Why did Canada fail at 2006 Olympics?

[Garthinater]

The World Cup is not the Olympics. Two years is a lot of time in terms of hockey longevity. Dumb ass old boys picking the team.

Who was in charge of player selection?

 

[Perfect_Drug]

They didn't take their best players.

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Took the big guys

 

[nowhereman]

It's still absolutely hilarious that Kris Draper made that team and Sidney Crosby didn't, lmfao. Crosby outscored him by 70 points that season and then 91 the next. That has to be one of the stupidest decisions in Hockey Canada history.

 

[WarriorofTime]

They just lost.

 

[JackSlater]

it was a roster made for NHL sized ice, not olympic

Well, can't say you're wrong.

Who was in charge of player selection?

Gretzky was.

In terms of the controversial forward picks, you can follow the line of thinking for some of them. Doan and Smyth had tons of Hockey Canada experience, Doan scored the key goal at the 2004 World Cup, and Gretzky was friendly to both Edmonton and Arizona. Draper played well on Canada's checking line at the 2004 World Cup and was the most recent Selke winner. The weird one is Bertuzzi, coming off his huge suspension and with a game so poorly suited to international hockey. It was discussed at the time that Gretzky promised Bertuzzi a spot before the season even started, which is negligent. He also offered Yzerman and Lemieux spots, which they wisely turned down. People throw around "old boys club" too often but that team did have a bit of a country club environment about it.

The defence also had players who were useful cogs in the past but not suited to international hockey in 2006 (Blake, Regehr, Foote) plus slow and dumb McCabe. Unlike at forward Canada didn't have a ton of other, clearly better options available on defence. Boyle shouldn't have been on the taxi squad as one of Canada's best puck movers. They probably should have gone off the board and taken Brian Campbell. Not sure off the top of my head who else should have been there.

 

[Hatter of the Beach]

Too many grinders and “good ol Canadian boys”

Kris Draper
Shane Doan
Ryan Smythe
Robin Regehr

Are you kidding me?

Sub in

Crosby
Kariya
Marleau
Shanahan

Wow thank you for this post, I’ve been a wings fan for decades and had completely forgotten about Draper being an Olympian. No recollection at all

 

[Demon Wolf]

The Swedes in that tournament though.

Forsberg, Sundin, Alfredsson, Lidström, Lundqvist, Zetterberg, the Sedins... and one of the most underrated defensemen of years past, Kenny Jönsson. He had left the NHL to play in the Swedish second division two seasons before the Olympics and was still named best defenseman of the tournament

 

[CamPopplestone]

There was definitely elements of player selection. I think our defense hurt more than the forward group though. It was just a really odd time period where there weren't a ton of great skating and transition defensemen.

And it also sometimes just happens z especially in a tournament setting. All it takes is us to have two bad games, and two other teams to have a great game and it can be over like that.

 

[MVP of West Hollywd]

The team seems on the bigger and slower side. Seems like they didn't have it the whole tournament

 

[Iapyi]

There were only 6 players from the Canadian Prairies and only 2 from Saskatchewan.

 

[Kristopher Letang]

intangibles before it became a meme

 

[surixon]

They didn't pick a team with enough speed for the big ice. They picked a big physical team who's game was more geared towards a smaller ice surface.

Crosby, Karyia and Spezza should have all been there imo.

 

[The Panther]

Yeah, that was a weird one. I mean, 1998 was a weird team, too, but at least I can understand what they were thinking then -- i.e., "we have a to send a big, strong, NHL-type team to compete with the Americans!" (then they didn't face the US for a medal, so they lost).

But in 2006, there were no excuses for that mentality. Everybody knew they need a fast skating, open-ice playing, ability-to-make-plays-on-the-rush, type of team. Then, they sent the exact players who can't do that -- Bertuzzi, Draper, Smyth. Ugh.

 

[jigglysquishy]

I remember going into the tournament and thinking that this was going to be when Joe Thornton cemented himself as the best forward in the world and a clutch player. He had a good showing at the 2004 World Cup and was breaking out in the NHL. The stars were aligned.

3 points and -1 in 6 games and looked lost.

I don't have fond memories of the tournament. Partly because Canada sucked but also because it broke up what was such a unique and exciting season.

 

[VanIslander]

Did Canada fail?

Or did Sweden succeed?

 

[Johnny Engine]

Did Canada fail?

Or did Sweden succeed?

That would be a great question if Canada hadn’t been eliminated by Russia, or if they played Sweden at all.

 

[MadLuke]

Canada was a lower side of the wave talent wise, making other team like Sweden legitimately has good or better (like peak USA before that or Russia-Soviet), Sundin-Forsberg-Sedin-Zetterberg that just elite center debt, Alfredsson was in is peak, obviously defense like usual and the young Lundqvist.

I would also go with sub optimal team building, even if they would have never let go of the role player, considering they just won 2 major tourney (and those if I remember correctly like Doan had a good tourney and where not an issue, but I could be mixing up 2010 where the Morrow type had a great tourney), the "pure offensive" forward could have been different and maybe one less of the Draper type, considering you have already the Doan-Smyth in the mix.

Spezza-Staal could have seen ice instead of some of the Bertuzzi selection, leaving place for Crosby in the taxy squad. Kariya missing is a bit strange, considering he was fully healthy and had 7 Team canada selection including 2 olympic game,

But mainly it is mostly about Niedermayer missing, I feel having him playing 27 minute during an elimination close game and removing minute to the Foote-Pronger on the big ice, could have transformed the team, I feel like is minute would be the more transformative of any possible change, the gap in quality with him playing and all that mean for the rest of Ds playing less is much more that the difference between an bit better forward being replaced and a low minute forward being kicked out.

 

[daver]

Why they couldn't take Crosby as the 13th forward is a head scratcher considering he lead the WHC's in scoring three months later.

 

[daver]

I remember going into the tournament and thinking that this was going to be when Joe Thornton cemented himself as the best forward in the world and a clutch player. He had a good showing at the 2004 World Cup and was breaking out in the NHL. The stars were aligned.

3 points and -1 in 6 games and looked lost.

I don't have fond memories of the tournament. Partly because Canada sucked but also because it broke up what was such a unique and exciting season.

Big ice syndrome?

 

[86Habs]

Big ice syndrome?

Thornton (on a line with Nash and Gagne) demolished the World Championships on larger ice in 2005, so he had proven that he could play on the larger ice.

I like the point above regarding this team being built well for the NHL-sized ice surface. Firstly, the goaltending was very solid and good enough to win gold. The core of the forward group was largely the same as the 2004 World Cup team (with the exception of Mario, obviously), and the talent was certainly there to compete. With the exception of the inexcusable selection of Bertuzzi, all of the forward picks were very supportable at the time but obviously don't look as good in hindsight. Draper and Doan were fairly key pieces of the 2004 World Cup team, and Smyth had played on the 2002 and 2004 teams and all three of them had played well on various World Championships teams in the years running up to the 2006 Olympics. Draper was a Selke winner, repeated Cup champion and a good selection to anchor the PK and defensive duties. Still, I think Gretzky should have had a keener eye on speed and offensive skill and he should have brought in more youth. Leaving Kariya at home was puzzling, in the context of his offensive production and wealth of international experience. The Staal and Crosby omissions have been discussed ad nauseum, and both guys should have been there. Its odd because he took a chance on Iginla and Gagne in 2002, which worked out tremendously. He should have done the same in 2006. Additionally, Quinn mixed up his lines seemingly every game and nothing seemed to stick in terms of chemistry. I don't remember the Sakic/Gagne/Iginla line playing together much, if at all, and that line tore it up in 2002.

However, does replacing Doan, Smyth and Bertuzzi with Crosby, Staal and Kariya provide a different result? Given the state of the defense group - the glaring lack of an elite puck mover with no Niedermayer, Pronger playing through an injury, Blake either injured/underperforming, the focus on rugged defensive defencemen - I honestly don't think it does. Boyle would have helped, but there was no one else really out there that stands out as a difference-maker. The 2006 team was held back by a defense group that was very, very weak from a mobility and puck-moving capability perspective.

 

[MadLuke]

Outside Boyle Brian Campbell is the only other name that came to mind to help Canada in that regard

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

You don't need any defensive only players when you have Brodeur in net.

Cause Brodeur won three cups backstopping the 80s Oilers.

 

[Treb]

Cause Brodeur won three cups backstopping the 80s Oilers.

Devils were great defensively, but I'm not sure what they have to do with what I said.

My point is that as long as it's not a bunch of Erik Gustafsson on the blue line, you're better off going for guys that can contribute offensively. We're talking of a best vs best tournament here, not the regular NHL team. The 6th D on team Canada is still a top pair D in the NHL, so even the more offensive minded ones can usually still defend.

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

Devils were great defensively, but I'm not sure what they have to do with what I said.
My point is that as long as it's not a bunch of Erik Gustafsson on the blue line, you're better off going for guys that can contribute offensively. We're talking of a best vs best tournament here, not the regular NHL team. The 6th D on team Canada is still a top pair D in the NHL, so even the more offensive minded ones can usually still defend.

Sorry, it just came off sounding like an overestimation of Brodeur’s ability to steal games to me, but now I see what you mean.

I agree that you didn’t have to use the grittiest, most fearless and determined puck eating stay-at-home defensemen to mask any flaws of Brodeur of course, I don’t actually think that Team Canada had to pick any other players than the best at their positions in order for Brodeur to flourish: my point was that his reputation has benefited greatly from playing 70+ games a year in front of an elite defensive team playing trap hockey. He was certainly a great goalie, though.