-lockout Bolts built their team around three high-priced Canadian forwards (Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Brad Richards), Dan Boyle anchoring the defence, and arguably the best Russian goaltender on earth at the time in Nikolai Khabibulin.

Coincidentally, this year’s Sharks team is built around three high-priced Canadian forwards (Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Dany Heatley), Dan Boyle anchoring the defence, and arguably the best Russian goaltender on earth in Evgeni Nabokov.

We’ll soon find out if the Lightning Stanley Cup model can strike twice.

STAY COOL AND GO HOME HAPPY

A final thought to rec players of all ages — and please forgive the Dr. Phil-ness of this little point — but when you leave the rink, feel better than you did than when you arrived. I know I’m not the only one who has had those nights where you get all riled up and upset and maybe do something or say something stupid and you leave the rink feeling worse than when you came.

Particularly at the adult rec level, hockey should be about getting exercise and enjoying the game. Why pay all that money and devote all that time and energy to it if you’re in a worse mood when you leave the rink?

I totally understand mourning a tough loss, being disappointed over poor play or being upset about a dirty play against you. But let’s not take the rest of it too seriously because the vast, vast majority of us are not going to the NHL or anywhere even close.

So enjoy yourself, rec players. Go home feeling good. You pay too much not to.

Have you ever wondered how hockey pucks are made?

Who knew!?!