Let the Analysis Begin

At first, the name Andy McDonald jumps out at you on the list of players who will take the ice tonight in Calgary at Team Canada's orientation camp.

What's he doing there?

Not that the pride of Strathroy, Ont. is any slouch, exactly. In fact, he's a very good NHL player.

FREDERICK BREEDON/AP

Andy McDonald has wheels and that's got him on the radar.

But when you peruse the rest of the names on the roster, and if you were there in Turin three years ago when Canada couldn't score and finished seventh in the men's hockey competition at the Winter Olympics, McDonald's inclusion begins to make more sense.

Speed, man. Speed to burn.

The Canadian team looks to have loads of size and skill at every position, and oodles of forwards who are big-time NHL attackers.

But is there enough speed? In Turin, many things didn't quite gel, and part of the reason was that so many players hadn't played at all the previous season due to the NHL lockout and still had rust on their skates when the Olympics rolled around. But Wayne Gretzky clearly emphasized big, skilled players over smaller, skilled players, so Sidney Crosby sat at home while the odious Todd Bertuzzi played and Bryan McCabe was given shifts while Dan Boyle watched as an alternate.

Teams with industrious and quick players like Finland and Switzerland were able to shut Canada down. The blazing fast Russians did the same.

For this camp, McDonald would probably be the fastest Canadian candidate followed by Patrick Marleau, Marty St. Louis and Eric Staal. Crosby, like Wayne Gretzky and Joe Sakic, has the ability to appear very fast because of his anticipation and hunger for offence.

The fastest Canadian defenceman in the world would be Brian Campbell of the Chicago Blackhawks, but he's not even at this camp.

The caveat to all this, of course, could be that because the 2010 tournament will take place on an NHL sized rink rather than the larger European surface, speed might not matter quite as much while size and strength could be critical. If you keep Robyn Regehr on defence and send Mike Green packing, maybe that's why.

But what's the correct formula?

McDonald, clearly, is in Calgary because of his wheels. Obviously, speed is something Steve Yzerman and Co. are already thinking about.

Comments

[eyebleaf]

While he's a good player, there's no way Andy McDonald makes this team. No disrespect to him, but it's a travesty that he's at camp, while Marc Savard is not.

[Kevin Wickham]

Damien: While I completely agree with your premise about McDonald and speed, Brian Campbell, while a great skater, is not the fastest skating that is Canadian. Two years ago, at the All-Star game skills competition, Duncan Keith beat him in one of the speed races. Moreover, Brent Burns, Mike Green and Jay Boowmeester, are all bigger, just as fast, and either more proficient defensively or offensively than Campbell. Brian loses out on a selection because of the old numbers game.

[other mark]

Well Damien, you certainly know how to pick players to get peoples attention. It's interesting that you would mention Brian Campbell as an example of a player with superior speed. I watched him in last year's playoff and while there is no question the guy has wheels, I was really surprised by his lack of hockey sense. Perhaps when he had Lindy Ruff in Buffalo to remind him of his defensive duties he was a better all around player. What I saw in Chicago was a guy who should have been the leader on the defensive team getting his ice time taken away by the likes of Seabrook, Keith etc. because they played a better game.

[Marijan Kalman]

Everything boils down to officiating. If NHL refs on small rink get order to give Canada Gold we will win,THEY STOLE STANLE CYP FROM DETROIT so they will do it again!!If they call game by the rules Finland,Sweden,Russia have to much speed for our deffence, PERIOD.

[Big M027]

As I recall McCabe was leading the league in d-man scoring when he was choosen and Scotty Bowman gave him the two thumbs up.