Steve Staios, bottom, and the Canadian defence corps had its hands full against Jeff Halpern and the Americans. (Mike Dembeck/Canadian Press)
At the world hockey championship
Blue-line could be Canada's undoing
By Alan Adams, Special to CBC Sports
HALIFAX - Craig MacTavish has his work cut out for him.
MacTavish is the member of Ken Hitchcock's staff who is responsible for Canada's defensive corps at the 2008 world hockey championship.
And judging by the performance of some of the blue-liners in Canada's 5-4 win over the United States on Tuesday, MacTavish should sit a few of them down and read the riot act.
Take Jay Bouwmeester, for example. The towering member of the Florida Panthers is making his eighth appearance for Canada at an international event. He knows how to play the game — or at least you would think so.
Bouwmeester was brutal against the Americans and was burned on a pair of goals when, had he did as he was supposed to, his opponent would have not had any chance to get his stick on the puck. Enough said.
Mike Green? Great off the rush and likes to jump into the play. But at least MacTavish sat him down for an extended ride on the pine after one of his soft blind passes up the middle resulted in a turnover and a scoring chance by the damn Yankees. Ouch!
Watching the Canadians in their end, there are times when it seems there is a total lack of communication by the Canadian blue-liners.
This is not to say all the defencemen under MacTavish's watchful eye have been horrible. But in a pressure-packed event like the world tournament, Canada will be hard-pressed to defend if all the blueliners aren't in synch.
The Russians are coming
There were some positives in the win over the U.S.
Eric Staal came to play and Hitchcock, the head coach, needs this budding star to get his game going. Ditto for Jonathan Toews. Both had strong games, as did the energy line of Jamal Mayers, Chris Kunitz and Jason Chimera.
Goalie Cam Ward, meanwhile, was absolutely brilliant and he's served notice that he should be the No. 1 goalie, and let Pascal Leclaire watch from the bench.
Somewhere on this hockey planet, Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray must be dreaming in Technicolor of a way to have Dany Heatley line up with Ryan Getzlaf and Rick Nash. Canada's dominant trio stayed true to form against the United States, with Heatley depositing a Nash pass into the U.S. net in the last minute of the third period for the victory that clinched top spot in Group B for the home side. Heatley has six goals and 10 points in three games.
The Nash-to-Heatley scenario isn't as exciting as Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky working their magic late in the third and deciding game of the 1987 Canada Cup final when Lemieux took Gretzky's pass and scored the series-clinching goal against the Soviet Union. Here's betting hockey fans never see a dynamic duo like Nos. 99 and 66 again.
But unless MacTavish can get his defencemen on the same page, the Canadians will have a hard time becoming the first team since 1986 to win the world title on home ice.
You think the Americans were fast?
Wait until you see the Russians.
More from Alan
- Sluggish Canada settles for silver
- More than gold at stake for Canada, Russia
- Canada sets up dream final with Russia
- Russia close to being a world power again: Fetisov
- Leclaire focused - not stressed - ahead of semi
- Game Norwegians no match for Canada
- Where would Canada be without Dany Heatley?
- Rout helps Canada into quarter-finals
- Team Canada a work in progress
- Blue-line could be Canada's undoing
- Where is Team Canada's depth?
- Slovenia no match for Canada
More on the world hockey championship
- Russia takes world hockey gold in overtime
- IIHF names top hockey moment, all-century team
- Teemu Selanne retires from Team Finland
- Finland blanks Sweden for bronze medal
- Canada to play for world championship
- Impressive Russians beat Finland in world semifinal
- Roy leads Canada to easy win over Norway
- Canada unbeaten at hockey worlds
- Controversial goal helps Finland top U.S.
- Staal scores 4 in Canada rout
- Ovechkin scores pair in Russia win
- Nash scores late to save Team Canada at worlds
- Heatley gives Canada win over USA
- Germany upsets Slovakia at hockey worlds
- Heatley passes Yzerman in Canadian romp
- Sweden avoids another Belarus upset
- Heatley nets hat trick for Canada
- Standings
- Schedule & Scores
- Rosters
