Team Canada in World Cup 1996 - what would you change?

[Eye of Ra]

What changes would you do?

I would send this team:

Roy
Burke
Brodeur

Niedermayer - Stevens
Bourque - MacInnis
Coffey - Murphy

M.Lemieux - Gretzky - Neely
Kariya - Lindros - Fleury
Shanahan - Yzerman - Recchi
Messier - Francis - Nolan

Neely injured alot, but still played 44 games this season, i think he could manage World Cup 1996. No idea why Bourque, Roy, Mackinnis, Murphy, Mario, Kariya where not on the team, shocking for me. Owen Nolan was a monster these years. I tried to put in Sakic, but Gretzky, Prime Lindros, Yzerman is hard to beat out and Francis feels like a better 4C than Sakic. I know Recchi had chemistry with Lindros but i just feel that 2 speedsters like Kariya and Fleury would be ideal for Lindros. Sean Burke was very underated. The D-mans is a no brainer.

USA would not beat this team in a 3 game series (the finals had best of 3).

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[jj cale]

Going on memory Bourque,Mario didn't want to play, wanted the whole off season to rest and be with family.

I believe Macinnis and Kariya had injury issues, can't remember what went on with Roy.

Just those guys alone probably means Canada wins yet again, what a shame.

We had to go with guys like Cote on defense, yeesh!!...........says it all right there.

 

[Nick Hansen]

Bourque for some reason decided to not play for Team Canada right in the middle of his prime. Not sure why as he came back for Nagano for instance.

Could you post the real team that played also?

 

[Nick Hansen]

Going on memory Bourque,Mario didn't want to play, wanted the whole off season to rest and be with family.

I believe Macinnis and Kariya had injury issues, can't remember what went on with Roy.

Just those guys alone probably means Canada wins yet again, what a shame.

We had to go with guys like Cote on defense, yeesh!!...........says it all right there.

Didn't Roy want to be promised the position as the #1 goalie and therefore was excluded?

 

[Eye of Ra]

Bourque for some reason decided to not play for Team Canada right in the middle of his prime. Not sure why as he came back for Nagano for instance.

Could you post the real team that played also?

Sure:

 

[jj cale]

Didn't Roy want to be promised the position as the #1 goalie and therefore was excluded?

I thought that was salt Lake city where that issue came up but I cannot remember for sure, you may be right.

 

[Nick Hansen]

Sure:

Some funny names there... Cote, Odelein, Verbeek and a young Jovanovski who was considered a lock for any Team Canada for quite some time...wouldn't be particularly close today if you ask me.

 

[c9777666]

Goaltending.

I mean, why couldn’t they have gone with Brodeur instead of Cujo?

 

[JackSlater]

What changes would you do?

I would send this team:

Roy
Burke
Brodeur

Niedermayer - Stevens
Bourque - MacInnis
Coffey - Murphy

M.Lemieux - Gretzky - Neely
Kariya - Lindros - Fleury
Shanahan - Yzerman - Recchi
Messier - Francis - Nolan

Neely injured alot, but still played 44 games this season, i think he could manage World Cup 1996. No idea why Bourque, Roy, Mackinnis, Murphy, Mario, Kariya where not on the team, shocking for me. Owen Nolan was a monster these years. I tried to put in Sakic, but Gretzky, Prime Lindros, Yzerman is hard to beat out and Francis feels like a better 4C than Sakic. I know Recchi had chemistry with Lindros but i just feel that 2 speedsters like Kariya and Fleury would be ideal for Lindros. Sean Burke was very underated. The D-mans is a no brainer.

USA would not beat this team in a 3 game series (the finals had best of 3).

Several of those aren't realistic changes. Lemieux and Bourque refused. I don't think that can be changed. MacInnis, Francis, Neely and Kariya were injured. That can't be changed. If I can make those changes then I would add Brett Hull to the Canadian team too.

For the most part, given the players who refused and the injuries, the right team was picked. The big mistake was not taking Roy. Anyway I would go with something like this:

Shanahan Lindros Recchi
Sakic Gretzky Linden
Damphousse Messier C. Lemieux
Brind’Amour Yzerman Fleury (Canada’s actual fourth line at the tournament)
Oates

Coffey Stevens
Tinordi Desjardins
Foote Murphy
Pronger (should be Blake but at that point he had missed almost the previous two hockey seasons)

Roy
Joseph
Brodeur

Canada's problem at the time was defencemen. Bourque and MacInnis were big holes that couldn't be adequately filled. Roy would be a good addition, but really the 1996 team wasn't poorly picked.

 

[The Panther]

Looking back at these line-ups, I think defence for Canada was the problem. Just not enough big, tough bruisers on that blue-line. Guys like MacInnis, Coffey, Murphy, Niedermeyer, Desjardins -- Bourque, to some extent, as well -- were all great, but none of them were particular "hard" to play against for opposing forwards. This is where the US excelled: sending big, tough forwards to the net to crash and bang, to tip in and bang in Brett Hull rebounds.

With this in mind, Scott Stevens is a real lock. They need that guy. I think they needed about two more, bigger, tougher D-men back there -- the Jeff Beukeboom type, if you will, in addition to three skilled puck movers.

One more thing: Glen Sather should not have been coach. It made no sense, as he hadn't really been a head coach for 7 years at that point.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Looking back at these line-ups, I think defence for Canada was the problem. Just not enough big, tough bruisers on that blue-line. Guys like MacInnis, Coffey, Murphy, Niedermeyer, Desjardins -- Bourque, to some extent, as well -- were all great, but none of them were particular "hard" to play against for opposing forwards. This is where the US excelled: sending big, tough forwards to the net to crash and bang, to tip in and bang in Brett Hull rebounds.

With this in mind, Scott Stevens is a real lock. They need that guy. I think they needed about two more, bigger, tougher D-men back there -- the Jeff Beukeboom type, if you will, in addition to three skilled puck movers.

One more thing: Glen Sather should not have been coach. It made no sense, as he hadn't really been a head coach for 7 years at that point.

blake comes to mind. perhaps pronger too.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Several of those aren't realistic changes. Lemieux and Bourque refused. I don't think that can be changed. MacInnis, Francis, Neely and Kariya were injured. That can't be changed. If I can make those changes then I would add Brett Hull to the Canadian team too.

For the most part, given the players who refused and the injuries, the right team was picked. The big mistake was not taking Roy. Anyway I would go with something like this:

Shanahan Lindros Recchi
Sakic Gretzky Linden
Damphousse Messier C. Lemieux
Brind’Amour Yzerman Fleury (Canada’s actual fourth line at the tournament)
Oates

Coffey Stevens
Tinordi Desjardins
Foote Murphy
Pronger (should be Blake but at that point he had missed almost the previous two hockey seasons)

Roy
Joseph
Brodeur

Canada's problem at the time was defencemen. Bourque and MacInnis were big holes that couldn't be adequately filled. Roy would be a good addition, but really the 1996 team wasn't poorly picked.

c.lemiuex ahead of owen nolan?

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

We had to go with guys like Cote on defense, yeesh!!...........says it all right there.

i don’t think cote is so bad. a steady, smart defenseman in his prime. not so different from dan hamhuis in 2014, and better than doug crossman in 87, eric brewer in 02.

lyle odelein though, that’s a guy who should only ever make a team canada in the world championships.

 

[jj cale]

i don’t think cote is so bad. a steady, smart defenseman in his prime. not so different from dan hamhuis in 2014, and better than doug crossman in 87, eric brewer in 02.

lyle odelein though, that’s a guy who should only ever make a team canada in the world championships.

Yeah he was allright but he wasn't world class or anything and wouldn't have been ever on that team had Macinnis and Bourque been available. He's a clear downgrade.

I have a higher opinion of Odelein, he kept things simple and was dependable and hard nosed, an honest player. But obviously he is never there either in a regular year that has guys like macinnis and bourque playing.

You didn't like Brewer in 02?..............I thought he played really well and got better each and every game, glad he was on that team.

 

[JackSlater]

c.lemiuex ahead of owen nolan?

Sure. Lemieux had the better season leading up to the tournament, was far more experienced and was far better suited to playing the necessary role.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

You didn't like Brewer in 02?..............I thought he played really well and got better each and every game, glad he was on that team.

actually i did like brewer. he played the best hockey of his life and was better than jovo. what i mean is, when you’re choosing a team, it’s more defensible to take a steady vet like cote or hamhuis, who wouldn’t be your first choice but can competently slot into any role you’ll need, than lowe’s inexperienced pet.

 

[jj cale]

actually i did like brewer. he played the best hockey of his life and was better than jovo. what i mean is, when you’re choosing a team, it’s more defensible to take a steady vet like cote or hamhuis, who wouldn’t be your first choice but can competently slot into any role you’ll need, than lowe’s inexperienced pet.

Sure, i would agree with that, thankfully it worked out, brews skating and competent defense panned out fine. He ended up being a good pick I think. We needed some youth with fresh legs on that team and he was part of a group that provided it.

I liked Jovanovski too though, thought he played well especially in the later games.

 

[MadLuke]

Did Cote and Odelein played the elimination games or Rob Blake ? They played only 2 games each.

The defence was

Playing all the game
Coffey
Niedermayer
Desjardins
Stevens
Foote

6th defenceman rotation
Blake (4 games)/Cote (2 games)/Odelein (2 games)

Maybe changing those 2 is irrelevant (if it is not for getting Bourque or someone else getting ice time over those in place).

From what I remember Joseph played really well and was in the mvp conversation before the last game, not sure how much is gained there with Roy.

 

[Sanf]

IIRC Patrick Roy wasn´t invited. I may remember that there was rumouurs that he was afraid that Roy wouldn´t accept anything else than number 1 job.

I don´t know if it just me, but atleast it seem like that Canada has put weight on previous showings in team Canada. Ranford wasn´t that great anymore, but played for Team Canada multiple times. CuJo was starter in previous WHCs. Similarly Sean Burkes selection to 1991 Canada Cup. He had been in several international tournaments before that.

 

[blood gin]

Not sure if Neely would be able to do it. He retired at the end of the 1995-1996 season. Couldn't even play in any of the Bruins playoff games against Florida. Plus that was such a fast, up tempo series. He would have serious issues out there in his condition

 

[Jim MacDonald]

In a Messier Biography I read it was discussed that it seemed a bit crazy to give Lindros the Captain's "C." I don't know if that would have made much of a difference but it is kinda crazy to give him the captaincy when you have Gretzky, Yzerman and other vets.....In a Theo Fleury biography I read he said he was on a line with Yzerman on even strength, but they were like a "fourth" line and didn't get much playing time.

 

[blood gin]

In a Messier Biography I read it was discussed that it seemed a bit crazy to give Lindros the Captain's "C." I don't know if that would have made much of a difference but it is kinda crazy to give him the captaincy when you have Gretzky, Yzerman and other vets.....In a Theo Fleury biography I read he said he was on a line with Yzerman on even strength, but they were like a "fourth" line and didn't get much playing time.

When you have that kind of collection of talent, somebody has to end up on the fourth line. It's not really a slight

 

[Jim MacDonald]

When you have that kind of collection of talent, somebody has to end up on the fourth line. It's not really a slight

I agree....I don't know if the coach would want to do a lot of mixing/"doing the bingo balls" when there is such a load of talent etc or in a series like this you stay the course with the same lines and hope chemistry develops. In 96 would this have been Glen Sather or Bobby Clarke as Team Canada GM? Wonder who coached too?

 

[bobholly39]

Would have loved to see Lemieux there
I only started following hockey in 93 so never got to see him play with Gretzky

Lemieux alone tilts this in Canada's favor for victory.

 

[JackSlater]

Here is a team in an alternate reality where there are no injuries, refusals or players playing against the country where they were born and primarily raised:

Lemieux Francis Recchi
Kariya Lindros Hull
Sakic Gretzky Fleury
Shanahan Messier Neely
Yzerman

Stevens Bourque
Coffey MacInnis
Foote Desjardins
Murphy

Roy
Joseph
Brodeur

It's much easier to construct the team with the injured/refused players missing.