Should Canada bring back a very physical checking-line?

[Eye of Ra]

Canada always have been known for their physicality and using a checking-unit, but that has faded away the last 10 years. Why go away from traditions?

For the olympics:

Tyler Bertuzzi - Brayden Schenn - Tom Wilson

Thats 3 skilled players that is also very physical. A line like that would give something entirely else than other lines.

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[cg98]

Yeah, thats gonna be a no from me dog.

 

[Gold Standard]

And a big fat no from me. I doubt any of the 3 ever get a sniff of a Team Canada locker room at a Best on Best tourney, but a special no to Tom Wilson ever repping Canada at a BoB event.

But Schenn is a trooper. he shows up for the B team when asked and contributes.

but a nice attempt by you at sucking Hockey Canada people into recreating the Team Canada magic of the 2006 Turin Olympics. because that was so much fun. I'm still collecting pieces of my TV I threw at the wall.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

No.

If they want a specialist line, it can be to shut down the other team's best players.

ROR - Couturier - Stone

The other three lines should be built around skill and chemistry. When you have as many offensive stars as Canada, you don't overthink it.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

No

 

[WTFMAN99]

No.

Officiating standards are different, they'd likely take a penalty at the wrong time. Even that aside, Canada has talented players that can also finish some checks or won't shy away from playing in traffic.

 

[5 14 6 1]

They have 4 Selke caliber players to put on the roster in ROR, Stone, Bergeron and Couturier. We will be fine.

 

[Mathieukferland]

For Beijing:

Kassian-Rinaldo-Martin
Shaw-Deslauriers-Johnston
Clifford-Reaves-Lucic
Calvert-Simmonds-Khaira

Ceci-Mathieson
Alzner-Schenn
Boriewcki-MacDermid

Jones
Hutchinson
Bernier

 

[alko]

Do it.

 

[86Habs]

We haven't won a tournament since 1991 with that approach, so no. Approach didn't work and we got burned in 1996 or 1998, so we changed it up for 2002 and have since won 2002, 2004, 2010, 2014, and 2016. At a high-skill tournament like the Olympics we'd be basically handing our opponents a massive advantage 1 out of every 4 shifts (or so, acknowledging the 4th line doesn't play as much as the top-9). Not to mention the penalties that would result, and the fact that we'd be leaving superior players off the team.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

For Beijing:

Kassian-Rinaldo-Martin
Shaw-Deslauriers-Johnston
Clifford-Reaves-Lucic
Calvert-Simmonds-Khaira

Ceci-Mathieson
Alzner-Schenn
Boriewcki-MacDermid

Jones
Hutchinson
Bernier

China would kill to have that team...LOL.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I wouldn’t bring a full line, but there’s a point to be made for someone like Wilson in the 13F spot. He’s not some plug. He’s a very good NHL’er, and can clearly keep up with these stars. Is he individually as good? No, but in the important games getting 5 shifts during a game he might be more useful than another skill guy in the 13F spot.

 

[Finnish your Czech]

For Beijing:

Kassian-Rinaldo-Martin
Shaw-Deslauriers-Johnston
Clifford-Reaves-Lucic
Calvert-Simmonds-Khaira

Ceci-Mathieson
Alzner-Schenn
Boriewcki-MacDermid

Jones
Hutchinson
Bernier

Need Mike Smith and Cam Talbot for their fighting experience.

 

[End on a Hinote]

The problem is that Canada would be considered a team of classless goons if they did that.

Any other nation is fine.

 

[Big Phil]

I think there is a case for a guy like Wilson. Look, we took Brendan Morrow in 2010 for this very same reason. Canada won a whole slew of World Juniors by putting together an energy line. That being said, they have to be able to score very well if we are thinking about a line. A guy like Morrow had a purpose and so did Bergeron at that time. Hard to believe, but Bergeron had come off a weak year in 2009 and there was a specific reason he was picked for Canada in 2010. They wanted a right handed faceoff specialist. This was a risky pick to be honest. He missed most of the 2008 season, had a lousy 2009 season and then in 2010 finished 5th in Selke voting. So he was arriving by this time. So we picked a team like that by leaving out Stamkos, St. Louis and others. It was a risk.

I think 2004 comes to mind as picking maybe not necessarily a "grind line" so much as a specific line for checking and that was Doan and Draper who were controversial picks for that team. Joe Thornton if I recall centred that line that tournament. Bottom line is, it worked out well. Some skilled guys were missing on the 2004 team, I thought, but they rolled the dice and took a shutdown line and to be honest they scored a good chunk that tournament.

The 1987 Canada Cup had the likes of Tocchet, Sutter, etc. starting the comeback in the final game against the Soviets.

You do need those guys with sandpaper. For my money I'd make sure they can chip in with the best of them offensively as well. But it is no different than picking a stay at home guy specifically (Vlasic comes to mind) while leaving a more offensive defenseman at home.

 

[Get North]

Josh Anderson and Jamie Benn are good ones for a skilled, big PWF. These players have more utility compared to a guy like Horvat or Huberdeau.

The elite skill guys (McDavid, Crosby, MacKinnon, Marner) and your checkers (Marchand, Bergeron, O'Reilly, Stone, Couturier). I don't want any of these guys roughing it up when USA is bringing Tkachuks.

Take Point, Tavares and Scheifele as back-up skill guys. That's 4 lines, sit Anderson/Wilson/Benn in the press box.

 

[86Habs]

Josh Anderson and Jamie Benn are good ones for a skilled, big PWF. These players have more utility compared to a guy like Horvat or Huberdeau.

The elite skill guys (McDavid, Crosby, MacKinnon, Marner) and your checkers (Marchand, Bergeron, O'Reilly, Stone, Couturier). I don't want any of these guys roughing it up when USA is bringing Tkachuks.

Take Point, Tavares and Scheifele as back-up skill guys. That's 4 lines, sit Anderson/Wilson/Benn in the press box.

I could see David Perron get a look for a bottom six role. Strong defensively, good forechecker, can hold his own when the games get physical, plays both wings, good chemistry with O'Reilly (who I consider to be a lock), and of course it never hurts to have your club GM selecting the roster. He's been very good since his time in Vegas and was a pretty key piece in the Blues' Cup win. He'd be a reach in my view and I'm certainly not advocating for it, but I think he'd have a better chance of cracking the roster than Anderson or especially Wilson. Benn is a different story, there's obviously still some gas left in the tank there and I'd think Armstrong would want to hold over some of 2014 team as a leadership group - Crosby, Bergeron, Tavares and Benn are really the only forwards with any shot of returning in 2022. Still, I think there are better options out there and historically Team Canada doesn't bring veterans only to make them sit in the press box.

 

[Czechboy]

I think it is in Canada's best interest to play their selke guys... control the game and absolutely suffocate the opposition with their elite talent. No need for a checking line... just keep rolling them!

 

[CanadienShark]

Yuck no. We have FAAAAARRR better options to play 4th line.

 

[Gold Standard]

I could see David Perron get a look for a bottom six role. Strong defensively, good forechecker, can hold his own when the games get physical, plays both wings, good chemistry with O'Reilly (who I consider to be a lock), and of course it never hurts to have your club GM selecting the roster. He's been very good since his time in Vegas and was a pretty key piece in the Blues' Cup win. He'd be a reach in my view and I'm certainly not advocating for it, but I think he'd have a better chance of cracking the roster than Anderson or especially Wilson. Benn is a different story, there's obviously still some gas left in the tank there and I'd think Armstrong would want to hold over some of 2014 team as a leadership group - Crosby, Bergeron, Tavares and Benn are really the only forwards with any shot of returning in 2022. Still, I think there are better options out there and historically Team Canada doesn't bring veterans only to make them sit in the press box.

as always... voice of reason.

although my st. louis preference for defensive forward who can mesh with O'Reilly is J. Schwartz.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

I’m not a fan of bringing a checking line, but I’d like to bring one physical player for the 4th line to go along with two defensive studs.

Something like:

O’Reilly - Couturier - Wilson

 

[Mathieukferland]

2006 Turin is calling, they want their GM back. Canada has so many selke finalists and winners that a checking line isn’t needed.

 

[NyQuil]

Checking lines had some success at the World Championships where the sheer volume of skill simply wasn't available so we were typically oriented more like an exceptional NHL team with specific personnel chosen for roles on specific lines as opposed to more of the all-star team concept at the Olympics.

I remember guys like Maltby, Draper and others playing key roles.

However, in all likelihood, any line that Canada puts together for the Olympics would probably still make up a #1 PP unit on any given NHL team.

What has been successful at the Olympic level is the apparent willingness of extremely high-caliber players to accept a slot on any role and on any line and with any number of responsibilities.

We take it for granted now, but we had guys leave the team in 1972 because of the role they had been given and teams like the Canada Cup team in 1981 did not apparently gel all that well because of animosity between the Islanders and Oilers personnel.

 

[bossram]

Canada always have been known for their physicality and using a checking-unit, but that has faded away the last 10 years. Why go away from traditions?

For the olympics:

Tyler Bertuzzi - Brayden Schenn - Tom Wilson

Thats 3 skilled players that is also very physical. A line like that would give something entirely else than other lines.

No. We do not need to galaxy brain this. Canada has by far the deepest and best pool of players to choose from. You select 4 all-star calibre lines and let the chips fall. Good players can play different roles. You don't need to bring specific archetypes for that. You're forgoing three much better players by taking Bertuzzi/Schenn/Wilson. None of them are even marquee defensive players.

They won the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, and 2016 World Cup, by bringing the best players. Full stop.

Sure, you want some "shutdown" players and PKers. But Canada has perennial Selke candidates like Bergeron, Couturier, Marchand, Stone, O'Reilly. They'd make the team on their own merits anyway.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

God, it still kills me that Kris Draper made a Canadian Olympic team.