Official: Vancouver Canucks W00T

[Aquaman]

gonna be TB vs Flames baby

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Canucks say yes to Nonis as new GM

TSN.ca Staff with CP files
5/6/2004

VANCOUVER (CP) - Dave Nonis will succeed Brian Burke as general manager of the Vancouver Canucks.

It's a promotion for Nonis, who will remain the team's senior vice-president of hockey operations, a job he's held for the past six seasons.

The move comes just three days after the team decided not to renew Burke's contract.

"I'd like to thank Brian Burke for the opportunity that he gave me and the friendship that's he shown me," an emotional Nonis said during a news conference Thursday. "Without that, I wouldn't be here today."

Nonis said he talked to Burke before deciding to take the job and insisted there were no hard feelings.

"Without his blessing I couldn't have gone forward with it," Nonis said of the man that hired him. "His support was unwavering and it was quick."

Canucks chief operating officer Dave Cobb will also take on the role as president, previously held by Burke.

"I am very excited about the opportunity that being general manager presents to me," Nonis said. "Our team has enjoyed success over the past several years, however we know that our fans want more and we are committed to delivering a team that can build on what we've started."

The Canucks finished with a 43-24-20-5 record but crashed out in the first round of the playoffs to the Calgary Flames. But it was a season that had turned sour earlier when star power forward Todd Bertuzzi was suspended for attacking Colorado's Steve Moore.

With Burke riding herd on the budget but managing to re-sign key players, Vancouver has made the playoffs the last four years. The team's payroll this year was about $43 million US.

But the Canucks have advanced past the first round of the playoffs only once. The loss to the Flames was the second consecutive year the Canucks lost a Game 7 at home to a team that finished below them in the standings.

Nonis, who turns 38 on May 25, worked with Burke, negotiating contracts and looked after Vancouver's minor league affiliate agreement with the AHL Manitoba Moose.

Previously, Nonis spent four seasons as the NHL's manager of hockey operations.

A Vancouver native, Nonis joined the Canucks in 1990s initially working on corporate contracts, computer scouting and team services.

He played for the Burnaby Blackhawks of the B.C. Junior Hockey League from 1982 to 1984 before attending the University of Maine, where he was captain for two seasons and graduated in 1988.

Nonis played one season professionally in Denmark, then returned to Maine in 1989 to serve as a graduate assistant coach to head coach Shawn Walsh and earned an MBA.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[silverpig]

Well at least they promoted from within.

 

[Aquaman]

Bowman, Keenan to star in new hockey reality TV show

TORONTO (CP) - It was only a matter of time, but now the worlds of hockey and reality television are finally coming together.
Those who dream of playing in the National Hockey League or Olympic-level hockey will get a chance to win one of six spots at an NHL training camp. The opportunity presents itself through a new television show announced Thursday called Making the Cut.

Hopefuls over the age of 19 will get a chance to try out for the show in seven Canadian cities, starting at the end of this month. The top 68 players will be chosen to attend a two-week training camp run by hockey coaches Scotty Bowman and Mike Keenan. Of those 68, six will win an invitation to the NHL training camp.

Making The Cut is a reality show, a behind-the-scenes look and a docudrama all rolled into one, Keenan said. Viewers will get an in-depth view of what an NHL training camp is like, he added.

"I think it's a great opportunity for the Canadian public," Keenan told a news conference at the Air Canada Centre. "They haven't seen what goes on behind those closed doors."

The tryouts are open to both men and women who are not under contract with a professional or semi-professional hockey league as of July 1, 2004. All the drama will unfold on television this fall on CBC, and RDS in Quebec.

Here's a list of the cities where tryouts will be held. Would-be participants can register online before trying out.

Toronto, May 28-30-(Registration closes May 25)

Winnipeg, May 28-30-(Registration closes May 25)

Halifax, June 3-5-(Registration closes May 31)

Vancouver, June 4-6-(Registration closes June 1)

Calgary, June 9-12-(Registration closes June 6)

Ottawa, June 13-15-(Registration closes June 10)

Montreal, June 18-20-(Registration closes June 15)

-
On the Net:
makingthecut.bell.ca/

 

[silverpig]

Weird.

 

[Aquaman]

What do you think Nonis is goingto change?

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[BCYL]

I think he should trade Cloutier and keep Hedberg & Auld... keep Naslaud and Bert happy, and try to add more depth to the defense... not saying he will do that, just what I hope he does...

 

[Aquaman]

Originally posted by: BCYL
I think he should trade Cloutier and keep Hedberg & Auld... keep Naslaud and Bert happy, and try to add more depth to the defense... not saying he will do that, just what I hope he does...

Cloutier is staying (I am a Cloutier Supporter) if he takes a reasonable contract........... Hedberg is gone (Crow does not like him). I think the key is to get Cloutier to play less games during the season........ get Auld to play 20+ games so that Cloutier is healthy for the post season.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[sandorski]

Goaltending is a non-issue IMO. All 3 are very good goalies(though Hedberg freaks me out with his puck handling shenanigans) and the last 2 seasons playoffs were lost from lack of Offense, not poor goaltending. I think it comes down to size and willingness/ability to get physical. Probably don't need a lot of change, just 1 or 2 large, tough, and skilled players so that there's always some toughness on the ice.

That said, Bertuzzi may have been all the toughness the Canucks needed this Playoff season, but we'll never know.

 

[silverpig]

I hope Cloutier stays. Hedberg will probably be out as he and Crow don't get along it seems. I'm with Aquaman on getting Auld to play a few more games and give Cloutier some relief.

 

[Aquaman]

Burke not surprised by dismissal

Canadian Press
5/7/2004

VANCOUVER (CP) - Recently fired Vancouver Canucks GM Brian Burke declined to elaborate Friday on why he was let go, but did disclose the axing was not a surprise.

``I'm not surprised at all,'' said Burke. ``I believe the decision was made a long time ago.

``I've been saying this for a couple of weeks and you guys should sense a theme here. I saw this coming. I believe this decision was made some time ago, but I also believe that ownership has that prerogative.''

Burke, 48, opened the news conference by spending almost 10 minutes thanking dozens of people he had worked with over the years, including scouts, trainers, broadcasters, players, coaches and doctors.

But when asked why he did not thank Stan McCammon, Burke said, ``I thanked the people I wanted to thank.''

McCammon is president and CEO of the Canucks' parent company, Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, and the right-hand man to owner John McCaw.

Burke said he didn't want to leave the organization being perceived as a disgruntled employee.

``First off, I would like to work again in this business and I don't what purpose it serves shovelling dirt on people as you go out the door,'' he said. ``I think whatever you might take from that (McCammon) omission is a sufficient comment from me.''

Burke told the crowded news conference at GM Place that when he was officially let go Monday, he was not given a reason why.

``I was not given any reasons for the termination and I think I know what they are but I'm not going to go into them,'' he said.

Burke then suggested he may have pre-empted the explanation on the day he was given the news by McCammon.

``To be fair to Stan he started to offer some what I thought were words of encouragement and I said I didn't need them,'' he said. ``So maybe I cut off the explanation that I would have liked to have gotten.

``It doesn't matter anyway.''

Burke also joked that he was not going to get as emotional as Dave Nonis was Thursday when he came close to tears at his news conference accepting the job as the new Canucks GM.

Burke's voice did falter slightly during his long list of thank-yous.

He said it was the first time he had ever been fired, and ``it's a kick in the ass.

``Even when you think it's coming, it's still a kick in the ass,'' said Burke, adding the toughest part was that he will likely have to leave Vancouver. ``I saw this coming and ownership has that prerogative.''

The New England-born Burke, who was raised in Minnesota and has a law degree from Harvard University, suggested he might not be working for some time if there is a labour dispute in the NHL next season.

``I think there's a very good chance I'm not going to be working right away,'' he said. ``If you're an owner and you think there's a good chance there's going to be a work stoppage, you're not going to pay two GMs.

``You're not going to fire a guy and pay him and the new guy.''

He also said he had not spoken with McCaw since he was fired, but called him an ``excellent owner.''

Burke first joined the Canucks in 1987 when he was named vice-president and director of hockey operations. Pat Quinn was Vancouver president and GM at the time.

He left the Canucks in 1992 to serve as GM of the Hartford Whalers. He joined the NHL front office in September 1993 as senior vice-president and director of hockey operations and spent five years with the league.

He was hired as the Canucks' eighth GM in 1998.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[sandorski]

woot Flames beat Sharks in game 1

 

[Aquaman]

NHLPA to file grievance over pad size

TSN.ca Staff
5/11/2004

If the NHL is going to reduce goaltenders' pads from 12 inches to 10 inches next season, as is the plan, the league is going to have to fight for that right.

TSN has learned the NHL Players Association is filing a grievance against the league's plans to reduce the size of the goalie pads. Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, the NHLPA can file a grievance, which has to be heard by an independent arbitrator.

NHL vice president and director of hockey operations Colin Campbell is not amused by the grievance.

''We're trying to do something here for the good of the game,'' said Campbell, who spearheaded the move to reduce goalie equipment in an effort to increase scoring. ''It's not like it's a safety concern. Our general managers would never do anything that is going to harm their goalies, the goalie are too valuable. This wasn't some knee jerk reaction. It was well thought out and it makes sense. We're doing this for the game, for all the players. Maybe the (NHLPA) should check with their players on this because the players, the skaters, they think this is a good idea. The PA had representatives (Steve Larmer, Mike Gartner and Al MacInnis) at the meeting where this was decided.''

The NHLPA disagrees. They say that their representatives told League officials, including Colin Campbell, that they would not take part in formal discussions related to goaltender equipment at the General Managers meetings due to a pending goaltender equipment grievance.

''It is disappointing that the League didnt choose to work with the goaltenders and the NHLPA on these issues,'' said NHLPA representative Steve Larmer. ''On more than one occasion since the GM meetings the NHLPA approached League officials to arrange meetings with a group of goaltenders to discuss equipment issues. The League refused to meet.''

Campbell said he believes the grievance is related to the larger issue of an adversarial relationship between the NHLPA and the league.

''I know there are some big economic issues that have to be settled and it's not going to be easy to get a new CBA but in the hockey operations department, we try to keep the game separate from that,'' Campbell said. ''We did this the right way for the right reasons. We're trying to do a job here and we shouldn't let all that other (economic) stuff infiltrate the game.''

The NHLPA says that this is a matter of following the proper process in making changes that affect player safety and has no ties to the ongoing CBA negotiations.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[sandorski]

Pads should be for protection, not for making a task easier.

 

[Aquaman]

Flames 4-1 over Sharks

2-0 series lead

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Canucks won?t abandon run-and-gun style, vows GM Nonis

Kevin Woodley
For mytelus.com

VANCOUVER ? Of all the potential changes facing the Canucks as new general manager Dave Nonis emerges from Brian Burke's shadow this summer, Vancouver fans need not fret about losing the entertainment factor.

Unless, of course, they believe that's the reason their team struggles in the playoffs in the first place.

Either way, Nonis made it clear during his inauguration that the Canucks will not stray radically from the score-first, defend-later philosophy that got them this far ? even if there are still some questions as to whether it kept them from going farther.

"You're not going to see a dramatic change in how this team is run or how we play the game," said Nonis, citing "entertainment" as a key factor behind nightly sellouts and soaring TV ratings. "We're not going to go to a trap team. We're going to entertain people in Vancouver, but we also understand we haven?t gone as far as we need to go."

The question now is how much farther Vancouver can go playing a 1-3-1 system that encourages defencemen to be active in the offensive zone, jumping up often to join a speedy, aggressive forecheck-and-cycle game.

The Canucks have improved defensively in that system, maintaining much of the relentless pressure that has been their calling card in the Burke era while cutting down on the recklessness that led to scoring chances at the other end. But so far it hasn't paid off in the playoffs, and with defensive teams now winning in what once was a wide-open Western Conference it's easy to wonder if it ever will.

Following the blueprint of Minnesota and Anaheim last year, the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks have transformed a season-long commitment to defence into a berth in this year's western finals. The comparison both Nonis and Canucks coach Marc Crawford liked was to San Jose, a team full of skilled speedsters capable of running and gunning with anyone.

"San Jose is a good example of you can do both," Nonis said. "They are entertaining. They do play well in their own end. So that's our goal."

Like the Sharks, the Canucks talk about an ability to adapt to different styles. Unlike the Sharks, however, the Canucks have yet to show they can consistently win while playing a defensive style, something San Jose did throughout the regular season.

Despite some solid entertainment reviews on the south side of the border after playing a wide- open Game 1 against Calgary, the root of San Jose's success is a neutral zone trap so tight it could put anyone not named Jacques Lemaire to sleep by the intermission. It's true that the Sharks counterattack with enough speed and skill to entertain any fan, but only after first snuffing out the opponents' offence.

It's also true those offensive assets were on display throughout most of the first two games against Calgary, but only because they fell behind in both games. Bet your Jarome Iginla rookie card a San Jose lead in the next two games will trigger a trap. Bet your Wayne Gretzky rookie card that should the Sharks happen upon a four-goal lead in this series, they won't surrender it the way Vancouver did during Game 6.

The Flames may actually be the more aggressive of the two teams as coach Darryl Sutter has them brainwashed into chasing the puck like greyhounds chasing a plastic rabbit. But Calgary, despite a smaller, less-talented defence, guards the front of its net like Fort Knox, using a one- hand-on-the-stick, one-hand-on-the-opposition box-out effectively enough to gain employment in either an NBA front court or an NFL offensive line.

Ironically then the most flattering comparison for the Canucks may be in the usually slowed- down east, where the Tampa Bay Lightning has ridden a high-octane offence through to the Conference Finals. But the Bolts have skill and speed to spare on more than one line, and Nikolai Khabibulin doing a pretty good job impersonating Patrick Roy in net.

If the Canucks plan to keep playing their go-forward style, personnel changes may be in order, something Nonis hinted at last week.

The Sharks' forwards are faster than the Canucks top to bottom and their skill players have shown a willingness to play in traffic, a place Vancouver's top shooters rarely visited in the playoffs. And the Canucks defence, while possessing an abundance of skating and puck-moving skill, lacks Calgary's knock-'em-down toughness outside of Bryan Allen and, in the playoffs at least, Ed Jovanovski.

"Sometimes I think when we got into some of the games that were maybe a little tough to get through a lot of holding and obstruction, those games were a little difficult for us," said Nonis, pointing to the same lack of size and grit lamented by Detroit captain Steve Yzerman after the Flames eliminated the talented but tiny Red Wings.

Even with a re-instated Todd Bertuzzi back in the fold next season and back to his bruising style, the Canucks lack size in their top six. And their bottom six, while reinforced with experience and grit, actually got older and slower the last two seasons by adding Brad May and Mike Keane where young speedsters like Matt Cooke used to play.

Whatever changes are made, they'll be done with entertainment in mind.

"We talk about style, I think we still have an obligation to entertain people that come into this building," Nonis said. "But what we might have to do is find a way of winning other ways as well and when I say that it means being able to win a game anyway. Any way you have to win it, whether it's 1-0 or 6-5 I think you need to have that ability."

If it translates into an ability to win in the playoffs that will be all the entertainment Canucks fans will ever want.

 

[Ilmater]

Holy god this is a big thread. I've never seen something even CLOSE to this.

 

[UNCjigga]

shameless padding on my quest to 10,000.

Seriously though, Flames fans have been going nuts this postseason! Incredible combo of luck and talent keeping them alive. My cousin in Cal is stoked, but pissed that he has to go to Abu Dhabi next week for a few months on business.

 

[silverpig]

The Flames are going on pure adrenaline and energy. They're just outworking every team they play.

:beer: to them

 

[z0mb13]

what is this thread about again?? canadians??

 

[Ninjja]

W00T!!


lol

 

[Aquaman]

Canada's WC team announcement on Saturday

TSN.ca Staff
5/14/2004

After months of anticipation, Hockey Canada will announce its 26-player roster for the World Cup of Hockey on Saturday in a news conference that can be seen live on TSN, The NHL Netowrk and TSN.ca at 11am et/8am pt.

Executive director Wayne Gretzky and Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson are expected to make the announcement, along with Assistant Executive Director Kevin Lowe and Director of Player Personnel Steve Tambellini.

Hockey Canada deliberated long and hard about when to make the much-anticipated announcement but finally decided Thursday night that Saturday would be the day. The eight participating countries have until May 25 to announce their rosters. Sweden will announce its roster Monday.

Gretzky arrived in Calgary on Friday with the Canadian roster still undecided. The final and pain-staking choices were to be made in a meeting Friday night with assistant executive director Kevin Lowe, director of player personnel Steve Tambellini as well as world championship general manager Jim Nill.

Head coach Pat Quinn and associate coaches Jacques Martin and Ken Hitchcock were to join the discussion by conference call.

The hot potato for Gretzky and Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson will be whether or not to name suspended NHL star Todd Bertuzzi. Should Team Canada select the Vancouver Canucks winger, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will hold a hearing with Bertuzzi to determine whether or not to re-instate him following his sucker-punch incident with Steve Moore in March.

The World Cup of Hockey is a joint venture between the NHL and NHL Players' Association, which is why Bertuzzi would need Bettman's blessing.

This much is certain, the roster unveiled by Gretzky on Saturday will include a number of new faces from the squad that captured Olympic gold in Salt Lake City in February 2002.

Forwards Dany Heatley, Martin St. Louis and Joe Thornton are locks to join the Olympic champions, while the likes of Brad Richards, Vincent Lecavalier, Patrick Marleau, Alex Tanguay, Kris Draper, Keith Primeau, Shane Doan, Brenden Morrow, Brendan Morrison, Rob Niedermayer, Glen Murray and Rick Nash were all on the shortlist the Canadian team management needed to pare down Friday night.

"It would be a great honour to be named," Marleau said Friday in Calgary, where his San Jose Sharks prepared for Sunday's Game 4 of the Western Conference final. "It's tough right now to think about that but it definitely would be an honour."

Definitely gone from the Salt Lake team are forwards Theo Fleury and Eric Lindros while it appeared doubtful that aging stars Steve Yzerman, Joe Nieuwendyk, Owen Nolan and Brendan Shanahan would be brought back.

Michael Peca may have lost his checking role to either Primeau or Draper while Simon Gagne hasn't done enough to keep his job.

Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla were sure to be brought back, while Paul Kariya and Ryan Smyth were on the bubble. Mario Lemieux is expected to be named Saturday. He can be replaced later this summer if the 38-year-old superstar feels he's not up to it after recovering from season-ending hip surgery.

Much less change was expected on the blue-line, where six of Canada's seven defencemen from Salt Lake may be back: Adam Foote, Ed Jovanovski, Rob Blake, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Eric Brewer. Only 40-year-old Al MacInnis, his career in jeopardy because of a serious eye injury, will definitely not be back.

Because Canada will likely carry eight defencemen, that means two newcomers to the squad. Wade Redden, Robyn Regehr, Bryan McCabe, Sheldon Souray, Brad Stuart, Scott Hannan, Chris Phillips and Jay Bouwmeester were on the shortlist for those two spots.

Regehr has built up his case with Calgary's surprising run to the Western conference final.

"He's been so good for our team," his teammate Iginla said Friday in Calgary. "You can see his confidence growing. He's got the hardest shot on our team, he skates well and he's hard to play against. He'd be a great pick."

In goal, Martin Brodeur will return as the No. 1 man. The two backup jobs were to be decided between Ed Belfour, Jose Theodore and Roberto Luongo. Belfour, 39, was the No. 3 netminder in Salt Lake City behind Brodeur and Curtis Joseph.

Team Canada will hold a 10-day training camp in Ottawa beginning Aug. 19. The Czech Republic plays Finland in Helsinki in the tournament opener Aug. 30 while Canada opens against the defending champion U.S. at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Aug. 31.

The championship final goes Sept. 14 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Kenazo]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
Holy god this is a big thread. I've never seen something even CLOSE to this.

In all fairness, it has been over 2 years.

I sure hope the flames can down San Jose. I always hated the flames, back when we had our Jets, but whatever, they're the only canadian team left.

 

[silverpig]

I'd like to see Lecavalier on the team for sure.

 

[silverpig]

Canadian Press

5/15/2004

CALGARY (CP) - Wayne Gretzky caught Steve Yzerman by surprise when he asked him to be on Canada's World Cup of Hockey team.

The Detroit Red Wings captain wasn't expecting an invitation after playing the NHL season on rebuilt knees and being knocked out of the playoffs by a serious facial injury.

"When I called him, he thought I was calling him to tell him he wasn't going to be part of it," Gretzky, the team's executive director, said with a smile after naming Canada's roster Saturday for the Aug. 30-Sept. 14 tournament. "We just like his professionalism.

"Stevie is just a tremendous player. He's the kind of guy who will come in and be good for our young guys. He's a great leader. He'll take a lot of pressure off of them. And we can use him in any situation."

"Mario is getting into game shape and is ready to go," said Gretzky.

Also back are goalies Martin Brodeur and Ed Belfour, who at 19 days older than Yzerman ranks as the oldest player on the roster, defencemen Rob Blake, Adam Foote, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Ed Jovanovski and Eric Brewer, and forwards Joe Sakic, Jarome Iginla, Ryan Smyth and Simon Gagne.

Suspended Vancouver winger Todd Bertuzzi was left off the squad as Hockey Canada chose to avoid the potential distractions his nomination would have created.

Newcomers are goaltender Roberto Luongo, defencemen Robyn Regehr and Wade Redden, and forwards Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton, Martin St. Louis, Patrick Marleau, Brenden Morrow, Brad Richards and the threesome of Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby and Shane Doan, who earned the nickname International Grind Line for their play at the 2003 world championship.

"We always felt Team Canada needed sort of a tough line to play against - that sort of Bobby Clarke-Paul Henderson-Ron Ellis line," explained Gretzky. "We expect them to be really strong defensively for us."

It was a key consideration given the tournament games in North America will be on NHL-sized ice rather than larger Olympic-sized ice.

"This is a grittier team than the team that won in Salt Lake," said Gretzky. "I hate to suggest it wasn't a gritty team in Salt Lake because they earned their stripes.

"But this is a bit of a different team. We have guys who maybe are a little stronger on the walls and in the corners, who can win those little battles, and guys like Regehr who are physical. We probably are more of a physical hockey team in that sense (than the Olympic team)."

Gretzky said bringing back Yzerman, Lemieux and other veterans reflects the selection committee's belief that experience can't be underestimated under the spotlight of world-class competition.

"We know that each and every team that will be in this tournament has a possibility of winning the championship," he said. "It's that close.

"So when you get down to the nitty-gritty you need guys who have been there before. We feel comfortable in that we have guys like Gagne and Sakic and Iginla, and we love the fact guys like Yzerman, Pronger, Marty Brodeur and Mario will understand the pressure this team will be under, so going into the third period tied 2-2 they can really set a calming influence in our locker-room.

"There's a lot of other guys who could be part of this team but we felt really good about this group as a whole and everybody seemed to be happy with it."

Gone from the Salt Lake team are goalie Curtis Joseph, defenceman Al MacInnis, and forwards Paul Kariya, Theo Fleury, Eric Lindros, Joe Nieuwendyk, Michael Peca, Brendan Shanahan and Owen Nolan.

Players who were thought to have a good shot at making it onto the 26-man World Cup roster but who were not selected included goalie Jose Theodore and forwards Todd Bertuzzi, Alex Tanguay, Keith Primeau and Vincent Lecavalier.

Because the deadline for submitting final rosters is not until Aug. 29, players who pull themselves out of the tournament due to illness or injury before that date can be replaced. If the NHL reinstates the suspended Bertuzzi before the deadline and a player named to the roster withdraws, the addition of Bertuzzi would be "strongly considered," Gretzky said.

Regehr and Redden made the cut from a list of five or six worthy young defencemen.

"We really feel that Robyn Regehr's play this year in the playoffs has gone to another level," said Gretzky. "And we just felt that Wade Redden was so close to making our Olympic team that we really feel he's a player who can step in at any time and kill penalties, play the power play, be on the ice in the last minute. He really deserved to be part of this team."

Beyond the easy choice of Brodeur as No. 1 goalie, rounding out the crease corps was tough, said Gretzky.

"The next two guys, the feeling we had was not who could be the second or third goalie but, if Marty is not playing well or is hurt, who can step in and take that responsibility. Luongo proved it at the world championships. He played strong in key parts of the game and kept Canada in the game. We like his poise, and we really liked the year he had."

Gretzky said he and his staff felt comfortable that Belfour could go in and win a big game.

"It was a tough situation because we know Theodore was a great goaltender but at this point in time we really felt comfortable with those three guys," Gretzky said.

Impressive performances at the annual world championship weighed strongly in some of the selections.

Heatley made the team after an NHL season that started with the car crash that claimed the life of his friend and Atlanta teammate Dan Snyder. After missing the first 51 games recovering from a serious knee injury suffered during the crash, Heatley slowly got his game back before going to the world championship in Prague and scoring a tournament-best eight goals in nine games, earning him MVP honours.

"He played extremely well in Prague," said Gretzky. "He's just a hockey player, he loves to play and compete. He was a no-brainer for our hockey club."

Canada's team will hold a 10-day training camp in Ottawa beginning Aug. 19 under head coach Pat Quinn.

The Czech Republic plays Finland in Helsinki in the tournament opener Aug. 30, while Canada opens against the United States in Montreal on Aug. 31. The final goes Sept. 14 in Toronto. Gretzky is eager to see it and is confident Canada's team can go all the way.

"It's a skating team, a big team, a strong team," he said.

It includes eight current NHL captains - Doan, Iginla, Lemieux, Marleau, Niedermayer, Sakic, Thornton and Yzerman - and 686 international games played in either the world juniors, Olympics, world championships or Canada Cup/World Cup of Hockey.