Canada taking Europe seriously in World Cup of Hockey final
Best-of-3 matchup opens tonight in Toronto, televised on CBCSports.ca
When reminiscing about the old times of the Canada-Team Europe hockey "rivalry," you have to rewind your memory all the way back to … last Wednesday.
That's the only time the finalists for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, which begins at Toronto's Air Canada Centre on Tuesday night (CBC, CBCSports.ca, CBC Sports app, 7:30 p.m. ET), have met in competition, a game Canada won easily 4-1.
To state the obvious, Canada clashing with Team Europe does not have the storied history of Canada-United States, Canada-Russia or even Canada-Finland, the last combatants in a World Cup of Hockey final in 2004. But there is no shortage of storylines.
"The hype may not be the same, but this is a final series," said Canadian forward Brad Marchand, who was euphoric Monday after he signed an eight-year, $49-million US contract extension with the Boston Bruins.
Marchand is tied for the tournament lead in goals scored with teammates Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews with three each in four games.
Crosby, Marchand and Patrice Bergeron skated together in Nova Scotia in order to become accustomed to each other and prepare for this tournament, and they have been dominant. But Marchand reminded the assembled reporters around him after practice on Monday that Team Europe has a strong middle with Anze Kopitar, Frans Nielsen and Leon Draisaitl, and a solid goaltender in Jaroslav Halak.
Respected foes
Marchand and Bergeron also know their Bruins captain Zdeno Chara is going to make things difficult for the Canadians.
Marchand has so much respect for Bergeron and Chara because their leadership has pushed Marchand to the level he has exhibited in this tournament and played a role in the Bruins locking him up long-term.
Halak, meanwhile, has an opportunity to go up against Price. The two were teammates with the Montreal Canadians for two full seasons, and it was Halak who upstaged Price in the spring of 2010 by playing so well in helping the Habs stun Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs and the defending Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round.
But the Canadiens had to make a choice that off-season and management made the right decision to trade Halak to the St. Louis Blues.
"I was still pretty young, early in my career at that point in my life. I just kind of grew up a little bit more," said the 29-year-old Price, when asked about his days as a teammate of Halak's.
Price certainly has thrived in a Team Canada sweater. He's now 14-0-0 combined in the world junior tournament (6-0), the 2014 Olympics (5-0) and in this event (3-0).
Overwhelming favourites
But then again, little has gone wrong for the Canadians in these best-on-best tournaments lately. They have a 14-game win streak dating back to their final group stage outing at the 2010 Olympics, a 5-3 loss to the United States. Crosby has won 23 in a row, if you include the nine games he suited up for in his gold-medal effort at the 2015 IIHF world championship.
If Europe stuns the hockey world and wins this thing, it will be the second coming of the Miracle on Ice. Canada is listed as the 1/10 favourite by the online bookmaker Bodog, meaning you'd have to bet $10 to win $1. And now Europe will be without one of its best players, Marian Gaborik, who was knocked out of the tournament with a right foot ailment.
But Canadian head coach Mike Babcock won't let his players take their opponents lightly. He has plenty of respect for Team Europe head coach Ralph Krueger. The two met at the 2004 world championship when Babcock coached Canada to gold and the Winnipeg-born Krueger was at the helm of Switzerland.
They became friends. They shared a passion for hockey in the winter and water skiing in the summer. When the Edmonton Oilers foolishly fired Krueger after the lockout-shortened 2013 season, Babcock reached out to his friend 12 hours later and lured him to the Canadian staff for the 2014 Olympics.
They won gold together with Crosby, Price and Co. in Sochi. Now, without Krueger, Canada will continue to roll, even without the buildup of a long-time rivalry