Canada's Tyler Seguin is one of the Swiss league players whose availablity for the Spengler Cup is in question. (Bruno Richard/Canadian Press)
Constructing Canada's roster for the Spengler Cup is not an
easy exercise at the best of times. Toss in the NHL lockout, with all its
confusion, complexities and orchestration, and Brad Pascall's task becomes even more problematic this year.
Pascall is Hockey Canada's vice-president of hockey
operations for national teams. These days, his office and mobile phones have
been stuck to his ear, his fingers permanently attached to the keyboards
of his personal computer and Blackberry as he tries to construct Canada's roster for the upcoming Spengler Cup, a six-team event that has
been around since 1923.
In a normal year, the former Buffalo Sabres draft pick would
have his roster signed, sealed and delivered to tournament organizers by next
week.
However, with the prospect of the 83-day NHL lockout extending into the New Year, possibilities for Canada's Spengler
Cup roster seem endless. And with 19 days left until Canada's tournament opener against
Adler Manheim, the questions also seem never-ending. And time is running out.
Will NHL players currently competing in the Swiss National
League -- Jason Spezza, Patrice Bergeron, Brooks Laich, John Tavares, Tyler
Seguin and Michael Del Zotto -- still be available during the Christmas
holidays? Or will the lockout be solved by then?
What if Spezza, Bergeron and the others agree to play in the
Davos, Switzerland tournament and the lockout ends on Dec. 23, during
the event? How should Pascall deal with the phone calls he's received from some
player agents whose clients haven't played a meaningful shift this season, but
want to suit up for Canada at the Spengler Cup?
How many of these rusty players can Pascall afford to use,
and can Hockey Canada be loyal to those players who have answered the
call in the past for the world championships?
How many ghost rosters does this poor soul Pascall have to
cobble together?
No Thornton or Nash
About the only Canadians Pascall knows will be unavailable
to play for their country in the 2012 Spengler Cup are Joe Thornton and Rick Nash. That's because they
currently play for the host team, HC Davos. (The tournament consists of five European club teams, plus a Canadian squad.)
Historically, Hockey Canada puts together a roster that has
been comprised mainly of European-based Canadian players with a few AHL-loaned
youngsters. But this year, added to the mess is the fact that among the
several European leagues that house Canadian players, the Swiss National League
is the only one that will be on a break between Christmas and New Years.
So that means Pascall has a limited pool to pick from in
Europe. He's especially short on defencemen and goalies. In fact, there are not
a lot of Canadian blue-liners in Switzerland this season and there is only one
Canadian goaltender, Nolan Schaefer, currently playing over there.
The 32-year-old goalie from Yellow Grass, Sask., is in his
second year with Ambri-Piotta. So Hockey Canada head coach Doug Shedden (EV
Zug) and his assistant for the event, Chris McSorley (Geneva), may need more
help than usual from AHL players.
This is not an easy tournament to win. A team needs some
young legs, too, because the finalists play an exhausting five games in six
days.
Canada won this event seven times in 13 tries between 1996
and 2007, but they haven't won the event in five years. This time around,
Pascall and Hockey Canada could put together an impressive roster. But at this
point the NHL lockout is playing havoc with firm decisions and player
availability.
Tim Wharnsby
Tim's worked the sports beat at The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun, specializing in Canada's one true sporting obsession - hockey. He knows the players, the coaches, the backroom boys and most importantly, the fans. That's what he brings to his stories. Knowledge, fairness and understanding are trademarks of a Wharnsby story. That's what you will get here as he writes for CBCSports.ca.
