Yzerman: Take a deep breath Canada
Last Updated: Monday, February 22, 2010 | 11:02 PM ET
The Canadian Press
Steve Yzerman is confident Team Canada has what it takes to win Olympic gold. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press) Steve Yzerman has a message for Canadian hockey fans: Take a deep breath.
While many across the country fret about the fortunes of Team Canada, the executive director remains calm and confident that the 23 men he chose to wear the maple leaf will get their act together in time to make a run at Olympic gold.
"They want to win and they really want to do well and things are taking a little bit of time to settle down," Yzerman said Monday.
"In general, that's been our history as a national team for some reason — it takes a little time to get going and get it figured out. We'll continue to work at it ... I really feel our team has done a lot of things much better with each game."
Yzerman's message was quite a bit different than the one Wayne Gretzky famously delivered eight years ago in Salt Lake City.
Instead of preaching how much the world wants to beat Canada, Yzerman talked about how the other nations have caught up to the country's hockey standard.
He thinks that Canadian fans need to be realistic in their expectations.
"I've stated it over and over that this is going to be a difficult tournament to win, these teams are really good," said Yzerman.
"The proof is there. We just can't go out and expect that we're going to go undefeated and win a gold medal in every tournament. We're living it, we understand that and our players knew that coming in. I think the country has to understand that as well — that we're going to face adversity."
"The players and our team, we're not sitting here in total shock, like how could we be in this position? We weren't surprised by [Ryan] Miller's play, we weren't surprised by anything in the game last night."
If Canada gets past Tuesday's qualifying game with Germany, it faces a tough road to the final. Russia awaits in the quarter-finals, with defending champion Sweden likely looming in the semifinals.
Yzerman was a member of the 2002 Olympic team that started slowly before coming on strong and winning the gold medal. It's a pattern the players on this team are hoping to repeat.
"Everyone forgets that everyone's in the same position," said forward Sidney Crosby. "Everyone has to win now. It doesn't matter what you've done the last three games, whether you've won them or lost them or whatever the case is, everyone's in the same situation.
"Whoever's going to be able to deal with it the best, and be their best at the right time, is going to win.
"That's the situation we face. With the group of guys that have been through so many things in the past, I think we're all confident we can be our best when we need to."
The confidence comes right from the top.
Yzerman believes the players started to play more naturally in Sunday's game against the U.S. after "initially having too much respect for one another."
He hopes that line adjustments — Eric Staal is now playing on the left side with Crosby and Jarome Iginla — pay dividends against the Germans and the team starts generating more offence.
One thing that he doesn't think has been a factor in the team's slow start is the pressure of playing on home soil with big expectations.
"I don't think playing at home has affected them terribly," said Yzerman. "They're pretty calm and pretty comfortable in there.
"Again, in three games we've played very well. The only thing that hasn't happened is the puck hasn't gone in the net the last two. They're generating chances, they're getting shots.
"These are good people that really want to do well and they want to make Canada proud. They're trying hard."
