Europe embraces wild card role at World Cup

If Connor McDavid and the North American young guns were the darlings of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, coach Ralph Krueger's Team Europe has been the feel-good story of the tournament.

The first-of-its-kind vagabond team consisting of players from nine different countries, written off by stuffy hockey enthusiasts as a gimmick, tricked its opponents all the way to the best-of-three final against Canada.

The team with no anthem advanced past Sweden 3-2 when Slovakia's Tomas Tatar of the Detroit Red Wings scored 3:43 in overtime in the semifinal on Sunday afternoon.

Sure, the rebound goal went in off his trailing left skate, but there was no kicking motion. The right call was made. Give Krueger's club full marks for the victory. Team Europe has only lost once in four games — a 4-1 defeat to mighty Canada in the round-robin last Wednesday.

Let's face it: Team Europe has no chance against Canada in a best-of-three series. But none of the other six teams made a challenge either to halt Canada's 14-game winning streak in best-on-best competition.

Halak's up to the task

If Team Europe can hand the Canadians their first loss since the United States beat them 5-3 in the group stage at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics,it would be considered a shocker.

That being said, If there has been a goalie in this tournament who has exhibited he's up to the possibility of beating Canada, it has been the smallish but big-hearted Jaroslav Halak of the New York Islanders.

The only goalie smaller than the 5-foot-11, 181 pound Halak in the NHL these days is 5-foot-10, 171-pound Jhonas Enroth, the new Toronto Maple Leafs backup. Halak's .947 save percentage is a smidge lower than Canadian Carey Price's .948 in this World Cup tournament.

The 31-year-old Halak has a past of big-game performances. He was brilliant when the Montreal Canadiens upset Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in the first round of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. Then, he did it again when the Habs knocked out Sidney Crosby and the defending Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round.

A month later, the Canadiens dealt Halak to the St. Louis Blues in order to make sure everybody knew Price was the future in Montreal's crease.

"Jaro has been just an absolute leader in the room," the Winnipeg-born Krueger said. "Everybody wants to play for him.

"I think his personality, his experience also from the past with Slovakia and in the National Hockey League has helped us. He's been outstanding. He's been absolutely fantastic. Everybody in this room knows we wouldn't be here without fabulous goaltending, and a world-class performance by Jaro Halak has helped us a lot."

Krueger's future?

And what about Krueger? What about assistant coach Brad Shaw? Is the former New York Islanders bench boss ready for another head coaching job in the NHL? What about Ed Olczyk's younger brother Rick, currently the assistant general manager with the Carolina Hurricanes? He helped put this roster together. Is he the next NHL GM in waiting?

Krueger has shot to the top of the list of NHL coaches in waiting. The Edmonton Oilers should have never let him go after his brief 48-game stint in the lockout-shortened 2013 season.

Twelve hours after the Oilers fired him, Mike Babcock phoned to talk about their shared passion for water skiing and then offered him a position with the 2014 Canadian Olympic team. Krueger is respected that much. His hockey smarts and leadership expertise were invaluable in the dominant Sochi showing by Canada.

Krueger has a life outside hockey. He's the chairman of the Southampton Saints in the English Premier League and about 15 minutes before Team Europe's game against Sweden began, the Saints blanked West Ham United 3-0 on the road. What a day for Krueger.

"I came in here committed completely to Southampton Football Club and the future of that organization in my role," he said on Sunday. "You can never say never, but at the moment I'm very proud to be back in hockey at this level and to be competing. We are just having so much fun in our room, the coaches, the players, the whole group is enjoying it, and I am, too.

"But my real life is my commitment to Southampton Football Club at the moment."