Team Canada in 1998 Olympics - What would you change?

[Eye of Ra]

What should the roster have looked like?

Players such as Foote, Corson, Zamuner, Linden, Primeau, Joseph should not have been on the team imo.

Mario Lemieux, Robitaille and Kariya was injured, correct?

I would send this team:

Shanahan - Yzerman - Fleury
Lindros - Gretzky - Recchi
Brind'amour - Sakic - Francis
Messier - Nieuwendyk - Damphousse

Niedermayer - Pronger
Bourque - Stevens
Blake - Macinnis

Roy
Belfour
Brodeur

Would this be enough to shut down Hasek and win the gold?

Click to read more...

 

[JackSlater]

I once went back and made alternate reality Olympic editions of Canada back to at least the 1930s, so I'll copy the 1998 edition.

Nieuwendyk Lindros Fleury
Shanahan Gretzky Yzerman
Messier Sakic Recchi
Brind’Amour Francis Linden
Friesen

Desjardins Bourque
Pronger MacInnis
Stevens Blake
Niedermayer

Roy
Brodeur
Belfour

Even in retrospect, Canada didn't have a great collection of players that were suited to the larger ice surface. I wouldn't replace many of the players. Kariya was a big injury. Niedermayer added for skating. Friesen is there to for skating as well and he can fill a role better than Zamuner or Corson could. Francis makes it over Oates but it could go the other way, generally one elite playmaking centre is destined to miss every edition of team Canada and I don't want to buck with tradition. I'm not worried about Messier undermining Lindros, particularly as I select Gretzky as captain, so he can fill on on the wing. in place of Primeau.

 

[Sentinel]

Linden is the only Canadian player who could solve Hasek. Just FYI.

 

[MadLuke]

Linden is the only Canadian player who could solve Hasek. Just FYI.

I thought about Messier at the time for the shootout, from memory he did well during the all star game exhibition against him if I remember correctly.

I would go like they do with team now, instead of trying to get role players, if your line is always the best on the ice it does not matter and Canada tend to be filled with 2 ways player a la Sakic, Yzerman, Messier, Francis, Brind'amour, Lindros etc... anyway

There is a difference between what the team should have been has a selection by the people in charge of the decision and what in hindsight would have been the best change I guess for example:

C. Lemieux-Lindros-Fleury
Shanahan-Sakic-Iginla
Messier-Gretzky-Recchi
Nieuwendyk-Yzerman-Brind'Amour
Gilmour

Niedermayer Bourque
Pronger MacInnis
Stevens Blake
Desjardins

Roy
Brodeur
Belfour

Sakic and Iginla did really well together in 2002 and Iginla was a top 10 Canadian right wing scorer between 96-97 and 98-99, but no way Team Canada should have took him. Lemieux was money in the playoff winning 2 cups in a row (and 13 goal in 17 game the season before the olympics) and just recently had a 39 goal season, 71 points season in 95-96

 

[86Habs]

I wouldn't change a whole lot. Kariya was injured, and there wasn't anything we could have done about that. Sakic missed the Czech game, which was unfortunate; he could have certainly helped but would he have solved Hasek? Impossible to say. I wouldn't have made wholesale changes, in retrospect. Zamuner and Corson out, Messier and Francis in. That's it.

 

[VanIslander]

I remember the live on tv pre-Christmas announcement of the team. I was 29 years old in a shopping mall in Winnipeg and all eyes were glued to tv screens like OJ driving on the freeway.

Big cheers greeted the Theo Fleury selection. I was happy at the time with the Linden pick but it was clear early in the tourney, even after practices, that Linden & Primeau were lost on the big ice surface. Ugh.

The story at the time was there were too many centers and not enough natural wingers. Claude Lemieux was considered an oversight/slight by Bob Clarke.

 

[The Panther]

I still get angry that Corson, Zamuner, Linden, and Primeau were on the team.

Linden at least you can make a good case for based on his production up to '96, but really by '98 he was done, although that may not have been clear when the team was selected. Anyway, he wasn't the kind of skater who would thrive on a larger ice surface.

Too many slow, old guys on this club. It was the peak moment of Canadian high-end, peak-age talent being lowest. Full marks to the Czechs for taking advantage and riding Hasek to the win, though.

 

[lawrence]

Linden at least you can make a good case for based on his production up to '96, but really by '98

Linden at the time was still a solid player having a bad year. He's 6'4 and have speed, (he's anything but slow) and was utilized in the shut down role for Canada, it's not about building an all star team. Trevor Linden is also a type of guy that plays his finest during playoffs or elimination games, as you saw he scored the tying goal against, Czech.

Mario Lemieux, Robitaille and Kariya was injured, correct?

Lemiuex retired.

 

[The Panther]

Linden at the time was still a solid player having a bad year. He's 6'4 and have speed, (he's anything but slow) and was utilized in the shut down role for Canada, it's not about building an all star team. Trevor Linden is also a type of guy that plays his finest during playoffs or elimination games, as you saw he scored the tying goal against, Czech.

Meh. Too much size-fetishizing by the old-skool Canadian team managers. If they'd dumped those three turkeys I mentioned above for more skill and speed, they'd have won Gold.

 

[lawrence]

Meh. Too much size-fetishizing by the old-skool Canadian team managers. If they'd dumped those three turkeys I mentioned above for more skill and speed, they'd have won Gold.

which Turkey's are you talking about and who should have been there?

Canada was the superior team that ran into a hot goalie.

Players such as Foote,

probably one of the best defensive dmans or shut down dmans in his generation.

 

[The Panther]

which Turkey's are you talking about and who should have been there?

Corson, Zamuner, and Primeau.

 

[lawrence]

Corson, Zamuner, and Primeau.

ohhh yea I don't even know who the f*** Rob Zamuner was and it was painful since I didn't even have the internet at the time.

Primeau wasn't a bad choice though but who would you rather made the team?

 

[MadLuke]

it's not about building an all star team

It was pretty much that in 2014 and they had their best tourney of the pro era. Forward wise at least, except for maybe Kunitz, well even him made the all star game the 2012-2013 season.

2010 was not far from that either with maybe only Morrow ? not being a clear all stars player's of the time.

When you have Bergeron, Toews, Nash (or back then Sakic/Yzerman/Messier/Damphousse) that can be used to shut down opposition if necessary.

Canada going for a team of almost just really high speed, talented with the pucks and big forwards (with the exception of very elite a la Joe Thornton).

If you have the options to always have arguably the best lines on the ice and players good at the PK at the same times, do you really need some roles players at all ?

Primeau wasn't a bad choice though but who would you rather made the team?

Someone like Messier instead of Primeau seem one of the easiest shift imo. Messier just had an 84 points in 71 games season.

 

[seventieslord]

I remember the live on tv pre-Christmas announcement of the team. I was 29 years old in a shopping mall in Winnipeg and all eyes were glued to tv screens like OJ driving on the freeway.

Seriously? I watched it in a shopping mall too!

 

[seventieslord]

I still get angry that Corson, Zamuner, Linden, and Primeau were on the team.

Same.

But, I never understood Nieuwendyk there either.

This is how he performed in the 3 years leading up to the tournament:

Player Season Finder | Hockey-Reference.com

Don't see him yet? Keep scrolling...

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

which Turkey's are you talking about and who should have been there?

Canada was the superior team that ran into a hot goalie.



probably one of the best defensive dmans or shut down dmans in his generation.

Superior on paper maybe, but on the (big) ice? Czech Republic outshot Canada in regulation. Hasek only really had to stand on his head in OT

 

[MadLuke]

Maybe a bit like for the Reechi Corson duo taking some of those injured spot, he had a really good start at the moment the team was announced:

NHL.com - Stats

No Canadian are more goals than him.

And looking at the 3 season total like that make him look at bit worst, he played only 164 games, he is in top 20 in goal by games and top 30 in points by games, if we remove Kariya, Neely, Lemieux, Roberts, Juneau, Roberts, Nicholls has viable options and the defencemen is getting close to the top 20 Canadian in PPG for that time and top 10 for goal by games (Lemieux, Hull, Neely, Kariya, Clark, etc...) not being really available.

 

[Troubadour]

Foote absolutely needed to be on that team. If I remember correctly, he was paired with Bourque and together, they were impeccable.

 

[koyvoo]

The team was built solely for beating the Americans who won the previous best on best in 1996.

 

[seventieslord]

Maybe a bit like for the Reechi Corson duo taking some of those injured spot, he had a really good start at the moment the team was announced:

NHL.com - Stats

No Canadian are more goals than him.

And looking at the 3 season total like that make him look at bit worst, he played only 164 games, he is in top 20 in goal by games and top 30 in points by games, if we remove Kariya, Neely, Lemieux, Roberts, Juneau, Roberts, Nicholls has viable options and the defencemen is getting close to the top 20 Canadian in PPG for that time and top 10 for goal by games (Lemieux, Hull, Neely, Kariya, Clark, etc...) not being really available.

"Getting close to the top 20 in points per game", hey? And a center. Who's not an intangibles guy. For a roster with room for 12 forwards. Nope, not feeling it.

 

[seventieslord]

Dream forward lineup...

Kariya Lemieux Lindros
Messier Gretzky Yzerman
Shanahan Sakic Fleury
Damphousse BrindAmour Recchi

 

[MadLuke]

"Getting close to the top 20 in points per game", hey? And a center. Who's not an intangibles guy. For a roster with room for 12 forwards. Nope, not feeling it.

First reflex was possibly an Hitchcock being involved with the team ? But does not seem to have been the case. Not a previous experience with team Canada either...

Well on a team that take Primeau over Messier and Rob Zamuner, maybe looking at points the 3 season before is not that useful. Seeing Corson making the team, being currently "hot" like he was starting that season could have been a factor if it was close again an other candidate.

That 1998 version of Kariya, Lindros and we can imagine Lemieux after a couple of first round games would have been quite something.

 

[seventieslord]

First reflex was possibly an Hitchcock being involved with the team ? But does not seem to have been the case. Not a previous experience with team Canada either...

Well on a team that take Primeau over Messier and Rob Zamuner, maybe looking at points the 3 season before is not that useful. Seeing Corson making the team, being currently "hot" like he was starting that season could have been a factor if it was close again an other candidate.

That 1998 version of Kariya, Lindros and we can imagine Lemieux after a couple of first round games would have been quite something.

It sure would. And a shootout of Wayne, Mario, Paul, Joe and Eric... Not that we'd ever need a shootout.

The team went full intangibles though. It was really badly crafted. Throw in Mario's temporary retirement, kariya's injury, the inexplicable zamuner.....

 

[Hanji]

which Turkey's are you talking about and who should have been there?

Canada was the superior team that ran into a hot goalie.



probably one of the best defensive dmans or shut down dmans in his generation.

In no parallel universe did Canada outperform the Czechs, other than in overtime. Roy was just as tested and just as impressive as Hasek in that 1998 game.

 

[bobholly39]

I would have called Mario up and tried to convince him to play