Not easy picking Canada’s team
The hardest aspect of choosing the players for Canada’s team in the 4 Nations Faceoff tournament in February is not necessarily who will make the team, it’s the angst involved in leaving some truly great players off the roster.
-By Bruce Penton
Monday, November 25, 2024
Key points from this story:
- McDavid and MacKinnon are definite picks.
- Crosby debated as sentimental or elite choice.
- Rookie Bedard vs. McMichael for a spot.
- Russia excluded from 4 Nations Faceoff.
- Canada strong in forwards and defense.
- Goalkeeping seen as Canada's weak point.
As an example, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon are slam-dunk selections. Should veteran Sidney Crosby be a sentimental pick? Or should he be on the team because he's still among the Canadian elite? Decisions, decisions. Will the rookie phenom Connor Bedard make the team based on his reputation and his potential superstardom, or should another Connor, McMichael of the Washington Capitals, who scored 12 goals in his first 16 games, be chosen instead? The 4 Nations Faceoff is a contrived, mid-February competition featuring teams representing Canada, the U.S., Finland and Sweden and those who follow the NHL know that the largest vacancy is the absence of a team from Russia. Today's sporting universe excludes the Russians from almost every organized event, and this is no different. But would Nikita Kucherov, Kirill Kaprizov, Alex Ovechkin and Artemi Panarin form a fairly solid nucleus to build a team around?
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