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Honestly, I didn't follow the juniors closely but from afar the roster looks like it was very poorly put together. Lots of politics and bureaucracy went on in the selection process, I'd imagine.
Hockey Canada always seems to insist on bringing checkers and grinders to these events even when it's on international ice and the different style makes these kind of guys much less effective.
Their issues seem to run a lot deeper than just that, but it's one thing Canada could start with re-evaluating.
I hope the Olympic team doesn't make the same mistake.
I laugh at all the fretting that Canadians do during losses such as these. It's as if no other country is allowed to win. Ever. Sure they sucked this time, but Canada overall speaking, is still the undisputed king of hockey.
Canada is to hockey what Brazil is to soccer. And you don't see Brazil winning every world cup either. But nobody doubts Brazil being the kings of soccer/football.
Fact is that in a one game scenario, some teams are close enough (to Canada and Brazil) that they can act as spoilers and cause an upset.
Parity, the world has caught up, blah, blah, blah. Alright, perhaps Canada shouldn't fret about having come home from these championships without a medal, etcetera, etcetera. But, it doesn't mean that the hockey program should rest on it's laurels...
"It was the best we had in our country," said head coach Brent Sutter. "It?s where we?re at in our development stage in our country and there?s nothing you can do about it. We brought the best team we could over here ? we?re not questioning any of our decisions made. All the decisions made were the right ones."
So if this was the best Canada had to offer and the decisions were right, what happened?
Sutter and Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada?s senior director of operations, both said that the rest of the world has caught up to Canada in terms of development. So what is being done to make sure Canada stays out in front of the pack.
"We have work to do," said Salmon after the game. "We need to look at our program and it?s not just one team. I think we need to look at our overall program and how we are doing things and try to get better."
Recently the Canadian Hockey League ? put a grandfathered restriction on drafting European goaltenders to play on CHL teams via the league?s import draft. Eventually those spots will only be open to Canadians and Americans. The decision was made so the league could better develop North American goaltenders, instead of ones from other countries.
Is banning all imports from the league an option to help Canada in the future?
Sutter doesn?t think so. He believes that the top European talent is being developed long before they reach the CHL.
"Development starts at 10 years of age," said Sutter. "It?s not about Xs and Os and those types of things ? it?s with skills and skating. You see how these teams in Europe, how they?ve done a remarkable job with that.
"It?s something in our country we have to evaluate. There?s too much focus on winning and losing at a young age and not enough about the skill part of it and the skating part of it. That?s truly how it starts."
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