The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

September 12, 2016

The Hockey News - 9/12/2016

<div class="byline">BY SEAN MCINDOE</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he 2016 off-season</b> began with a bang, as two of the biggest trades in recent NHL history went down within minutes of each other June 29 &ndash; P.K. Subban for Shea Weber and Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson.</p><p>Hockey lore is filled with monster trades but also monster trades that almost happened and that we only find out about after the fact. Let&rsquo;s look back at a few more.</p><p>But first, the obvious disclaimer. While all these deals were reported by reasonably trustworthy sources, we&rsquo;ll never know how close they actually came to happening. When it comes to the &ldquo;near&rdquo; in near-miss, mileage may vary.</p><p>With that out of the way, let&rsquo;s get to the fun stuff. Here are five blockbusters that apparently almost happened.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-019/28815-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="607" height="608"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARK MESSIER<span class="photo-credit">(MESSIER: RICK STEWART/ALLSPORT; MAHAVOLICH: BRUCE BENNETT STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES; STAMKOS: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>NO. 1 MARK MESSIER FOR BRETT HULL</b></h2><p>The Blues and Rangers shared a bizarre 1994 off-season, one in which Stanley Cup-winning coach Mike Keenan bailed on New York to join St. Louis in a move packed with questionable behind-thescenes maneuvering that eventually led to fines and suspensions. But things almost got even weirder when reports surfaced that the teams were considering a mega-trade involving their captains.</p><p>While a Messier-for-Hull deal sounds unthinkable today, the pieces seemed to line up at the time. Messier, 33 at the time, was embroiled in a contract dispute with the Rangers, one that saw him hold out to try to force management&rsquo;s hand. And Hull, 30 that summer of 1994, was rumored to want no part of playing for Keenan, a notorious hard-nose who could be tough on his stars. A deal to reunite Messier and Keenan while sending the talkative Hull to the bright lights of Broadway made a lot of sense.</p><p>And apparently, the deal was discussed, and may have been close. Just how close is up for debate &ndash; Rangers GM Neil Smith later denied the report &ndash; and the speculation died down once camp ended and the first of Gary Bettman&rsquo;s lockouts began. Once the season started months later, Messier ended his holdout, and any trade talk came to an end.</p><p>Hull ended up being right about not getting along with Keenan, and rumors of a deal that would send him to New York continued for years. As for Messier, he did end up reuniting with Keenan a few years later. But it was in Vancouver, and the less said about that, the better.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-026/28808-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="545" height="545"><figcaption class="caption-body">FRANK MAHOVLICH</figcaption></div><h2><b>NO. 2 HAROLD BALLARD SELLS FRANK MAHOVLICH</b></h2><p>Frank Mahovlich is one of the most beloved Maple Leafs of all-time, so it stands to reason that Harold Ballard tried to ship him out of town. And it&rsquo;s also not especially surprising to find out what Ballard wanted in return &ndash; not a similar player or a boatload of prospects, but cold hard cash.</p><p>The offer was made back in 1962, when the 24-year-old Mahovlich was well established as one of the game&rsquo;s best players. Chicago owner James Norris was having a few drinks with Ballard when the topic came up, and soon the two had a deal. The Hawks would buy Mahovlich for $1 million &ndash; at the time, the highest sum ever for a pro athlete.</p><p>The offer was reported in the media, which treated it as an offer under consideration. But it was more than that &ndash; the two men had made a deal. Once word got out, however, Norris&rsquo;s brother Bruce stepped in to try to block the move. He enlisted the help of Leafs&rsquo; legend Conn Smythe, whose son Stafford was working alongside Ballard, and the two were able to talk everyone out of going forward.</p><p>Mahovlich went on to play six more years in Toronto, including four straight in which he was named to the league&rsquo;s first or second all-star team, before being traded to the Red Wings in 1968. Meanwhile, Ballard learned his lesson and never did anything crazy ever again.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">WHEN TAMPA BAY GM BRIAN LAWTON FOUND OUT ABOUT THE STAMKOS DISCUSSION, HE WANTED NO PART OF THE DEAL</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-036/28801-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="524" height="528"><figcaption class="caption-body">STEVEN STAMKOS<span class="photo-credit">(GIROUX: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; SCHNEIDER: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>NO. 3 STEVEN STAMKOS TO THE RANGERS FOR &lsquo;WISH LIST&rsquo;</b></h2><p>Until the 1-for-1 trades started flying, Stamkos had been the focus of the 2016 off-season. His stay-or-go decision with the Lightning had dragged on all season, and he was reportedly the top target for several teams if he&rsquo;d made it to free agency. He&rsquo;s widely considered one of the best players in hockey. So it&rsquo;s easy to forget that, at one point early in his career, Stamkos was viewed as a bit of a bust.</p><p>The top pick in the 2008 draft, Stamkos arrived in Tampa with plenty of hype. But he got off to a slow start, scoring just twice in his first 22 games. He struggled under Lightning coach Barry Melrose, at one point seeing as little as six minutes of ice time per game. Stamkos just didn&rsquo;t look ready for NHL action. And within weeks, according to Larry Brooks of <i>The New York Post</i>, the Lightning had decided to trade him.</p><p>The deal was struck with Glen Sather and the Rangers and, according to Brooks, would have seen the future all-star Stamkos sent to New York in exchange for &ldquo;two or three from a wish list that featured Michael Del Zotto, Evgeny Grachev, Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky and Dan Girardi.&rdquo;</p><p>According to Sather, the deal was done and sealed with a handshake. The problem? That handshake was with Lightning co-owner Len Barrie. When GM Brian Lawton found out about the discussion, he wanted no part of the deal. Barrie still wanted to go forward, according to the report, but co-owner Oren Koules refused, and the deal died.</p><p>Melrose was fired, Stamkos was a 50-goal scorer by his second year in the league, and the rest is history.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-046/28794-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="613" height="618"><figcaption class="caption-body">CLAUDE GIROUX</figcaption></div><h2><b>NO. 4 CLAUDE GIROUX FOR PAUL RANGER</b></h2><p>This one almost seems too ridiculous to be true. One of the league&rsquo;s best centers straight up for a former sixth-round pick who topped out at 31 points? But apparently the offer was made &ndash; and it was the Flyers who made it.</p><p>So what were they thinking? Let&rsquo;s remember that while Giroux was a first round pick in 2006, he wasn&rsquo;t viewed as a sure-thing prospect, going 22nd overall (and then seeing Bobby Clarke forget his name). Giroux didn&rsquo;t blossom into a full-fledged star until his third full season at age 23, so it&rsquo;s not inconceivable the Flyers may have had thoughts about moving him before then.</p><p>As for Ranger, he played his way up through the Lightning system and seemed well on his way to establishing himself as a solid two-way defenseman before leaving the team for personal reasons in 2009. So yes, there was a time where he may well have been the sort of player you traded for an offensively gifted prospect who hadn&rsquo;t put it all together yet. Or, in the case of the Lightning, the sort of player you turned down that sort of deal for.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-053/28787-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="457" height="519"><figcaption class="caption-body">CORY SCHNEIDER</figcaption></div><h2><b>NO. 5 CORY SCHNEIDER FOR GILBERT BRULE</b></h2><p>According to former Columbus GM Doug MacLean, this swap was apparently proposed back in 2008. And it was Dave Nonis and the Vancouver Canucks who made the offer.</p><p>In hindsight, the deal would have been one of the most lopsided in recent memory. Brule never amounted to much in the NHL and hasn&rsquo;t been seen in the league in two years, while Schneider has established himself as one of the best goaltenders in the world. But back in 2008, things weren&rsquo;t so clear. Both players were considered top prospects at the time, albeit slow-developing ones. Brule had struggled through three seasons in Columbus after being the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft, while Schneider had yet to make his NHL debut after being taken 26th in 2004. A change of scenery for both players may have been just what they needed to finally make an impact.</p><p>Instead, MacLean and the Blue Jackets turned down the Nonis offer, choosing to send Brule to the Oilers for Raffi Torres in a deal that didn&rsquo;t really work out for either team. The Canucks saw Schneider blossom, then shipped him to the New Jersey Devils for a firstround pick as part of the whole Roberto Luongo goalie fiasco.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-01

IN THIS ISSUE

FIVE INSANE TRADES THAT

<div class="byline">&#x2013; SAL BARRY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-029/28357-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="167" height="250"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>o many hockey fans, the world of analytics seems like some sort of dark magic, using terminology and formulas not meant to be understood by mere mortals. <i>Stat Shot: The Ultimate Guide to Hockey Analytics</i> aims to change that. Written by Rob Vollman with contributions from Tom Awad and Iain Fyffe, <i>Stat Shot</i> demystifies advanced stats, giving beginners an easy-to-follow introduction, while providing deeper understanding for the hardcore stat geek.</p><p><i>Stat Shot</i> starts with a detailed look at the NHL salary cap and explains which contracts are the best for building a Cup contender. The book also breaks down a method for comparing NCAA players to those in major junior and Jr. A and how to predict a prospect&rsquo;s career trajectory. Later chapters use analytics to determine the NHL&rsquo;s best faceoff specialists, shot blockers, hitters and goaltenders. Analytics are also used to determine the most one-sided trades in history. Numerous charts and graphs, as well as some humorous cartoons, illustrate the book.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-02

STAT SHOT: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO HOCKEY ANALYTICS

<div class="byline">BY MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-027/29414-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">JACK EICHEL & CONNOR MCDAVID <span class="photo-credit">(SEAN RUDY K/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-0111/29428-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="238" height="206"><img src="mon052.jpg" title="common05" width="193" height="200"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>an Team North</b> America achieve mere respectability at the World Cup? That question is pass&eacute;. It&rsquo;s time to ask if Team North America can win the World Cup. That&rsquo;s how good the roster of 23-andyounger players looks.</p><p>No team can match the speed deployed by GM Peter Chiarelli. North America features the reigning all-star weekend&rsquo;s fastest skater ever in an all-star skills competition in Dylan Larkin. Add Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Johnny Gaudreau, Jonathan Drouin, Jack Eichel and Brandon Saad and you have one of the most blindingly fast hockey teams ever assembled.</p><p>It&rsquo;s not as if the North Americans bring all sizzle and no steak. In McDavid, who finished third in the NHL in points per game, they have one of the best players in the tournament. Gaudreau was a top-10 scorer last season. Mark Scheifele was as dominant as any player in the league after the allstar break. Auston Matthews was among USA&rsquo;s best players at the World Championship. The North Americans boast eight forwards who scored at least 20 goals in 2015-16. That&rsquo;s as many as the Czechs, Finns and Team Europe have combined.</p><p>And how about North America&rsquo;s blend of size and mobility on defense? Aaron Ekblad is a horse who would&rsquo;ve cracked Canada&rsquo;s roster if he were eligible. Shayne Gostisbehere is already an elite puck-mover one season into his NHL career. Seth Jones and Jacob Trouba are towering minuteeaters. Morgan Rielly is a savvy two-way defenseman. Given how fleet this D-corps is, it might be the third best in the field behind Canada&rsquo;s and Sweden&rsquo;s starstudded bluelines.</p><p>The North Americans&rsquo; Achilles heel, the potential embarrassment, was supposed to be goaltending. A year ago, they had no crease candidates even holding down regular NHL gigs. Now, their probable starter, Matt Murray, just equalled a rookie playoff record with 15 wins, guiding the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup. The World Cup stage will be decidedly lower stakes for him. Likely backing him up: John Gibson, who was named to the 2016 All-Star Game and inspired enough confidence in Anaheim for the Ducks to trade Frederik Andersen. Even the third-stringer, Connor Hellebuyck, is a topdrawer prospect, good enough to be the Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; No. 1 right now. What was once a weakness looks like a strength.</p><p>The closest the North Americans have to a flaw is inexperience. But how much does that matter in a short tournament in which this team has less to lose than any other, save for maybe fellow gimmick team Europe? The kids have a deep, balanced, dynamic roster, packed with high-impact NHLers. Instead of labelling them a sideshow, let&rsquo;s label them a contender.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-018/29407-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="790" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THE THREADS</b> Adidas went edgy with the kids, steering clear of traditional national colors. &ldquo;We thought this dominant black and heather story with the accent of solar red was a strong point of view that would make that team definitely stand out,&rdquo; said the company&rsquo;s senior director of apparel Dom Fillion.<span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: ADIDAS.COM; DROUIN: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>ROSTER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-025/29400-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="286" height="822"></div><p>national breakdown</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-034/29393-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="512" height="555"></div><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT PLAYER</b></h2><p>Jonathan drouin is a supreme playmaker, but don&rsquo;t sleep on the Tampa Bay Lightning winger&rsquo;s ability to shoot, especially on the power play. During his QMJHL tenure, 20 of his 77 goals came with the extra man and he scored five of his 11 AHL goals on the power play. Of the 13 goals he&rsquo;s scored in the NHL, four have come with the man advantage. Are you noticing a trend? Keep an eye on him when the young stars&rsquo; team is on the PP.</p><h2><b>SCHEDULE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-043/29386-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="411" height="70"></div><p><i>All games played at Air Canada Centre, Toronto. All game times EST</i></p><h2><b>PREDICTION 5</b></h2><h3><b>X-FACTOR</b></h3><p>Connor McDavid had the thirdhighest points per game average of any player in the NHL last season and lived up to all the hype. He starts his sophomore season as the leader of Team North America, and could be the difference-maker in tight games between the young guns&rsquo; teams and their more experienced foes. McDavid&rsquo;s ability to control the puck at high speeds is going to torment World Cup clubs who are slow on the back end.</p><p>average age <b>years</b> 21.7</p><p>average height <b>feet-inches</b> 6-2</p><p>average weight <b>pounds</b> 200</p><p>average nhl experience <b>games played</b> 154<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-02

CATCH THEM IF YOU CAN

<div class="byline">BY CHARLIE TELJEUR</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-0111/28328-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="659" height="873"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HOCKEY CANADA/NIKE CANADA)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-01

THE INSTIGATOR

<div class="byline">Jason Kay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-0110/28107-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="339" height="382"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JACLYN LOCKE)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE GREATEST MOMENT</b> in American hockey history occurred Feb. 22, 1980, when a pack of college kids trumped the Soviet Union at the Lake Placid Olympics. It&rsquo;s not even close. In fact, <i>Sports Illustrated</i> proclaimed it the No. 1 sports moment of all-time.</p><p>In Canada, it&rsquo;s not as clear. Depending on your take, you&rsquo;re likely selecting one of: the Summit Series clincher by Paul Henderson against the Soviets in &rsquo;72; Gretzky to Lemieux for the &rsquo;87 Canada Cup winner; or Sidney Crosby&rsquo;s golden goal against Team USA at the 2010 Vancouver Games.</p><p>The point? The majority of the most indelible global hockey memories aren&rsquo;t associated with NHL-infused Olympics. For further validation, peruse the IIHF&rsquo;s top 100 stories of its first 100 years and you find the Games don&rsquo;t get a sniff in the first five. There was life before we started shipping millionaires to the event, and there will be a strong pulse after that arrangement concludes, if that&rsquo;s indeed where we&rsquo;re headed.</p><p>The World Cup of Hockey can be the vessel that carries all that fresh blood. But first, the cynicism, hanging over it like an angry storm cloud, needs to dissipate.</p><p>Two complaints resonate loudest. First, the series is being condemned as a &ldquo;money grab,&rdquo; a business venture with more than altruistic intentions. Secondly, and not necessarily exclusive from No. 1, is the tournament&rsquo;s format, specifically the composition of two of its teams.</p><p>The former gripe can be dismissed in two words: &ldquo;so what?&rdquo; Provided it&rsquo;s entertaining &ndash; and no animals are hurt in the process, or multi-billion-dollar stadiums are erected while scores of people live in squalor &ndash; what does it matter how profitable it is? Do we need solely magnanimous motives &ndash; you know, like the Olympics? Additionally, this isn&rsquo;t a guaranteed cash cow. The entrepreneurs are accepting risk and the consumer will decide how successful it will be.</p><p>As for the two so-called gimmick teams, it&rsquo;s indeed unorthodox. They may be ideas that fall pancake flat and get squashed after one test. Or they might pleasantly surprise. Team North America&rsquo;s Shayne Gostisbehere, for one, is stoked, telling ESPN he thinks the kids, &ldquo;will shock some teams there.&rdquo; Some of the most ridiculed concepts through history evolved into amazing inventions that we couldn&rsquo;t dream of living without (the phone, the light bulb, the computer, the Snuggie). Crikey, we&rsquo;re just talking about modifying a couple hockey teams.</p><p>The World Cup has the potential to be a special franchise, a place to house some of the future best moments of all-time. For that to happen, the NHL and NHLPA need to approach it like a team does an elite prospect and give it time to mature, not abandon its young if it&rsquo;s not an instant hit. Hockey will never rival FIFA and its World Cup, but ours is an international game with rabid followings in many countries. Leverage that enthusiasm by giving fans only one showcase &ndash; the World Cup, not the Olympics &ndash; we all can gravitate towards.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-0210/28100-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="209" height="112"></div><p>Editor in chief <b>@JKTHN</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0004-01

MEMORIES AWAIT

<div class="byline">PHOTO COURTESY NHLPA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-0111/28136-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0006-01

BUT CAN HE SPIN ON THE ICE?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-0111/28263-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="460" height="358"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DILIP VISHWANAT/ GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>An edition fit for a King(s fan)</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>n spite of being a Montreal transplant since 1957, I&rsquo;ve been a Kings fan since the first puck drop at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1967. I just wanted to let you know that I read your Training Issue (Aug. 15, 2016) cover to cover in one sitting. Everything was very interesting, and all the articles were excellent.</p><p><b>Armand St. Marseille, Yorba Linda, California</b></p><h2><b>Supporting Subban</b></h2><p>Enough of this flak against P.K. Subban. The man is one of the best defensemen in the league, and Montreal made a big mistake trading him. And I don&rsquo;t mind his personality. In fact, I think it&rsquo;s his personality along with his on-ice talent that makes him such a draw. He&rsquo;s fun and outgoing and people like that. I think the league needs more players like him if it wants to sell the game. Every other pro sports league has players like him, and those players are loved and embraced and promoted.</p><p><b>Adam Stiles, Sas katoon, Sas k.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-028/28256-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="226" height="353"><figcaption class="caption-body">COLTON PARAYKO</figcaption></div><h2><b>SOAPBOX</b></h2><p>Who or what will be the biggest &ldquo;surprise&rdquo; at the 2016 World Cup Of Hockey?</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="17" height="17"></span><p>Finland not winning a medal and you guys finally have to stop saying how amazing they are.</p><p><b>&ndash; Kevin Mullins</b></p><span class="image-inline"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="21" height="17"></span><p>Phil Kessel will kill it as color man on U.S. broadcast, earning the handle &lsquo;Mr. Personality.&rsquo;</p><p><b>&ndash; @GregBradys</b></p><span class="image-inline"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="17" height="17"></span><p>USA scoring a goal. And Kessel sitting in the stands eating a happy meal out of the Stanley Cup.</p><p><b>&ndash; Liam McEvoy</b></p><span class="image-inline"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="21" height="17"></span><p>Auston Matthews goes full Ned Braden during bench brawl between the Young Guns and Team Canada.</p><p><b>&ndash; @TheEdHobo</b></p><span class="image-inline"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="17" height="17"></span><p>Biggest surprise would be Canadians caring about this tournament before their team&rsquo;s in the medal round.</p><p><b>&ndash; Robert Janko</b></p><span class="image-inline"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="21" height="17"></span><p>Team John Scott takes third place.</p><p><b>&ndash; @BlackhawksStdby</b></p><span class="image-inline"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="21" height="17"></span><p>ESPN actually broadcasting games! Do they even have their proper hockey folks anymore?</p><p><b>&ndash; @Waynakin</b></p><span class="image-inline"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="17" height="17"></span><p>Europe wins and Brexit is reversed.</p><p><b>&ndash; Terris Field</b></p><span class="image-inline"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="21" height="17"></span><p>The theme song to the Youngblood movie being played as team North America&rsquo;s anthem.</p><p><b>&ndash; @ACDeblois</b></p><span class="image-inline"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="17" height="17"></span><p>Colton Parayko wins MVP.</p><p><b>&ndash; Michael Schoen</b></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon032.jpg" title="common03" width="54" height="54"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>THN POLL</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-036/28172-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="71" height="71"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b><a href="http://facebook.com/TheHockeyNews">Facebook.com/TheHockeyNews</a></b></p><h2><b>Who will win the 2016 World Cup Of Hockey?</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-045/28165-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="1061" height="147"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0008-01

YOUR SAY

<div class="byline">BY BOB DUFF</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-0111/28299-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MAXIM SIDOROV/ANADOLU AGENCY/GETTY IM AGES</figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>OR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE COVERAGE, VISIT <b><a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a></b> 12 JERSEY HOUND: CANADA&rsquo;S NEW DUDS 11 WORLD CUP NEED TO KNOW 14 LIKE A PRO 16 GOODS, GEAR, LIFE 18 DOWN GOES BROWN</p><p><b>IN THE SPRING</b> of 2016, CARHA, the world&rsquo;s largest recreational hockey tournament, came to Windsor, Ont. Amid the thousands of faceless beer leaguers looking for a good time on the ice was Alexei Zhitnik. He was performing in the over-35 division with Arsenal, a team from his homeland of Ukraine. His reason for playing? Well, it&rsquo;s the same reason that hits home for many former NHLers who hail from Russia and the surrounding countries, and ultimately brings them home.</p><p>Many of the players on the Arsenal team were the fellows who skated with Zhitnik as a youngster while he was developing the skills to permit him to play 1,085 NHL games, and that bond they formed then didn&rsquo;t waver. He never lost touch with his friends, and there was a gleam in Zhitnik&rsquo;s eyes as he talked about being back at the rink and skating alongside them.</p><p>He&rsquo;s gone from skating with the best in the world to skating with his best buddies once again. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun,&rdquo; said Zhitnik, 43. &ldquo;We played together. Some guys I grew up with from five years old. Some guys I know from 20, 25 years ago, and we&rsquo;d still keep in touch every summer. We tried to get everybody together.&rdquo;</p><p>If you are seeking a reason, a justification if you will, for Pavel Datsyuk bolting in the final year of his contract with the Detroit Red Wings to return to his homeland of Russia, it&rsquo;s right there in Zhitnik&rsquo;s words. Russia is Datsyuk&rsquo;s home. It&rsquo;s where he was raised. It&rsquo;s where all his friends are, and most significantly, it&rsquo;s where his family is.</p><p>Ultimately, that was the emotion that tugged at Datsyuk&rsquo;s heart and pulled him back home to sign with St. Petersburg in the KHL. He&rsquo;d gone home to play for CSKA Moscow during the 2012-13 NHL lockout, and Datsyuk felt the desire of wanting to play again in his home country. He signed a three-year deal with the Wings just prior to the 2014-15 NHL season, and immediately realized he&rsquo;d made a mistake. &ldquo;When I come back after lockout year, my mind is kind of I want to go home, I want to go home,&rdquo; Datsyuk said. &ldquo;I have a fight with my mind, playing two years (in Detroit). I think I just can handle my mind, but it&rsquo;s not easy. Now I just think it&rsquo;s not fair, and I am heading back home.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>HE HAS A 13-YEAROLD DAUGHTER HE ONLY GOT TO SEE A COUPLE MONTHS EVERY YEAR</b> &ndash; DAN MILSTEIN ON PAVEL DATSYUK</blockquote><p>There was another draw tugging at his heartstrings. Elizabeth, Datsyuk&rsquo;s teenaged daughter from his first marriage, remained in Russia while he skated for the Wings. As she grew into a young woman, Datsyuk rarely saw his daughter. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been extremely difficult, ever since he came back from the lockout,&rdquo; said Dan Milstein, Datsyuk&rsquo;s agent. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve talked quite a bit about it, and it&rsquo;s been concerning. He only gets to see his daughter for a couple months out of the year. It&rsquo;s been very difficult on him, and it&rsquo;s just time to go home, like he said.&rdquo;</p><p>Datsyuk described Detroit as his second home, but that&rsquo;s just it. As much as it might seem that Russian players assimilate into North American culture, the fact of the matter is they aren&rsquo;t home. And by returning, they get to play in front of the people who&rsquo;ve meant the most to them in their lives and who supported and helped them climb the ladder to hockey&rsquo;s highest rung.</p><p>For Canadians and Americans who view the Stanley Cup as hockey&rsquo;s Holy Grail, perhaps it&rsquo;s difficult to fathom how it can feel to be a foreign player earning a living in North America, away from their comfort zone, far from their loved ones. &ldquo;When I first time come to Detroit, it&rsquo;s the most emotional memory,&rdquo; Datsyuk said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a different country. I&rsquo;m young, different hockey, different language. Everything&rsquo;s weird.&rdquo;</p><p>Datsyuk is far from the first Russian NHLer to answer the siren call of home. For former Wings star Sergei Fedorov, the chance to make his father&rsquo;s wish come true by playing with his younger brother Fedor drew him to sign with the KHL&rsquo;s Metallurg Magnitogorsk in 2009-10.</p><p>Zhitnik also headed home at the end, playing his last two pro seasons with Moscow Dynamo prior to retiring in 2010. As well as anyone, he understands the sentiment that prevailed over Datsyuk&rsquo;s heart. &ldquo;I know it&rsquo;s a tough life, and you can&rsquo;t be there all the time,&rdquo; Zhitnik said. &ldquo;But we try our best.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-019/28292-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="316" height="312"><figcaption class="caption-body">ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES</figcaption></div><h2><b>WINGED WIZARD</b></h2><p>Datsyuk leaves behind an impressive NHL legacy, especially in terms of his all-time rank among Russian players</p><p>953 GAMES</p><p>RANK 7th</p><p>314 GOALS</p><p>RANK 9th</p><p>604 ASSISTS</p><p>RANK 3rd</p><p>918 POINTS</p><p>RANK 5th</p><p>53.8 FACEO FF %</p><p>RANK 3rd<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

FAMILY COMES FIRST

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-039/28393-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="322" height="321"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>C</span>anada has a new jersey and, with the exception of the World Cup, you&rsquo;ll be seeing it a lot. The sweater was unveiled in August, just in time for the world junior summer camp tournament Canada attended in Michigan. But the men&rsquo;s, women&rsquo;s and sledge hockey teams will also wear it now. The theme? Undoubtedly patriotism.</p><p>See, Canada turns 150 in 2017 and, with hockey by far the most popular sport, the tie-in seems like a no-brainer. On the sleeves of the new jersey, you&rsquo;ll find a patch commemorating the birthday &ndash; with diamonds representing provinces, making up the nation&rsquo;s iconic maple leaf.</p><p>Another new flourish comes in the shoulders. The black yoke is inset with a pattern of maple leaves, too &ndash; but from afar it has an almost metallic look.</p><p>Otherwise, the logo is a slight update of the familiar, but with gold trim &ndash; and we all know what that means. &ldquo;Having that gold around the logo in the middle makes it really fun,&rdquo; said two-time Olympic gold medallist Marie-Philip Poulin. &ldquo;It makes you strive for your dream, and it&rsquo;s really exciting because of that.&rdquo;</p><p>The sweaters also give Nike a nice showcase, as Adidas owns the World Cup and future NHL rights. Technical specs of the sweater include Ripstop Fabric, engineered to withstand the rigors of hockey, as well as meshed zones under the arms to promote thermoregulation. But in the end, the sweater will be judged off the players wearing it &ndash; and whether they win their crowns.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-044/28386-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="318" height="272"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-03

JERSEY HOUND

<div class="byline">BY MATT LARKIN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-056/28478-1-eng-US/f0013-052.jpg" title="f0013-05" width="701" height="483"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-0110/28506-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="163" height="169"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-0210/28499-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="73" height="73"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>FORMAT</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>E</span>ight teams compete in the 2016 World Cup. Group A: Canada, Czech Republic, Europe, USA. Group B: Finland, North America, Russia, Sweden. Each team plays three round-robin games. The top two finishers from Group A and B advance to the semifinals, in which the No. 1 team from each group plays the No. 2 team from the opposite group. The semifinal winners meet in a best-of-three final.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-039/28492-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="73" height="73"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>SCHEDULE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-046/28485-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="229" height="374"><figcaption class="caption-body">JONATHAN TOEWS</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-065/28471-1-eng-US/f0013-062.jpg" title="f0013-06" width="72" height="72"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>TV COVERAGE</b></h2><p>CANADA (ENGLISH): Sportsnet, CBC</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-075/28464-1-eng-US/f0013-072.jpg" title="f0013-07" width="126" height="51"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>CANADA (FRENCH): TVA Sports</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-082/28457-1-eng-US/f0013-082.jpg" title="f0013-08" width="185" height="24"></div><p>UNITED STATES: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-092/28450-1-eng-US/f0013-092.jpg" title="f0013-09" width="100" height="25"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-102/28443-1-eng-US/f0013-102.jpg" title="f0013-10" width="72" height="72"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>RULES</b></h2><p>The World Cup will be played on NHL-sized ice surfaces, with full NHL rules and NHL officials. Round-robin overtimes follow NHL regular season format (3-on-3 for five minutes followed by shootout). Elimination-round overtimes follow NHL playoff format (continuous OT, 20 minute periods). Anti-doping and supplementary discipline will be governed by the NHL and NHLPA.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-112/28436-1-eng-US/f0013-112.jpg" title="f0013-11" width="72" height="72"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>TROPHY</b></h2><p>The World Cup trophy was designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. It&rsquo;s made from a composite alloy of copper and nickel and solid cast urethane. The removable cup sits inside a shell, which is sculpted to look like a block of ice with skate marks on it.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-122/28429-1-eng-US/f0013-122.jpg" title="f0013-12" width="72" height="73"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>PAST CHAMPIONS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-132/28422-1-eng-US/f0013-132.jpg" title="f0013-13" width="338" height="170"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0013-05

NEED TO KNOW

<div class="byline">&#x2013; SAL BARRY OF PUCKJUNK.COM</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-142/28535-1-eng-US/f0013-142.jpg" title="f0013-14" width="684" height="366"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>n its 1991-92 hockey set, Upper Deck made cards of players who appeared in that summer&rsquo;s Canada Cup tournament. They scored a hat trick, too, by including prospects who hadn&rsquo;t yet played in the NHL but would go onto Hall of Fame careers. Nicklas Lidstrom (misspelled &ldquo;Niklas&rdquo; on the card), who debuted later that fall with the Red Wings, had his first-ever card in the set, as did Teemu Selanne, who began his career a year later with the Jets. But the biggest coup for Upper Deck was the card for Eric Lindros, the first-overall draft pick in 1991. Legally, only Score could make cards of Lindros that year, but Upper Deck skirted the issue by including &lsquo;The Big E&rsquo; as part of the Canada Cup subset.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-14

IN THE CARDS

<div class="byline">BY JARED CLINTON</div><p>The World Cup will result in a shorter off-season. No shock there. But a short summer being beneficial? Now that&rsquo;s surprising</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-0111/28564-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="677" height="1047"><figcaption class="caption-body">For van Riemsdyk, who was injured for a significant chunk of last season, the intensity of the World Cup will benefit him early in 2016-17. <span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>THE WORLD CUP</b> of Hockey will shorten the summers of more than 150 NHL players, and while that cuts into off-season plans and speeds up training schedules, it won&rsquo;t necessarily be a bad thing for World Cup participants.</p><p>In fact, Andy O&rsquo;Brien, founder and president of O&rsquo;Brien Sport, believes there&rsquo;s ample time for every player to get into game shape for the tournament. It only means players need to progress to more intense workouts sooner, and a premium is going to have to be put on high-level onice training. &ldquo;In a normal case, they&rsquo;d be playing some exhibition games, gradually ramping up their intensity to the speed of regular season NHL games,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Brien said. &ldquo;In this case, the players are going from several weeks or months without competition and jumping right into the highest level of hockey imaginable. The players are going to train with a similar level of intensity and&hellip;the quality of their on-ice sessions has to be really good through August, especially the latter part.&rdquo;</p><p>O&rsquo;Brien said rest and recovery will be extremely valuable, especially for those who&rsquo;ve had short off-seasons. That may cause concern for those who went on deep post-season runs, but O&rsquo;Brien, who also works as director of sport science and performance for the Pittsburgh Penguins and has worked with Sidney Crosby for several seasons, said it can actually be to a player&rsquo;s benefit. &ldquo;(Crosby&rsquo;s) body was operating at an extremely high level in mid-June,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Brien said. &ldquo;We look at that as an advantage because he doesn&rsquo;t have as long of a gap between the end of his season and the beginning of this tournament, compared with someone who&rsquo;s season ended in April. Those players will have more work to do in their training to account for that time out of competition in order to be ready when it counts.&rdquo;</p><p>O&rsquo;Brien has seen both sides of that spectrum this off-season. For Maple Leafs left winger James van Riemsdyk, an O&rsquo;Brien client and member of Team USA, the offseason has been different from that of most who will play at the World Cup. Van Riemsdyk was injured for the final 42 games of the season, so his summer has been about regaining any strength lost through inactivity.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>PLAYERS ARE JUMPING RIGHT INTO THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF HOCKEY IMAGINABLE</b> &ndash; Andy O&rsquo;Brien, trainer</blockquote><p>&lsquo;JVR&rsquo; echoed O&rsquo;Brien&rsquo;s sentiments about hitting the ice earlier and ramping up training in the weeks before World Cup training camp and sees the tourney helping early in the NHL season, too: &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll get you up to game speed quicker, just because in these sorts of tournaments there&rsquo;s a playoff atmosphere essentially from the start. It definitely gets you ready to go, so when the regular season does start you can hit the ground running.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

HIT THE ICE RUNNING

<div class="byline">&#x2013; WITH RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-028/28593-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="250" height="314"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-018/28600-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="152" height="179"><figcaption class="caption-body"><i>SAM BENNETT</i><span class="photo-credit">(BENN ETT: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES, COOKIES: CH LOE ROBILLARD, NURSE: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>t was a weird night. I didn&rsquo;t prepare any differently than I usually do, but as soon as I stepped on the ice against Florida (on Jan. 13, 2016), the puck was finding me. Every time I took a shot, it felt like it would go in. My first goal gave me confidence and energy and both kept building as the night went on.</p><p>My second goal stands out clearly. I was coming in on Roberto Luongo and, after making my first move, I tried to pull the puck to my backhand. But the puck got away from me and slipped right through his legs.</p><p>I completed the hat trick in the first period, and the feeling was unbelievable. It was a home game, and I had a smile on my face the whole time the clean-up crew was out there, scooping hats off the ice. I never saw what happened to the hats, and I didn&rsquo;t get to keep any of them.</p><p>By that point, the guys on the bench were joking around, telling me I was going to get six goals that night. I didn&rsquo;t get six, but with time running down I did get a fourth, and they were all laughing. On top of that, they were happy for me, since I was coming out of a long scoring slump.</p><p>It was a very memorable night.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0015-02

WHAT IT’S LIKE...

<div class="byline">&#x2013; WITH RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-035/28643-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="584" height="572"></div><p><b>Which NHL player did you model your game after?</b></p><p>Jarome Iginla was a big reason why I first started playing. Mats Sundin &ndash; being from Hamilton, I saw him a lot when he was in Toronto. Chris Pronger was always a guy I watched and tried to model my game after.</p><p><b>What was your first big purchase after signing an NHL contract?</b></p><p>When I was 18 I bought my first F-150.</p><p><b>If you could, what would you tell your 13-year-old self?</b></p><p>Keep working. I&rsquo;ve always prided myself on working hard. Keep working and enjoy every moment of it.</p><p><b>Why do you wear No. 25?</b></p><p>I&rsquo;ve worn it since I was seven years old and just never changed it.</p><p><b>What&rsquo;s the most important skill for a young player to learn?</b></p><p>Positioning. Especially when you get to the pro level, you have to be at the right spot at the right time. It&rsquo;s hard to practise that other than when you&rsquo;re in a game situation, but it&rsquo;s definitely a huge part of being successful at a high level.</p><p><b>What&rsquo;s the best thing about being an NHL player?</b></p><p>The fans. Getting to go out there and play in front of them.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-043/28636-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="94" height="90"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>CHALK TALK</b></h2><h3><b>SCORING &ndash; TIPS AND DEFLECTIONS</b></h3><p>This drill&rsquo;s all about shot accuracy for the &lsquo;D&rsquo; and hand-eye co-ordination for the forwards</p><p>&gt; Forward passes puck to defenseman at blueline, then goes to front of net</p><p>&gt; Defenseman skates puck quickly to middle of ice</p><p>&gt; Defenseman gets head up and shoots for forward&rsquo;s stick for a deflection on net</p><p><b>KEY TEACHING POINTS</b></p><p><b>+</b> Defenseman walks blueline and gets to shooting area quickly</p><p><b>+</b> Defenseman gets head up to see where forward is and where he or she wants the puck</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-053/28629-1-eng-US/f0015-052.jpg" title="f0015-05" width="338" height="288"></div><p>SEE A VIDEO OF THIS WORKOUT ON THE <b>SAMSUNG DRILL HUB</b> AT HOCKEYCANADA .CA<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0015-03

RAPID FIRE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JARED CLINTON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-062/28679-1-eng-US/f0015-062.jpg" title="f0015-06" width="263" height="290"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>imple, fast and effective for the athlete on the go, Energy Ball Cookies are the perfect snack to have an hour before activity, says Pearle Nerenberg, author of <i>The Nutrition Edge for Hockey Performance</i>. The cookies are simple to put together and a favorite of Nerenberg&rsquo;s athletes. Better yet, the cookies can be eaten as more than just a pre-game snack if the ingredients are modified slightly. &ldquo;They can also be a great addition to a recovery snack provided you add a protein source to them, such as eggs, cheese or, for vegan athletes, a soy milk,&rdquo; Nerenberg said.</p><p><b>INGREDIENTS</b></p><p>3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs</p><p>1/4 cup raisins</p><p>3 tbsp peanut butter</p><p>2 tbsp honey</p><p>2 tbsp skim milk powder</p><p>1 tbsp water</p><p>2 tbsp coconut flakes</p><p><b>PREPARATION</b></p><p>Place the coconut flakes in a shallow dish, and combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Form eight balls, and roll each ball in the in the coconut flakes until the ball is covered. If the batter is too dry, more water can be added. If the coconut isn&rsquo;t sticking, each ball can be basted in a small amount of liquid honey. A serving is two balls.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-072/28672-1-eng-US/f0015-072.jpg" title="f0015-07" width="116" height="165"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><a href="http://www.pearlesportsnutrition.com">www.pearlesportsnutrition.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0015-06

ENERGY BALL COOKIES

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-0111/28729-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="355" height="356"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DIABY: SCOTT PAU LUS /MILWAU KEE ADMIRA LS; ANGELS: ANAHEIM DUCKS; SNIPER SKIN: COUR TES Y OF SNIPER SKIN; OPE NER : COUR TES Y OF POND HOCKEY BRE W)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>ALL ABOUT FAMILY</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>ashville Predators prospect</b> Jonathan Diaby is an intimidating presence on the ice, but he&rsquo;s also putting his weight behind several business enterprises. The defenseman, 21, owns a record label called La Famille, which has put out releases for Diaby&rsquo;s best friend, Montreal rapper YB. Diaby also runs a studio, and his company has staged concerts in Montreal and Toronto. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot of time,&rdquo; Diaby said. &ldquo;In the summer it&rsquo;s not too bad, but during the season my cousin takes care of things.&rdquo;</p><p>That cousin also runs a streetwear line called Tropikal Mafia, which Diaby helps promote. Having close business associates seems to be the key. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re La Famille &ndash; the family,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So it&rsquo;s easy.&rdquo;<i>(<a href="http://lafamilleent.com">lafamilleent.com</a>)</i> &ndash; ryan kennedy</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-026/28722-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="355" height="356"></div><h2><b>HOCKEY TAPE 2.0</b></h2><p><b>The Wrights were</b> tired of spending big bucks on sticks for their son only to have them break, so they decided to do something about it. &ldquo;My husband, Lee, had to find something better than tape to protect these sticks from being gauged and hacked,&rdquo; said April Wright, vice-president of Sniper Skin. &ldquo;In late 2014, he set out to use his mechanical engineering background to find an industrial-strength product and modified it to what is now known as Sniper Skin.&rdquo; Sniper Skin is a soft rubber sleeve that shrinks to the dimensions of your blade or grip when boiling water is poured over it. The sleeves come in a multitude of colors and can be customized with names and numbers. <i>(<a href="http://sniperskin.ca">sniperskin.ca</a>)</i> &ndash; emma mason</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-035/28715-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="339" height="376"></div><h2><b>DUCKS IN THE OUTFI ELD</b></h2><p><b>Anaheim&rsquo;s baseball and</b> hockey teams have come together, and the results are fantastic. As part of Ducks Night Aug. 16, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim wore special gear during batting practice &ndash; essentially, mash-ups of the two teams&rsquo; logos on the jersey and ball cap. But on top of the actual look, there was another fun first with the combo: the Angels have never had a cream jersey or cap in the franchise&rsquo;s 56-year history, until now. The jerseys are being auctioned off, with proceeds going to the Ducks&rsquo; and Angels&rsquo; respective foundations, while replica jerseys and hats are available at the Angels&rsquo; team store. <i>(<a href="http://angels.com/shop">angels.com/shop</a>)</i> &ndash; ryan kennedy</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-045/28708-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="419" height="204"></div><h2><b>SWIG OF SUCCESS</b></h2><p><b>Is there any</b> better way to open a beer than with a hockey puck? Since 2013, the Pond Hockey Brewing Co., has been offering Puck Off, a regulation-size puck with a stainless steel bottle cap extractor embedded inside. The opener is made in Canada, can be customized with any logo and is sold in NHL team stores. &ldquo;I came up with the idea while my business partner and brother Keith Jordan and I were home brewing beer,&rdquo; said Kyle Jordan, co-founder of Pond Hockey Brewing Co. &ldquo;As we are avid hockey players, there happened to be a lot of pucks lying around the garage where we were brewing. I saw one sitting next to an empty bottle, and the idea just came to me.&rdquo;<i>(<a href="http://puckoffopener.com">puckoffopener.com</a>)</i> &ndash; Emma Mason<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-01

GOODS | GEAR | LIFE

<div class="byline">BY AARON EKBLAD</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0017-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-017/28758-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">BAUER HOCKEY, INC.</figcaption></div><p>HELMET BAUER RE-AKT 100</p><p>&ldquo;I wear Bauer all the way through, everything that comes in contact with me. I&rsquo;m signed by Bauer and even though I don&rsquo;t have to, I love the equipment. It&rsquo;s protective. I don&rsquo;t know a lot about helmets, but it works for me.&rdquo;</p><p>SHOULDER PADS BAUER VAPOR 1X</p><p>&ldquo;Great protection and they&rsquo;re lightweight. I&rsquo;ve never been hurt.&rdquo;</p><p>SHIN PADS BAUER VAPOR 1X</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s actually a good little ankle-flex thing that makes it easy to maneuver. It&rsquo;s good protection.&rdquo;</p><p>SKATES BAUER VAPOR 1X</p><p>&ldquo;Just a comfortable boot, something I&rsquo;ve worn my whole life. Ever since their inception, I&rsquo;ve worn the Bauer Vapor skates. It does the job. I&rsquo;ve gotten better at skating every year with that skate.&rdquo;</p><p>GLOVES BAUER VAPOR 1X</p><p>CK BAUER VAPOR 1X</p><p>&ldquo;I use a very whippy stick, and I use a brand new stick every single game so it keeps its integrity. It doesn&rsquo;t lose its flex quickly and it&rsquo;s a pretty good stick. I&rsquo;ve scored 27 goals with it, so I must be doing something right.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0017-01

EQUIPPED

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-019/28851-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon052.jpg" title="common05" width="193" height="200"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>hen eight teams</b> converge in Toronto this September, it will be the beginning of a new era. The World Cup of Hockey is a reboot, and, as Hollywood has proven lately, even reboots can spawn a lot of sequels. And while the format is a first, forming teams out of multiple countries (Europe) and ages (North America), that isn&rsquo;t set in stone for the future.</p><p>The first edition of this new tournament should be seen as a litmus test. If Europe and North America fall flat, then something else will be attempted the next time. But what if the Czech Republic gets bombed? The team&rsquo;s current roster looks comparatively weak, and some of the top names (Tomas Plekanec, Ales Hemsky, Zbynek Michalek) will be finishing their careers by the time the 2020 tournament comes around. And while Tomas Hertl and David Pastrnak are still on the rise, there isn&rsquo;t a ton of talent coming up the pipeline: the Czechs have one medal (a bronze) from the past 15 World Junior Championships after winning back-to-back golds in the early 2000s. So maybe the Czech Republic joins Team Europe in 2020 and another nation (Switzerland or Denmark, for example) gets its own squad.</p><p>Or perhaps the tournament goes another way and expands. Twelve or 16 teams would dilute the pool but allow more players to wear their nations&rsquo; logos and give the World Cup a more global feel. And the chance for upsets in a one-and-done playoff would increase. Remember when Latvia&rsquo;s Kristers Gudlevskis almost ruined Canada&rsquo;s Olympic run in 2014? Now think about a Denmark team with Frederik Andersen in net and in-their-primes Nikolaj Ehlers and Oliver Bjorkstrand running and gunning like they did at the 2015 world juniors. Kind of scary, no?</p><p>That&rsquo;s the best thing about the World Cup: it&rsquo;s not married to a format for the long term. And maybe multiple cities host tournament games in 2020 instead of just Toronto. Or perhaps 2016 works so well that Toronto keeps hosting duties. Everything is on the table.</p><p>So treat this tournament as a beginning, not a one-shot deal. In the following pages, you will find our total-package preview, giving you all the information you need to enjoy the World Cup. We break down the eight teams and shine the spotlight on the biggest names. It&rsquo;s going to be a fun tournament giving us top-level hockey before the NHL season even starts. Best-on-best. What could be better?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-01

BRAVE NEW WORLD

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0111/28901-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sidney Crosby and Co. look to continue Canada&rsquo;s recent dominance on the international stage.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon042.jpg" title="common04" width="190" height="163"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>f Canada fails</b> to win the World Cup with the roster it has assembled for the tournament, there might be grounds for a national inquiry. And if you think we&rsquo;re joking about that, it might be because you&rsquo;re younger than 20 or your long-term memory is failing. It was in 1999, after all, following a disastrous fourth-place showing in the 1998 Olympics, consecutive sixth- and fourth-place finishes in the World Championship and a two-year gold medal drought in the world juniors &ndash; two years! &ndash; that the stakeholders of hockey in Canada held a three-day summit to determine what was wrong with the way it was developing players and how it could improve.</p><p>That&rsquo;s how seriously people take hockey around here. Of course, Hockey Canada managed to monetize it by following up with the Molson Canadian Open Ice Hockey Summit in 2010, which is probably the most Canadian thing ever. Almost a generation after that short run of futility, Canada is on much steadier ground when it comes to the world stage, and Canadian hockey fans are puffing their chests out. That first summit made 11 recommendations governing everything from coaching methods to practice-to-game ratios and, within time, Canada began winning again.</p><p>And now, it enters the eighth edition of the World/Canada Cup as the overwhelming favorite to win its sixth. The last time Canada played in a best-on-best tournament, it dominated the proceedings so convincingly that you could literally count on one hand the number of goals it gave up and still have two left over to hold your cigarette. After going seven years without a gold medal in the World Championship, Canada has won the past two, earning the No. 1 ranking in the world by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Things are indeed good.</p><p>But still, there might be some cracks showing. After owning the gold medal at the WJC throughout the latter part of the past decade, Canada has just one gold to show in seven tournaments, the same number it has in the past seven under-18 world championships. Membership is always an issue in the country. It would surprise some people that just one in six boys plays youth hockey in Canada. And with birthrates on the decline, Hockey Canada is so concerned that it recently appointed former Canadian national team defenseman Chris Bright as its director of recruitment.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-0110/28887-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="1063" height="755"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>PREVIOUS: MARTIN ROSE/GETTY IMAGES; THI S PAGE: RI CHARD LAUTENS/TORONTO STAR VIA GETTY IMAGES</p><p><b>TIPPING THE SCALES</b> Goaltender Carey Price is a big reason why Canada is so heavily favored to capture gold at the World Cup.</p></figcaption></div><p>And anyone looking at the first half of the 2016 NHL draft had to wonder where all the Canadians were. Of the top 15 picks, four were from St. Louis, which equalled all of Canada&rsquo;s output. That would be like Regina producing the same number of first-round picks in baseball as all of the United States. Overall, the U.S. had six picks in the top 15, including the first-overall choice in Auston Matthews. Even Finland, The Little Engine That Could&trade;, had just one fewer pick than Canada among the top 15.</p><p>So it appears you can no longer shake a tree in Canada and have hockey players fall out of it. Hockey Canada is finding with a diverse population, more freetime options for young people and a rise in the costs and commitments associated with playing the game, it has to actually sell hockey to the masses. Membership took a slight uptick every year between 2010-11 and 2014-15, with 552,016 boys registered in &rsquo;14-15. According to the IIHF, Canada has a total of 721,504 players. About 5,000 of those kids played in a program that offered a reduced season at a reduced price to try to get them involved in the game. Hockey Canada found one of the biggest hurdles to participation is the commitment, so it started a pilot project that parses the season into four mini-seasons and players can pick and choose which ones they want to play. But in reality, things are, at best, stagnant, at least on the boys side. &ldquo;I would tell you that is accurate,&rdquo; said Scott Smith, Hockey Canada&rsquo;s chief operating officer. &ldquo;Overall, our numbers have increased, but they&rsquo;ve basically increased because we&rsquo;ve acquired additional adult recreational players.&rdquo;</p><p>Well, we know 30-something huffers and puffers playing for Joe&rsquo;s Bar and Grill at an ungodly hour on Tuesday nights are not going to be representing their country at a world tournament anytime soon. But what do the constraints on grassroots hockey really mean for Canada? Probably not as much as you might think. Neither do, it seems, showings in U-17s, U-18s or world juniors. If success at the lower age groups translated into wins at the highest level, the U.S. would not be going on more than 80 years between actual world championships &ndash; they are listed as the 1960 winner, but that&rsquo;s because at the time the Olympic champion was automatically declared world champion &ndash; and they wouldn&rsquo;t be 0-for-gold in the five Olympics that have included NHL players. &ldquo;I try not to too closely connect participation to high-performance hockey,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Our whole idea is, how do we offer hockey to as many people as possible? And then those extremely talented players, they&rsquo;ll evolve.&rdquo;</p><p>Canada still has, according to the IIHF&rsquo;s statistics, 2,631 indoor rinks and 5,000 outdoor ones. To give you an idea of how much of an advantage it gives Canada consider that its total number of rinks (7,631) is about 1,400 more than in the U.S., Russia, Sweden, Finland and Slovakia combined (6,238). Even though many publicly funded arenas in Canada are aging and need to be replaced, they&rsquo;re still functional. And where governments have left a void, private interests have stepped in.</p><p>There is still more of an appetite for hockey in Canada than anywhere else in the world. More kids play soccer in Canada, but hockey attracts the best athletes. It remains a source of pride and is so deeply imbedded in the natural psyche it&rsquo;s almost impossible to escape, even on a hot summer day. Canada may be losing some players, but those who play the game at the highest level are more than willing to make every sacrifice, spend every dollar and complete as many chin-ups as it takes between meals of quinoa and kale to ensure they&rsquo;re giving themselves the chance to be the best they can be.</p><p>According to a Hockey Canada survey in 2011-12, the average parent spent just less than $3,000 a year for youth hockey, and that&rsquo;s the average. Considering the vast majority of kids playing in Canada are house-league players whose families probably spend a third of that at the most, those costs are being driven by families of elite players who are willing to pay $10,000 a year just for the hockey portion of it. That doesn&rsquo;t include spring and sometimes summer hockey, nutrition counselling and 1-on-1 off-ice training. And it&rsquo;s largely from that group that Hockey Canada is getting its pool of elite players.</p><p>And the fact is those players in particularly are bigger, stronger, far more skilled, better coached and better prepared for playing in the NHL and the world stage than they ever have been before. One-on-one instruction and skill development has become something of a cottage industry in Canada. If you type &ldquo;hockey instructors Toronto&rdquo; into Google, you get about 319,000 results. Then there are hockey academies where like-minded kids can balance school with hours of on- and off-ice instruction, sometimes in addition to playing for an elite-level club team.</p><p>That will keep Canada as a key player on the world stage, probably forever, but there&rsquo;s more than one way to do it. USA Hockey is experiencing the most growth in its under-8 programs, largely as the result of mandating all of its branches play cross-ice or halfice games at that age group. The thinking is that on a smaller ice surface, kids will get more opportunities to handle the puck and make plays, thereby enhancing their skill level organically. USA Hockey has been doing this since 2009, so the first children to experience that hockey are now going into their teenage years. In Sweden, there&rsquo;s almost no emphasis on serious competition until the age of 12. In fact, young players there play crossice games where there are no standings or statistics kept. And it would be hard to argue against the skill that country produces. Young players in Sweden and Finland are encouraged to play other sports in the off-season, while elite hockey in Canada has become an all-consuming, 12-month sport.</p><p>So far, Canada hasn&rsquo;t suffered with its approach. At the ultimate level, Canada keeps winning and, in the case of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, is almost making a mockery of the competition. Take the World Cup as an example. Look at the American roster and pick the skaters who would make Team Canada if they were Canadian. Patrick Kane and Ryan Suter perhaps? And that&rsquo;s a major world hockey power we&rsquo;re talking about.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>WHO KNOWS WHETHER THAT EXCEPTIONAL ATHLETE AT SIX, SEVEN OR EIGHT DECIDES NOT TO PLAY HOCKEY?</b> &ndash; Scott Smith, Hockey Canada&rsquo;s chief operating officer</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-019/28880-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="519" height="480"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NO NEED TO FORCE IT</b> Hockey Canada believes elite players like Jonathan Toews will organically rise to the top through youth hockey. <span class="photo-credit">(HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Canada has not been nearly as dominant at the lower age levels on the world stage, but that doesn&rsquo;t seem to transfer to best-on-best at the NHL level. The U.S. has dominated the U-18s over the years, but there&rsquo;s a caveat there. Canada does not have access to all its best players because they&rsquo;re involved in the CHL major junior playoffs. And the American team that plays in that tournament is made up of players from its National Team Development Program, which hothouses the best teenage players and plays all season against junior programs and in international tournaments. &ldquo;If you look at the fact we have access only to the players who are available to us,&rdquo; Smith said, &ldquo;our track record there is pretty strong. This past year we didn&rsquo;t medal, but we were in the final four, and we medalled in the four previous years in under-18. I look at that and say we&rsquo;ve had a reasonable degree of success. We&rsquo;re lucky we have depth in our country.&rdquo;</p><p>The under-20 cohort is something of a mystery for Canada, a country that at times has dominated the event. Hockey Canada pours enormous resources into the WJC and in reality could probably enter two or three teams that would be competitive. In the past four tournaments, Canada has won the ultimate prize once but failed to win a medal in the other three. Tiny Finland, which has one-sixth Canada&rsquo;s population and onetenth the number of indoor rinks and registered players, has won two of the past three and had two picks in the top four in the 2016 NHL draft. Canada had one.</p><p>It is not for a lack of preparation or resources for Canada. No country pours more of its money or soul into winning this tournament than Canada does. The WJC has become a Canadian tradition, complete with television coverage and all the revenues that come with it. For a period of two weeks, these players are every bit as revered &ndash; and scrutinized &ndash; as NHL stars, and occasionally the pressure can be too much. There has not been a string of gold medals in that event lately, but it hasn&rsquo;t been for a lack of trying or self-analyzing. &ldquo;Of all the events, that one continues to be tougher and tougher to win,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;This past year, some might suggest (the fifth-place finish) wasn&rsquo;t successful, but we lost by one goal to the team that eventually won the gold medal in a quarterfinal game that could&rsquo;ve gone either way. But I can tell you that our debrief after we won gold (in 2015) and our debrief after we finished last year in Finland had the same approach, the same level of intensity and the same drive to get into the details.&rdquo;</p><p>So, for now, everything is good, because at the highest level, Canada keeps winning, and it&rsquo;s hard to question things when there&rsquo;s a gold medal hanging around players&rsquo; necks. Other countries are coming hard, but if Canada has exhibited one thing in international hockey, it&rsquo;s that it will respond to that challenge by working even harder. Not always smarter, but harder. And for now, it has thousands of parents who are willing to spend the money and make the commitment it takes to have even a remote shot at grabbing the brass ring. &ldquo;For sure we do, but at the same time, who knows, right?&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Who knows whether that exceptional athlete at six, seven or eight years old decides not to play hockey and do something else and excels in that area?&rdquo;</p><p>That would be a nightmare for Hockey Canada. But even if that happens, though, Canada will have enough who choose hockey to remain competitive, if not dominant, on the world stage in best-on-best competition for generations to come.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-01

GOLDEN YEARS

<div class="byline">BY JARED CLINTON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-0111/28958-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">DREW DOUGHTY <span class="photo-credit">(ALEXANDER NEMENO V/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon042.jpg" title="common04" width="190" height="163"><img src="mon052.jpg" title="common05" width="193" height="200"></div><p>FOR UP-TO -THE-MINUTE CO VERA GE, VISIT <b><a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a></b></p><p><b>The road to gold</b> at the World Cup runs through Canada, and not just because all the games are being played in Toronto.</p><p>Canada has been king of men&rsquo;s international play in recent years, winning consecutive titles at the 2015 and 2016 World Championships. The nation has also finished atop the podium the past two Olympics. Its roster entering this World Cup is stacked and devoid of weak points. In short, the host country remains the team to beat.</p><p>In the past, Canada valued chemistry nearly as much as talent when assembling its team. For example, the braintrust selected Chris Kunitz, then Sidney Crosby&rsquo;s Penguins linemate, to ride shotgun for &lsquo;The Kid&rsquo; at the 2014 Sochi Games. The familiarity between the two was an important factor.</p><p>The World Cup team resembles more of a fantasy draft roster, though. Three of the NHL&rsquo;s top-four scorers &ndash; Crosby, Jamie Benn (assuming he&rsquo;s healthy) and Joe Thornton &ndash; can take over games with their skill. Tyler Seguin, who scored nine goals in 10 games at the 2015 worlds, also stands out. Oh, and after you&rsquo;re done dealing with those threats, you&rsquo;ll have to handle Steven Stamkos and John Tavares.</p><p>That Patrice Bergeron, a twoway dynamo, will likely be relegated to third-line duty says a lot. He led the Bruins in scoring in 2015-16, but he&rsquo;s penciled in to play shutdown pivot for Canada. Expect Jonathan Toews to be deployed similarly.</p><p>The sheer amount of blueline talent will simplify life for Bergeron and Toews as defenseminded centers. Among the seven blueliners, are three Norris Trophies &ndash; two belonging to Duncan Keith and one to Drew Doughty &ndash; and another seven second- or third-place voting finishes. The backend boasts scoring, shutdown ability, physical play and big-game experience. Think about it this way: P.K. Subban didn&rsquo;t crack this blueline. That&rsquo;s how skilled it is.</p><p>The only real question for Canada is in goal, but not because it&rsquo;s a weakness. Normally, Carey Price would be a no-brainer to start. However, Price missed all but 12 games of 2015-16 with an MCL sprain. Before the injury, he was the best goaltender in the world, but how will he perform after nearly a year away from game action? Is he ready to handle full-time duty? If not, Canada will turn to either Braden Holtby or Corey Crawford. Neither is a bad option, but they&rsquo;re not MVPform Price.</p><p>Canada&rsquo;s biggest hurdle is living up to the expectations &ndash; a tournament victory &ndash; of the home crowd. It&rsquo;s up to this starstudded roster, and high-profile coaching staff helmed by Mike Babcock, to deliver. Based on recent history, don&rsquo;t bet against them.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-016/28951-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="790" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THE THREADS</b> It&rsquo;s the Summit Series meets the 21st century in a look that was inspired by the maple leaf. &ldquo;We talked a lot about the three coasts of Canada,&rdquo; said Adidas senior director, NHL, Keith Leach. &ldquo;Having the maple leaf on the uniform is a connection to the meeting of the three coasts.&rdquo;<span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: ADIDAS.COM; SEGUIN: MARTIN ROSE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>ROSTER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-024/28944-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="286" height="731"></div><p>IIHF WORLD RANKING 1st</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-033/28937-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="463" height="513"></div><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT PLAYER</b></h2><p>While Tyler seguin starred for Canada at the 2015 World Championship, leading the tournament with nine goals in 10 games, he has never been selected to represent his country in a best-on-best event. Until now. And it wouldn&rsquo;t be surprising to see him lead Canada in goal-scoring in his debut. Seguin&rsquo;s 107 tallies the past three seasons rank fifth in the NHL, and his rate of .48 goals per game over that span puts him behind only Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos.</p><h2><b>SCHEDULE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-043/28930-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="460" height="71"></div><p><i>All games played at Air Canada Centre, Toronto. All game times EST</i></p><h2><b>PREDICTION 1</b></h2><h3><b>X-FACTOR</b></h3><p>As funny as this might sound for a team that has three Vezina-calibre stoppers, goaltending could be an area of focus. It&rsquo;s Carey Price&rsquo;s net to lose, but he missed most of 2015-16 and will need to eliminate rust quickly. Will the fact Canada faces two of the projected weak links &ndash; Czechs and Europe &ndash; in its first three games be a blessing or a curse? Braden Holtby and Corey Crawford are stars, but they&rsquo;ll need some work, too, to be ready.</p><p>AVERAGE AGE <b>YEARS</b> 28.7</p><p>AVERAGE HEIGHT <b>FEET-INCHES</b> 6-2</p><p>AVERAGE WEIGHT <b>POUNDS</b> 207</p><p>AVERAGE NHL EXPERIENCE <b>GAMES PLAYED</b> 616<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-01

BLINDED BY THE STARS

<div class="byline">BY MIKE LOFTUS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-0111/29015-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-019/29008-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="520" height="481"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRAD MARCHAND<span class="photo-credit">(LEFT: JANA CHYTILOVA/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; RIGHT: ANNA SERGEEVA/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>t happens whenever</b> there&rsquo;s a selection process. Literally minutes after results are announced, the focus shifts from who made the cut to who didn&rsquo;t.</p><p>Such was the case March 2, when Team Canada released its 16-man preliminary roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Gasps were audible when the names of forwards such as Joe Thornton, Claude Giroux, Taylor Hall and Corey Perry didn&rsquo;t appear. Brad Marchand didn&rsquo;t make the cut, either. The Bruins left winger had 32 goals at the time &ndash; only Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane, neither one Canadian, had more &ndash; but Marchand&rsquo;s absence from Team Canada&rsquo;s preliminary, nine-forward list didn&rsquo;t cause much of a stir.</p><p>He noticed, naturally. He didn&rsquo;t complain. He also didn&rsquo;t concede. &ldquo;Look at the last Olympic team that won&rdquo; at Sochi in 2014, Marchand said. &ldquo;They were the majority of the guys on this (World Cup) team. Obviously, they were going to be named first. So I never got worked up about the original roster. I didn&rsquo;t expect to be on that. I know the situation. I&rsquo;m a pretty reasonable person. I know what kind of guy I am, what kind of player, and where I might fit in.&rdquo;</p><p>Marchand, 28, had things figured out pretty well. After he finished sixth in the NHL with 37 goals (second among Canadians to Jamie Benn&rsquo;s 41), then turned in a strong performance (four goals, seven points, plus-9 in 10 games) as Canada claimed gold at the World Championship in Russia, Marchand&rsquo;s name was on the final roster, ahead of the aforementioned Hall and Perry.</p><p>Where will Marchand fit in the lineup? It could be just about anywhere &ndash; which may be why he&rsquo;s on the team in the first place.</p><p>While the 37 goals in 2015-16 represent a career high, a similar total has always been attainable. Marchand potted 21 goals as a rookie in 2010-11 and added 11 more during Boston&rsquo;s Stanley Cup run that spring. He scored between 21 and 28 goals in each of his first five full NHL seasons, and he almost reached 20 in lockout-shortened 2012-13, too, with 18 in 45 games.</p><p>The consistency is admirable. That he has put up those numbers despite relatively little power play time is remarkable.</p><p>You can look it up: In his 21-goal rookie season, only two came on power plays, but five were scored shorthanded. Only one of his 25 goals in 2013-14 was scored on a power play. Five came shorthanded. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve just been in different situations,&rdquo; Marchand said. &ldquo;The power play can be the difference between hitting 30 and 25. If I&rsquo;d played more power play before this past season, I might have hit 30 for the last two or three years.&rdquo;</p><p>Marchand saw his most power play time since 2011-12 last season and responded with a career-high six goals in manadvantage situations. Subtract four shorthanded strikes and he scored a robust 27 even-strength goals. &ldquo;I think that could potentially be why (Team Canada) gave me an opportunity,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t have every player on the team playing power play &ndash; and I don&rsquo;t expect to play power play on this team. You also need penalty-killing guys and guys who are good 5-on-5.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon042.jpg" title="common04" width="190" height="163"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>ONE LITTLE THING CAN DIFFERENTIATE A GUY. MAYBE I&rsquo;M THERE BECAUSE I SCORE 5-ON-5 AND KILL PENALTIES</b> &ndash; Brad Marchand</blockquote><p>&ldquo;There might be just one little thing that differentiates one guy from another. Whatever the reason, it can be why one guy is on the team and another really great player isn&rsquo;t. Maybe I&rsquo;m there because I&rsquo;m able to score 5-on-5 and kill penalties.&rdquo;</p><p>Marchand credits his career year to off-season elbow surgery, another full season with center Patrice Bergeron (linemates since halfway through Marchand&rsquo;s rookie year. They&rsquo;re a potential World Cup combo, too), a focus on shooting more &ndash; his 250 shots in 2015-16 were 70 more than he&rsquo;d ever taken &ndash; and an ice time increase to a careerhigh 18:36. That last stat is more difficult for a player such as Marchand to achieve considering his penchant for getting into trouble. He reached 90 penalty minutes for the second consecutive season.</p><p>Upon being selected by Canada, Marchand said he&rsquo;d like to change some perceptions: &ldquo;I hope people may look more at the kind of player I am, other than just the stuff they&rsquo;ve seen in the past &ndash; the hits, being a pest, stuff like that. Maybe those people will realize I&rsquo;m an OK hockey player.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll do what I have to do to help the team win the World Cup,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If that means staying away from certain things, I won&rsquo;t do them. You don&rsquo;t want to put your team at a disadvantage.&rdquo;</p><p>It probably does mean that. Team Canada selected Marchand, after all, because he&rsquo;s &ldquo;an OK player,&rdquo; and he doesn&rsquo;t want to damage that reputation, or Canada&rsquo;s chances of winning. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m extremely fortunate to be on this team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very proud and honored and excited about the opportunity.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-01

BRAD MARCHAND

<div class="byline">BY JARED CLINTON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-0111/29072-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">NICKLAS BACKSTROM <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon062.jpg" title="common06" width="139" height="87"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon052.jpg" title="common05" width="193" height="200"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>t&rsquo;s hard to believe</b> it&rsquo;s been 10 years since Sweden dominated the hockey world. The Swedes captured Olympic and World Championship gold in 2006, but there&rsquo;s only been one first-place finish since, at the 2013 worlds. Don&rsquo;t be surprised to see them scale the summit in Toronto.</p><p>Sweden&rsquo;s roster is loaded with top-end talent. It starts in goal with Henrik Lundqvist, who&rsquo;s proven he can carry a club to dizzying heights. The last time Lundqvist suited up for the Tre Kro nor at a major event, the 2014 Games, he was their star, going 5-1 with a 1.50 goals-against average and .943 SP in six games as Sweden advanced to the gold medal match. On the downside, if Lundqvist falters, all bets are off. Backups Jacob Markstrom and Robin Lehner don&rsquo;t scream World Cup championship.</p><p>Nicklas Backstrom joins Lundqvist in the elite-level stratosphere. The slick center was forced out of Sweden&rsquo;s goldmedal game against Canada in Sochi because an allergy medication caused a positive drug test. That should give him added incentive to exact revenge. Backstrom&rsquo;s presence gives Sweden an answer to opponents&rsquo; top two-way centers.</p><p>The only soft spot up front are the depth players who may not be able to keep up with their most-skilled teammates. Marcus Kruger, for example, is a curious choice. He&rsquo;s a solid player, but doesn&rsquo;t come to mind when you&rsquo;re thinking best-on-best event. That&rsquo;s especially true when the likes of Gustav Nyquist, Rickard Rakell, Mikael Backlund and Mika Zibanejad will watch from home. Kruger&rsquo;s inclusion has more to do with killing penalties than anything, and he&rsquo;s a tremendous possession player. In that sense, it appears advanced statistics are starting to weigh in on international roster selections.</p><p>Sweden figures to be stout defensively, but valuing experience over skill could be regrettable if Niklas Kronwall can&rsquo;t keep up. The 35-year-old Detroit Red Wings blueliner showed signs of slowing over the course of 2015-16. When he&rsquo;s facing the world&rsquo;s best players, it&rsquo;s hard to fathom he&rsquo;ll be the Kronwall most remember from Detroit&rsquo;s glory years. His physical presence won&rsquo;t count for much if he&rsquo;s chasing the game, and the inclusion of Kronwall over blueliners such as John Klingberg and Hampus Lindholm could hurt.</p><p>The most troubling thing about Sweden&rsquo;s roster is team speed. Certain players &ndash; Erik Karlsson and Carl Hagelin, for instance &ndash; jump off the page as drag racers who can skate with the world&rsquo;s best. But overall, this team wouldn&rsquo;t win a track meet. They&rsquo;ll need to force the opposition to play their game, something they&rsquo;ve been adept at doing over the years.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-019/29065-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="790" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THE THREADS</b> The Tre Kronor three crowns &ndash; drawn from the joint power of monarchy, government and embassies &ndash; isn&rsquo;t going anywhere. But some detail has been added to the iconic symbol. &ldquo;That was a big win and something we were very excited about,&rdquo; said Adidas senior director of apparel Dom Fillion.<span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: ADIDAS.COM; HJALMARSSON: HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>ROSTER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-026/29058-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="286" height="730"></div><p>IIHF WORLD RANKING 5th</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-035/29051-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="490" height="478"></div><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT PLAYER</b></h2><p>niklas hjalmarsson of the Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; is one of the most underrated defenders in the league. There&rsquo;s not much flash to his game, but few defensemen are as reliable in their own end as Hjalmarsson, who will be asked to play a shutdown role for the Tre Kronor. Only nine defensemen skated more shorthanded minutes than Hjalmarsson in 2015-16. And his plus-64 in the four seasons since the lockout ranks No. 3 league-wide among defensemen.</p><h2><b>SCHEDULE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-043/29044-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="460" height="71"></div><p><i>All games played at Air Canada Centre, Toronto. All game times EST</i></p><h2><b>PREDICTION 2</b></h2><h3><b>X-FACTOR</b></h3><p>In terms of speed and skill, the Swedish blueline is stacked. Erik Karlsson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, in particular, are offensive thoroughbreds on the back end who bring a frightening dimension to an already powerful team. Victor Hedman is also a Norris Trophy threat who can control the game at both ends of the ice. If this crew decides to jump into the rush frequently, they could overwhelm even the best defensive units.</p><p>average age <b>years</b> 28.7</p><p>average height <b>feet-inches</b> 6-1</p><p>average weight <b>pounds</b> 200</p><p>average nhl experience <b>games played</b> 517<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-01

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY?

<div class="byline">BY SARAH MCLELLAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0111/29129-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-0110/29122-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="520" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body">OLIVER EKMAN-LARSSON<span class="photo-credit">(LEFT: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHL I VIA GETTY IMAGES; RIG HT: MATEJ DIVIZNA/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>lthough optimism is</b> emerging, the past few years of hockey in Arizona have been mostly miserable. Coyotes fans have witnessed frustrating losses, crippling injuries and unfulfilled expectations resulting in four consecutive seasons outside the playoffs.</p><p>It could have been much worse if not for defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. &ldquo;His skill set speaks for itself, but his maturity as a person and as a leader continues to grow,&rdquo; said Coyotes coach Dave Tippett. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a big part of why he&rsquo;s a great player and such an important player on our team.&rdquo;</p><p>While Ekman-Larsson may not boast a league-wide profile like some of his peers on defense, he is considered a superstar in Arizona. If he performs as advertised at the World Cup on Sweden&rsquo;s blueline, the rest of the hockey world will begin to recognize him as that, too. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s kind of under-the-radar, and I think he enjoys that to a certain degree,&rdquo; said Coyotes captain Shane Doan. &ldquo;But he&rsquo;s not going to stay there for very long.&rdquo;</p><p>Last season, Ekman-Larsson posted career highs in assists (34) and points (55) while ranking seventh among defensemen in points. He tied for second in goals with 21. He was especially effective on the power play, where he organizes the action from the blueline. Among defensemen, he finished tied for second in power play points (27) and goals (12). He also made NHL history by establishing a record for most game-winning goals in a season by a defenseman with eight. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s our best player, and if you&rsquo;re the best player, there&rsquo;s an expectation that comes with that,&rdquo; Doan said. &ldquo;He hasn&rsquo;t gotten even half of the recognition from the national media that he could. Yet at the same time, he still keeps doing what he&rsquo;s doing. It&rsquo;s impossible to ignore him.&rdquo;</p><p>This ascension to the realm of elite defensemen &ndash; 2016-17 will be Ekman-Larsson&rsquo;s sixth full season &ndash; has been accompanied by an in-house transformation into a face of the franchise.</p><p>After the team triggered a rebuild in 2015 by subtracting key pieces such as Keith Yandle, Antoine Vermette and Zbynek Michalek, Ekman-Larsson, 25, emerged with an &lsquo;A&rsquo; sewn on his sweater.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still the same guy, but I&rsquo;m a little bit older now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been in the league for six years. Obviously, everything was new to me when I got over and had to watch and learn a little bit. But I&rsquo;m feeling more comfortable around the league and my teammates and the city. That helps a lot.&rdquo;</p><p>As an alternate captain, Ekman-Larsson &ndash; who&rsquo;s often referred to by his initials &lsquo;OEL&rsquo; &ndash; has embraced the spotlight as an ambassador for the Coyotes. He&rsquo;s active on social media, and not only does he use the platform to stay connected with family and friends back home, but he shares snapshots of his life with fans.</p><p>Around his teammates, he appears to be just as comfortable and open. He&rsquo;s not even picky about the music blasted in the locker room, although Swedish House Mafia is popular on his personal playlist. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great guy that everybody loves, and (he) enjoys the game,&rdquo; Doan said. &ldquo;He just has fun with it, and having fun with the game is huge, because everyone else around you feeds off that. People feed off his enthusiasm for the game. To watch him come in the dressing room and kind of tease guys and have fun with guys, he has that personality that people like.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon062.jpg" title="common06" width="139" height="87"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>HE HASN&rsquo;T GOTTEN EVEN HALF THE RECOGNITION FROM THE NATIONAL MEDIA THAT HE COULD</b> &ndash; Coyotes teammate Shane Doan</blockquote><p>During his off-season, Ekman-Larsson went home, and although he enjoyed some down time &ndash; he travelled to France to watch Sweden&rsquo;s national soccer team play in UEFA Euro 2016 &ndash; he also went to work. Bulking up was on his to-do list as he aims to become a better defender in his own zone, improvement that will likely come in time. &ldquo;In that position, playing defense, experience is something that you can never have enough of,&rdquo; Tippett said. &ldquo;Getting the experience in all situations is something he&rsquo;s just grabbed onto and he&rsquo;s ran with.&rdquo;</p><p>Starring for Sweden at the World Cup could be another one of those coming-of-age moments for Ekman-Larsson.</p><p>And a standout performance that many have come to expect from Arizona&rsquo;s No.1 defenseman would certainly help him make the tournament a lasting memory. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always a big honor to represent your country, and I&rsquo;m looking forward to it,&rdquo; Ekman-Larsson said. &ldquo;we have a good chance to win it and make it even more special.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-01

OLIVER EKMAN-LARSSON

<div class="byline">BY JARED CLINTON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-026/29186-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PEKKA RINNE <span class="photo-credit">(MATEJ DIVIZNA/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0111/29200-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="170" height="210"><img src="mon052.jpg" title="common05" width="193" height="200"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span>ike the geeky</b> kid in public school who grows to be a captain of industry, Finland is building towards sustained excellence. In fact, it&rsquo;s probably already there. Following its silver-medal performance at the 2016 World Championship, the country of close to 5.5-million people now sits third on the International Ice Hockey Federation&rsquo;s ranking of nations.</p><p>What makes the Finns&rsquo; success at the 2016 worlds more impressive is 14 of that side&rsquo;s players have been swapped out for more established NHLers. In other words, this new team is rife with upgrades. That starts in goal, where Tuukka Rask and Pekka Rinne unseat KHL standout Mikko Koskinen, the man who shone for Finland at the worlds. Both of the NHL stars are capable of stealing games, and doing it consistently.</p><p>While the Finns don&rsquo;t boast much high-end offensive talent &ndash; their top NHL scorer last season is Jussi Jokinen who finished 43rd overall with 60 points &ndash; they have a balanced attack.</p><p>And it would be foolish to overlook their young studs. Sebastian Aho and Patrik Laine may be imminent NHL rookies, but both are expected to challenge for the Calder Trophy in 2016-17. They&rsquo;ll have experienced pivots to feed, nurture and help them grow as the tournament progresses. Don&rsquo;t be surprised if they make some of the world&rsquo;s top goaltenders and defenders ill-at-ease.</p><p>Finland&rsquo;s calling card, though, is hard-nosed, two-way play that grinds out wins. From reliable centers such as Mikko Koivu, to savvy penalty killers such as Erik Haula, they possess underrated role players who can make a difference. And if games become physical, the Finns fit right in; they won&rsquo;t be intimidated.</p><p>Having defense-minded forwards is important, too, because Finland&rsquo;s stable of blueliners isn&rsquo;t as star-studded or as experienced as the other top medal contenders. The average age of their defensemen is 24, and the longest-tenured NHL blueliners are Rasmus Ristolainen and Sami Vatanen. Both have played 194 games in the NHL. On average, the club&rsquo;s defensemen have played 120 games in the world&rsquo;s top league. By comparison, Canada&rsquo;s blueliners average 641 games played.</p><p>How Finland&rsquo;s coaching factors into their performance in Toronto will be interesting to watch. Lauri Marjamaki is the 39-year-old &ldquo;phenom&rdquo; in charge, the man who helped cultivate San Jose&rsquo;s Joonas Donskoi into a high-impact player. He&rsquo;s considered something of a rising star, and that could be the deciding factor for a national team program that leans on work ethic, goaltending and total team buyin to elevate it to championship heights.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0110/29179-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="790" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THE THREADS</b> Finland is wearing two distinctly different jerseys in the World Cup. Its white jerseys bear the nation&rsquo;s coat of arms; its blues feature an emboldened version of the word &ldquo;Suomi.&rdquo; Blue and white are the nation&rsquo;s colors; blue, emblematic of Finland&rsquo;s many rivers and lakes and white representing snow.<span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: ADIDAS.COM; BARKOV: XAVIER LAINE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-025/29172-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="284" height="730"></div><p>IIHF WORLD RANKING 3RD</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-033/29165-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="581" height="516"></div><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT PLAYER</b></h2><p>With the retirements of legends Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu, Finland is seeking a new star to be the face of their international club. Most of the hype surrounds Patrik Laine, but Aleksander barkov is making a case for himself. Barkov, runner-up to Anze Kopitar for the 2016 Lady Byng Award, has the highest points per game among Finnish players over the past two seasons (0.69). That puts him ahead of Mikko Koivu (0.64) and Jussi Jokinen (0.64).</p><h2><b>SCHEDULE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-043/29158-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="460" height="73"></div><p><i>All games played at Air Canada Centre, Toronto. All game times EST</i></p><h2><b>PREDICTION 3</b></h2><h3><b>X-FACTOR</b></h3><p>Finland is able to roll four lines and it could be their vastly underrated bottom-six that makes the difference. Opponents will have to expend much of their energy slowing down a top-six that includes Aleksander Barkov and rookies Sebastian Aho and Patrik Laine. Jori Lehtera, Teuvo Teravainen and Mikko Koivu are serious scoring threats down the lineup, and they&rsquo;ll get favorable match-ups against bottom defense pairings.</p><p>average age <b>years</b> 25.9</p><p>average height <b>feet-inches</b> 6-1</p><p>average weight <b>pounds</b> 199</p><p>average nhl experience <b>games played</b> 244<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-02

DIGGING FOR GOLD

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0110/29243-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-0110/29236-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="520" height="606"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>LEFT: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; RIGH T: MATEJ DIVIZNA/GETTY IMAGES</p><p>LEO KOMAROV</p></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>ake a close</b> look at Leo Komarov when he suits up for Finland at the World Cup. It may be the last time you see him playing in an international event.</p><p>Although he is only 29, Komarov has just about had his fill of playing on the world stage. &ldquo;It has been a big part of my life to represent my country,&rdquo; Komarov said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a small country, so we almost always have the same players every year. I am getting older, so I&rsquo;m probably not going to play those games that much anymore. But, yeah, the World Cup is obviously going to be a big one. But I&rsquo;m not enjoying it as much as I used to when I was younger.&rdquo;</p><p>Komarov has represented Finland many times internationally, winning a bronze medal at the World Junior Championship in 2006, a gold in 2011 and silvers in 2014 and 2016 at the World Championship and a bronze at the 2014 Winter Olympics.</p><p>The NHL&rsquo;s first Estonian-born player, Komarov speaks four languages: Finnish, Swedish, Russian and English. Asked what language he thinks in, Komarov paused for a few seconds before responding. &ldquo;That is a good question,&rdquo; Komarov said. &ldquo;It depends a little bit on what country I am in. Right now it&rsquo;s a lot of Finnish, but even last year when I was playing in Canada, when I am talking to the boys, I&rsquo;m thinking a little bit in English. It depends on the situation you are in.&rdquo;</p><p>With Phil Kessel&rsquo;s departure prior to last season, Komarov&rsquo;s role in Toronto grew from thirdline grinder and checker to firstline scorer. Arguably miscast as a top-line skater, Komarov nevertheless finished second behind P-A Parenteau for the team lead in goals with 19. Komarov&rsquo;s chances of remaining on Toronto&rsquo;s first line in 2016-17 are remote as the organization attempts to allocate more responsibility to its young, more skilled forwards, such as Auston Matthews, William Nylander and possibly Mitch Marner, among others. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see what kind of team we&rsquo;re going to have, and I can play whatever,&rdquo; Komarov said. &ldquo;I just want to be part of the team, and we&rsquo;ll see how it&rsquo;s going to end up.&rdquo;</p><p>Komarov is multi-talented. While best known as a take-noprisoners grinder who is hard on the forecheck, he likes to drive the puck to the net and can finish in the right circumstances. He was particularly good last season when he played on a line with left winger James van Riemsdyk. When van Riemsdyk went down with a broken foot, however, Komarov&rsquo;s production also went down.</p><p>Still, Komarov played well enough to represent the Maple Leafs in the All-Star Game. Asked to describe himself as a player, Komarov paused once again before offering, &ldquo;Uh, I don&rsquo;t really like to talk about myself, but I would say I&rsquo;m tough to play against.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s for sure. Komarov always finishes his checks and doesn&rsquo;t pick his spots. He hits everything he sees with an equal amount of reckless abandon. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always nice to score goals,&rdquo; Komarov said. &ldquo;But my first thing is to help my team win the games. I think I play the same way every year, but last year the puck was bouncing in a little bit more and I got more ice time, obviously. I&rsquo;m not really changing anything. I just need to go in front of the net and hope the puck hits me somewhere.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-026/29229-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="93" height="115"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>I JUST NEED TO GO IN FRONT OF THE NET AND HOPE THE PUCK HITS ME SOMEWHERE</b> &ndash; Leo Komarov</blockquote><p>The Maple Leafs, in the past two years, have been busy moving out veterans on big contracts and replacing them with youth and skill. Also, GM Lou Lamoriello just acquired a bona fide starting goalie in Frederik Andersen, and Komarov believes that deal, along with the addition of first-overall draft pick Matthews, gives Toronto a fighting chance of making the playoffs for the first time since 2012-13. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a really good coach (Mike Babcock) and a younger team,&rdquo; Komarov said. &ldquo;Matthews is a great player, so we just need to support him and give him time to be a great leader and player.&rdquo;</p><p>Before Komarov returns to duty with the Maple Leafs, there is that little matter of the World Cup. He believes Finland has what it takes to be successful in Toronto. &ldquo;We have a really good chance,&rdquo; Komarov said. &ldquo;It is going to be the best players in the world, and we are in a hard group with Sweden, Russia and the North Americans, so it will be really hard.</p><p>&ldquo;But it&rsquo;s only a (short tournament), so you never know what will happen.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-01

LEO KOMAROV

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-028/29300-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PATRICK KANE <span class="photo-credit">(MARTIN ROSE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-0111/29314-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="176" height="209"><img src="mon052.jpg" title="common05" width="193" height="200"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>eam USA courted</b> controversy immediately when Detroit&rsquo;s Justin Abdelkader was announced as one of the first 16 players on the roster. But GM Dean Lombardi wasn&rsquo;t done there, adding Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan (who later pulled out due to injury) to the team with two of the final spots. That meant big-time talents such as Tyler Johnson and Phil Kessel were left at home in favor of guys who can grind and crash around the boards. Not coincidentally, truc ulence collector Brian Burke is a senior advisor with the team.</p><p>Will the gambit pay off? The logic, as Lombardi said, was to construct a team that could beat Canada and one in which every player knew his role immediately. Defeating Canada is still a tall order and the bigger fear is the potential semifinal date with a skilled team from Group B.</p><p>The American defense may also be in for a rude awakening, since top talents Seth Jones and Shayne Gostisbehere were pledged to Team North America. In their stead are Jack Johnson and Erik Johnson, who will likely be targeted as marks by skilled players from other teams. That puts the onus on elite blueliners such as Ryan McDonagh and John Carlson to leap to the rescue if things get chaotic.</p><p>On the positive side, the Americans are blessed with a huge dollop of talent up front, led by Patrick Kane, Joe Pavelski and Blake Wheeler. The team has great size and if they can convince other squads to get into physical battles, they&rsquo;ll have an advantage on most occasions. And when you have Jonathan Quick in net (or Ben Bishop or Cory Schneider), your team always has a chance to win. So the Americans may not play the prettiest hockey in the world &ndash; and with John Tortorella as coach, that&rsquo;s practically a guarantee &ndash; but they will be a dangerous squad to meet.</p><p>But there is another caveat on this roster: age. Many of the Americans are over 30 and hockey is increasingly a young man&rsquo;s game. The tournament necessitates a short summer and for those who battled long into the playoffs (David Backes, for example), the hill becomes even steeper to climb. Will speedy opponents expose the older players, or will that be saved for later on in the NHL season? For Team USA&rsquo;s sake, the hope is that the veterans mapped out a summer that allowed their bodies to heal, while still maintaining a conditioning routine allowing them to return to regular season form about a month earlier than usual.</p><p>At the least, the Americans will benefit from games against the Czechs and Team Europe in the round-robin. They are guaranteed one match against the Canadians and they&rsquo;ll have to make it count, because the competition in the crossover means they might only get one shot.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-019/29293-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="790" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THE THREADS</b> The United States has gone with many different looks over the years. This time, it&rsquo;s another new design, in a traditional motif. Adidas senior director of apparel Dom Fillion said they like the cleaner, simplified visual. &ldquo;It was very American to us, without having to add the stars and stripes,&rdquo; he said.<span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: ADIDAS.COM; BYFUGLIEN: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>ROSTER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-027/29286-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="286" height="731"></div><p>IIHF WORLD RANKING 4th</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-035/29279-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="441" height="500"></div><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT PLAYER</b></h2><p>Nobody on Team USA&rsquo;s World Cup roster has more game-changing ability than dustin byfuglien, yet, somehow, he&rsquo;s the only member of the squad making his international debut for the red, white and blue. Byfuglien can control games with his physical presence, booming slapshot and sound defensive play. On a blueline that has some high-end skill, Byfuglien topped the crew in scoring last season with 19 goals and 53 points for the Jets.</p><h2><b>SCHEDULE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-045/29272-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="460" height="72"></div><p><i>All games played at Air Canada Centre, Toronto. All game times EST</i></p><h2><b>PREDICTION 4</b></h2><h3><b>X-FACTOR</b></h3><p>In Ben Bishop, Jonathan Quick and Cory Schneider, the U.S. has three of the best goalies on the planet. The trio finished 2-3-6 in Vezina voting in 2015-16, and each is capable of carrying a team and stealing wins consistently. Expect that to come into play for a squad that left three of its top 10 scorers from the past two seasons &ndash; Phil Kessel, Kyle Okposo and Nick Foligno &ndash; at home in favor of more grit and defensive responsibility.</p><p>average age <b>years</b> 29.0</p><p>average height <b>FEET-inches</b> 6-2</p><p>average weight <b>pounds</b> 210</p><p>average nhl experience <b>games played</b> 552<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-02

RUNNING DOWN A DREAM TEAM

<div class="byline">BY TIM CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-0111/29357-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-019/29350-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="520" height="627"><figcaption class="caption-body">BLAKE WHEELER<span class="photo-credit">(LEFT: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHL I VIA GETTY IMAGES; RIG HT: MARTIN ROSE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Those set in</b> their opinions and unwilling to rethink perceptions will have missed the boat on Blake Wheeler.</p><p>Not Team USA, not this time. They named the soon-to-be 30-year-old Minnesota-born right winger to their World Cup roster in the first round of selections in March. Wheeler enters the tournament riding a wave. He became nearly a point-pergame player in 2015-16, finishing tied for sixth in NHL scoring with 78 points, and assumed a more prominent role as an allsituation, go-to guy inside the Jets&rsquo; dressing room.</p><p>In 2014, the speedy winger had only a bit part for his country at the Olympics, something Team USA&rsquo;s braintrust regrets. &ldquo;We think we made a mistake not using Blake more in Sochi,&rdquo; said Brian Burke, senior advisor for Team USA for the World Cup. &ldquo;This is a big-body guy with real good foot speed who plays hard and forechecks aggressively. His game has really taken off.</p><p>&ldquo;It looks like he had a good talk with himself or changed his training methods or started doing yoga or something, but there was a change. He had a much higher compete level. It was almost like, &lsquo;Hey, this guy went to Lourdes and bathed in the holy water.&rsquo; It was marked, noticeable change.&rdquo;</p><p>Wheeler said his game and stats are products of opportunity, playing first-line minutes since he was traded by Boston to Atlanta in 2011, then relocated to Winnipeg. He had remarkable chemistry with long-time linemates Bryan Little and Andrew Ladd and recently Mark Scheifele.</p><p>Upon reflection, Wheeler is disappointed in his early NHL days. &ldquo;I never felt like I was myself in Boston,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think the way I played, there was a lot of tentativeness in my game, not sure and not confident in what I was doing.&rdquo;</p><p>Thrashers coach at the time Craig Ramsay receives some of the credit for the course correction. &ldquo;He said, &lsquo;Look, whether you&rsquo;re good or you&rsquo;re terrible, you&rsquo;re going to play 20 minutes a night,&rsquo; and that was all I needed to hear to regain that confidence in myself,&rdquo; Wheeler said.</p><p>Gradually, Wheeler&rsquo;s strong personality emerged in Winnipeg. You won&rsquo;t find him dodging questions or shying from the truth, and didn&rsquo;t even before Jets captain Ladd was traded at last February&rsquo;s deadline. &ldquo;This is me, what you&rsquo;ve seen in the last few years,&rdquo; Wheeler said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m pretty intense. I take what I do pretty seriously. That bleeds over into some of my comments after games. It&rsquo;s hard to separate it; I wear my heart on my sleeve.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not who I am as a person, it&rsquo;s who I am as a player&hellip; that&rsquo;s the level I need to get to, to be the player I want to be. I can&rsquo;t turn that off and still expect to get the results I&rsquo;m looking for.&rdquo;</p><p>Wheeler said the focus of his next growth spurt &ndash; and it could be an important one given he&rsquo;s the frontrunner to be the new Jets&rsquo; captain &ndash; may be managing that passion just a bit better.</p><p>But he won&rsquo;t clam up.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-026/29343-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="101" height="121"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>IT WAS ALMOST LIKE &lsquo;HEY, THIS GUY WENT TO LOURDES AND BATHED IN THE HOLY WATER&rsquo;</b> &ndash; Team USA senior advisor Brian Burke</blockquote><p>&ldquo;My biggest thing is that I&rsquo;m a big fan of and listen to a lot sports radio, talk radio,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I love that. My biggest pet peeve is when athletes get in front of a microphone and start giving you generic stuff. I can&rsquo;t stand it. I never want to be that guy, spilling cliches and bouncing around questions. Sometimes I say things that are a bit too truthful and I get home and tell Sam my wife that I probably should have held my tongue there.&rdquo;</p><p>Away from the rink, Wheeler&rsquo;s passion is different. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s where my two phases come out,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When I step into the building, I take it seriously. I&rsquo;m passionate about it, I love it and I&rsquo;m not really somebody that&rsquo;s going to be there to have a good time. If you want to have fun, well, winners have fun. That&rsquo;s my reality, whether good or bad.</p><p>&ldquo;Outside of the rink, most of my friends would probably say the opposite, that I&rsquo;m pretty laidback and easy-going and pretty easy to have a good time with.&rdquo;</p><p>Wheeler&rsquo;s family (son Louie will soon be 4, daughter Leni is 1) is his refuge. This off-season, Louie began gravitating towards one of his dad&rsquo;s other pursuits, golf.</p><p>&ldquo;My son is already obsessed with it,&rdquo; Wheeler said. &ldquo;We live right by the golf course (in Florida in the off-season) and he&rsquo;s asking me to take him to the driving range again today. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s awesome.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-01

BLAKE WHEELER

<div class="byline">BY RANDY SPORTAK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0111/29471-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0110/29464-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="520" height="522"><figcaption class="caption-body">JOHNNY GAUDREAU <span class="photo-credit">(BOTH: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>ure, it&rsquo;s a</b> whale of a prank. Some would even describe it as nasty and cruel. That doesn&rsquo;t mean it isn&rsquo;t funny. Not to those who know Calgary Flames&rsquo; diminutive star Johnny Gaudreau.</p><p>For as much as he is a clutch performer before the watchful eyes and bright lights of NHL arenas &ndash; just think of the shootout goals and timely tallies, especially the one that tied Game 3 of Calgary&rsquo;s 2015 playoff series against Anaheim with 19 seconds remaining &ndash; and has a laid-back, just-wanna-have-fun nature, Gaudreau doesn&rsquo;t fare so well under the spotlight in more intimate settings.</p><p>Having that intelligence, his buddies have been known to pull out an iPhone when Gaudreau steps up to the tee on the golf course. You don&rsquo;t have to actually start the camera, just tell him you&rsquo;re going to record video for friends, family and maybe Twitter. Joe Colborne, the ex-Flame who signed with Colorado this summer, said it works every time. &ldquo;I guarantee he&rsquo;ll dunk it in the water or put it in the woods or only 15 yards off the tee. It&rsquo;s hilarious,&rdquo; Colborne said, laughing. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not the perfect athlete he appears to be on the ice.&rdquo;</p><p>Guilty as charged, admitted Gaudreau. In just a few pro seasons, Gaudreau has provided all kinds of jaw-dropping, &ldquo;didyou-see-that?&rdquo; moments and shown he wants the puck when the game is on the line. But when he&rsquo;s outside a rink, that confidence disappears quicker than when one of his seeing-eye passes reaches a teammate&rsquo;s stick and nets a tap-in goal. &ldquo;I play a lot of soccer and the same thing happens. Someone puts a camera on me and I&rsquo;ll kick it way over the net,&rdquo; Gaudreau said. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s all fun and games.&rdquo;</p><p>Despite the verbal bombs that hound Gaudreau &ndash; having housed him for a few months during Gaudreau&rsquo;s rookie season, Colborne confirmed the stories about his famous friend&rsquo;s cleaning skills (&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t know how to use a washer and dryer&rdquo;) or dining habits (&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like he&rsquo;s got some fear of greens&rdquo;) &ndash; he is a beloved teammate.</p><p>That has something to do with Gaudreau&rsquo;s friendly, sometimes goofy nature, and a whole lot to do with his ability to shine most brightly in critical situations. He is able to block out white noise and focus intently on the task at hand. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got that drive that if the game&rsquo;s on the line, he wants to be that guy, and that&rsquo;s what makes him so successful,&rdquo; Colborne said.</p><p>Gaudreau, who&rsquo;ll be 23 when the World Cup begins, is also driven to excel by critics. Tell him he&rsquo;s not capable of a feat and it&rsquo;s like pouring gasoline on a smoldering fire. Remember those questions about his stature while he tore up the NCAA for Boston College? It turns out, his 5-foot-9, 157-pound frame isn&rsquo;t an issue after all. Gaudreau netted 24 goals and 64 points in his rookie NHL season, finishing third in a tight Calder Trophy vote. Still, the naysayers projected a sophomore slump in 2015-16 considering the league had gotten to know him and could game plan accordingly. That didn&rsquo;t happen. Gaudreau elevated his offensive output, recording 30 goals and 78 points, tied for sixth in NHL scoring. Take that. &ldquo;It gives me a way to prove people wrong,&rdquo; Gaudreau said. &ldquo;I kind of feed off all that negativity.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-027/29457-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="135" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>IT GIVES ME A WAY TO PROVE PEOPLE WRONG. I KIND OF FEED OFF ALL THAT NEGATIVITY</b> &ndash; Johnny Gaudreau</blockquote><p>Maybe that David vs. Goliath attitude will surface at the World Cup. The event&rsquo;s experimental format has generated mixed reviews, particularly the inclusion of the 23-and-under North American squad that Gaudreau is representing. He&rsquo;ll be counted on &ndash; likely skating on a line with Flames&rsquo; teammate Sean Monahan &ndash; to play a lead role on the team built with young players from the U.S. and Canada.</p><p>Critics believe the rising stars will be out of their depth and lack the motivation that comes with national pride. Some wonder how they&rsquo;ll react playing against their home and native lands. It&rsquo;s a question that has crossed Gaudreau&rsquo;s mind. &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be hard to try to beat your own country, so it&rsquo;s a unique situation,&rdquo; Gaudreau admitted, &ldquo;but I think we have to embrace it and enjoy it. We&rsquo;ll be a good team because we have a lot of young guys.&rdquo;</p><p>And there&rsquo;s nothing like youthful enthusiasm to get the good times rolling and stimulate the bonding process. As much as Gaudreau gets needled for his off-ice foibles, he can serve the torment, too, especially while playing Call of Duty or hockey on the old PlayStation. He tends to pick on Mohahan, running up the score, or plays without a goalie to strengthen the burn. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty frustrating to lose to him and hear him chirp at me,&rdquo; Monahan said.</p><p>Call it payback. It&rsquo;s a Johnny Gaudreau special.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-01

JOHNNY GAUDREAU

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-026/29528-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">VLADIMIR TARASENKO <span class="photo-credit">(STREETER LECKA /GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0110/29542-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="160" height="210"><img src="mon052.jpg" title="common05" width="193" height="200"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>ho says the</b> Cold War is over? Long before the World Cup began, the Russians made noise by including Slava Voynov on their roster. Voynov, who pleaded no contest to a domestic assault charge in 2015, is under suspension from the NHL, and the league vetoed his inclusion.</p><p>Looking at Russia&rsquo;s D-corps, trying to bring Voynov back to North America was about much more than politics and saberrattling. The Russians will live and die by their blueline. With Voynov out, their best defenders are Alexei Emelin and Dmitry Kulikov &ndash; unless Andrei Markov pulls off a stunner and reverses the effects of aging. Otherwise, there are a lot of green soldiers, such as Detroit&rsquo;s Alexey Marchenko, Tampa&rsquo;s Nikita Nesterov and Toronto&rsquo;s Nikita Zaitsev. The trio has a combined 164 games of NHL experience.</p><p>There is also the stubborn matter of including KHLers on the roster. Not that World Cup organizers care, but these players are below NHL caliber and often struggle when confronted by the elite NHLers (Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews, for example) who play in this type of short event. While the Russians have faith in them based on their KHL play, where will they hide them on the ice in Toronto?</p><p>The Russians selected three such forwards. Elsewhere up front, the picture is far rosier. Vladimir Tarasenko is in his prime, Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin are still all-world, and more help is ascending from the kids. Just think of a team that counts Artemi Panarin, Nikita Kucherov and Evgeni Kuznetsov as second- or third-liners and you&rsquo;ll understand how ridiculous the Russian attack is. Most importantly, this looks like a group that could gel nicely, assuming they row in the same direction. Neither Ilya Kovalchuk nor Alex Radulov made the cut, so the personality conflicts will be kept to a minimum. And no doubt there will be a great push to bring glory to Pavel Datsyuk, whose NHL career is done. How fun would it be for him to bring a title back to Russia with him?</p><p>In Oleg Znarok, the team has a bench boss who has been named KHL coach of the year multiple times &ndash; and longevity is difficult in that league. He has also helmed the past three Russian squads at the worlds, medalling each time (though the returns have been diminishing).</p><p>In goal, Znarok will face tough decisions. Sergei Bobrovsky played well at the most recent worlds, but Semyon Varlamov is just as capable. To complicate matters, young buck Andrei Vasilevskiy proved himself ready after taking over for an injured Ben Bishop during Tampa Bay&rsquo;s run to the Eastern Conference final this past season. It&rsquo;s a good problem to have, but Znarok must choose wisely.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0110/29521-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="790" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THE THREADS</b> Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has based its look around an ancient coat of arms, and it feels strongly about maintaining that consistency. &ldquo;We worked closely with them on making sure we executed that vision,&rdquo; said Adidas senior director of apparel Dom Fillion.<span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: ADIDAS.COM; DATSYUK: ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>ROSTER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-028/29514-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg" title="f0047-02" width="295" height="731"></div><p>IIHF WORLD RANKING 2nd</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-037/29507-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="562" height="514"></div><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT PLAYER</b></h2><p>This is likely to be the last hurrah for pavel datsyuk on North American soil, and the World Cup is certain to have fans wishing he would have hung on for one last season in Detroit. Datsyuk has always been a brilliant two-way player, but he had the best international tournament of his career at the 2016 World Championship, tallying one goal and 11 points. Playing alongside many of the same players in Toronto, Datsyuk is poised for a terrific swan song.</p><h2><b>SCHEDULE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-046/29500-1-eng-US/f0047-042.jpg" title="f0047-04" width="460" height="74"></div><p><i>All games played at Air Canada Centre, Toronto. All game times EST</i></p><h2><b>PREDICTION 6</b></h2><h3><b>X-FACTOR</b></h3><p>The World Cup won&rsquo;t be called as tightly as an IIHF tournament, but opposing teams should be on their best behavior against Russia. Alex Ovechkin as the power play triggerman is frightening enough, but there are six players on the squad who scored eight-plus power play goals in 2015-16. Ovechkin (19), Vladimir Tarasenko (12) and Evgeni Malkin (11) each finished in double digits. It&rsquo;s a lethal dynamic that could blow games wide open.</p><p>AVERAGE AGE 27.0 years</p><p>AVERAGE HEIGHT 6-1 feet-inches</p><p>AVERAGE WEIGHT 200 pounds</p><p>AVERAGE WEIGHT 309 GAMES PLAYED<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-02

RELYING ON A GREEN BLUELINE

<div class="byline">BY ERIK ERLENDSSON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0048-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0111/29585-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0110/29578-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="520" height="475"><figcaption class="caption-body">NIKITA KUCHEROV<span class="photo-credit">(LEFT: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; RIGH T: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he roster for</b> Russia at the World Cup shows plenty of bigname stars, but it just might be Nikita Kucherov, the quiet kid from Moscow, who makes the most noise for one of hockey&rsquo;s greatest powers.</p><p>Kucherov, only 23, is a rising star, but he&rsquo;s overshadowed by a list of Russian superstars that includes Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk and Vladimir Tarasenko.</p><p>Though not a household name, Kucherov has quickly established himself as a game breaker, scoring 59 goals the past two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In his past two post-seasons, he has also proven to be a clutch performer, becoming just the third player in league history to score 10 or more playoff goals in multiple post-seasons before the age of 23, joining Jeremy Roenick and Malkin.</p><p>Kucherov already has two overtime playoff goals and, in the 2016 post-season, he recorded three third-period tying goals, all coming in games Tampa Bay won in overtime. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s becoming a go-to guy for us,&rsquo;&rsquo; said Lightning GM Steve Yzerman. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a scorer, he&rsquo;s a playmaker, very good defensively, a hard worker. He&rsquo;s very determined to be an elite hockey player and a complete hockey player.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Being an all-around player didn&rsquo;t suit Kucherov early in his career when it was all about putting the puck in the back of the net. &ldquo;I never played (defense),&rdquo; Kucherov said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know how to play defense. As a kid, we had a team, and we were the best. We never played in our zone. I was with (Lightning draft pick) Nikita Gusev, and we played together for 12 years, and we didn&rsquo;t have to play in the D-zone.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Goals &ndash; that&rsquo;s how Kucherov measured his game. At the under-18 World Championship he set a tournament record with 11 of them in seven games as Russia won the bronze medal.</p><p>It was that offensive skill that placed him among the top prospects in the 2011 draft pool. Kucherov had first-round skill but fell to 58th because of questions about his all-around game.</p><p>Any lingering doubts about Kucherov&rsquo;s commitment travelled with him across the Atlantic when he arrived in the QMJHL with the Quebec Remparts before being dealt to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Right away Kucherov understood he needed to alter his approach. &ldquo;He liked to score goals,&rsquo;&rsquo; said Lightning director of player development Stacy Roest. &ldquo;But credit to &lsquo;Kuch.&rsquo; He&rsquo;s one of those guys that you tell him what to do and he&rsquo;ll do it.&rdquo;</p><p>Once Kucherov sets his mind to something, he invariably follows through. That intense commitment, focus and creative flair on the ice belies the shy, quiet off-ice personality of the 5-foot-11 winger. But his stoicism shouldn&rsquo;t be mistaken for complacency or apathy. The fire to improve burns fiercely.</p><p>Case in point: Kucherov endured a rocky rookie season in 2013-14, showing flashes of brilliance but not consistency. By the end of the season, he was a frequent healthy scratch, including two games against Montreal in a first-round playoff loss. Again, he knew he had to elevate, and he did.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-028/29571-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="90" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>HE&rsquo;S A SCORER, A PLAYMAKER, VERY GOOD DEFENSIVELY, A HARD WORKER. HE&rsquo;S DETERMINED TO BE ELITE</b> &ndash; Lightning GM Steve Yzerman</blockquote><p>At the start of Year 2, Kucherov put everyone on notice when he led the team in scoring during the pre-season. The pieces continued to fall into place during a regular season in which he collected 28 goals and tied for the league lead at plus-38. It was the year the &lsquo;Triplets Line&rsquo; was born, with Kucherov playing a starring role alongside Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a rink rat,&rdquo; said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s always just trying to find a way to get better. (Young players) realize when they come into the league how hard it is. The moment you stop respecting the league and the people in it and you walk through the door thinking you&rsquo;ve made it and you are entitled to stay, that&rsquo;s when you are going to be in trouble.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s never thought that way. He just keeps working, and it keeps paying dividends.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Kucherov collected 30 goals last season and his 58 over the past two years trail only Ovechkin and Tarasenko among Russian NHLers. Kucherov has become a marked man by opponents, and that&rsquo;s a product of becoming the full package he has developed into through his dedication and desire to be better. &ldquo;I know what I want,&rdquo; Kucherov said. &ldquo;Now, I shoot more. I&rsquo;m physical. I&rsquo;m smart in the D-zone. I used to think about offense a lot. Now, with five minutes left, you can&rsquo;t think about more goals. You have to protect your net. Just little things that I&rsquo;ve changed. My mindset has changed on how to play smarter.</p><p>&ldquo;Every day I just try to prove myself.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Now the quiet Russian who plays a loud game has the chance to show that on a global stage.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-01

NIKITA KUCHEROV

<div class="byline">BY JARED CLINTON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0050-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0210/29642-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">ZDENO CHARA & ANZE KOPITAR <span class="photo-credit">(ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0111/29656-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="194" height="197"><img src="mon052.jpg" title="common05" width="193" height="200"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>Q</span>uestion: what to</b> do in the World Cup with the countries that aren&rsquo;t on-ice superpowers? Answer: Form a conglomerate of the best players from those nations and call it Team Europe. Conclusion: To be determined, but we&rsquo;d advise against holding your breath and expecting a happy ending.</p><p>There are doubts surrounding this mosaic, beginning with chemistry. Is a brief camp enough to gel a roster composed of players from several nations? Their only hope to make noise in the event is to work as a team, and the task of forming a cohesive unit falls to Ralph Krueger, a man who hasn&rsquo;t coached at the highest level in a while.</p><p>The last time Krueger stood behind an NHL bench was 2012-13, when he helmed the Oilers. He&rsquo;ll be assisted by Paul Maurice, who has a concrete NHL background, but the coaching choice is a puzzling one given how tall Krueger&rsquo;s task is.</p><p>Also concerning for Europe are age and mobility. Europe&rsquo;s roster is the oldest in the event at an average of 29.9 years, and that&rsquo;s exacerbated on the blueline. The youngest defensemen are a pair of 26-year-olds, Roman Josi and Luca Sbisa, but as a group the rearguards average 32.6. A pair of Europe&rsquo;s defensemen, Mark Streit and Zdeno Chara, are pushing 40. Foot speed on the blueline is a major issue and, more than any team, Europe may have to rely on the third forward helping defensively.</p><p>Fortunately, Europe has capable two-way forwards who can assist. Anze Kopitar is the freshly minted Selke Trophy winner, Marian Hossa&rsquo;s backchecking is underrated and Frans Nielsen and Jannik Hansen are responsible in all zones. Spread those four across two lines and Europe has two units that can keep up at both ends of the ice.</p><p>There&rsquo;s not much in the way of top-end scoring, however. Kopitar is expected to star, and familiarity playing with Kings teammate Marian Gaborik should help. But the offense thins as you descend the roster. Mats Zuccarello&rsquo;s 26 goals in New York were the most last season for any Team Europe member, and that tied him for 42nd among NHL scorers.</p><p>In goal, a trio will share the crease. New Maple Leafs stopper Frederik Andersen should get a warm welcome in Toronto, but Thomas Greiss&rsquo; strong performance with the Islanders could have him challenging for the starting gig. Jaroslav Halak knows how to steal the spotlight, too, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if he gets time in the blue paint.</p><p>Success will only come for Europe if the roster comes together quickly under Krueger. It&rsquo;s an untested recipe, one that could taste better than its ingredients but more likely to leave you wanting less.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-019/29635-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg" title="f0051-01" width="790" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THE THREADS</b> Europe has the busiest World Cup uniform, featuring various shades of blue, and sleeves displaying the many national flags of its players. An &lsquo;E&rsquo; on the crest is the thread that binds. &ldquo;It was a nice, subtle detail,&rdquo; said Adidas&rsquo; senior director of apparel Dom Fillion.<span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: ADIDAS.COM; DRAISAITL: PAVEL BED NYA KOV/ANADOL U AGENCY /GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>ROSTER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-027/29628-1-eng-US/f0051-022.jpg" title="f0051-02" width="286" height="822"></div><p>national breakdown</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-036/29621-1-eng-US/f0051-032.jpg" title="f0051-03" width="489" height="502"></div><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT PLAYER</b></h2><p>leon draisaitl is just getting his feet wet in the NHL, but he&rsquo;s been fully submerged in international waters for a while. He played in his first major men&rsquo;s tournament as an 18-year-old at the 2014 World Championship and finished as Germany&rsquo;s third-highest scorer with one goal and four points in seven games. Draisaitl shone in Edmonton with a 19-goal, 51-point season and shapes up as a sleeper pick to be Europe&rsquo;s star at the World Cup.</p><h2><b>SCHEDULE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-045/29614-1-eng-US/f0051-042.jpg" title="f0051-04" width="460" height="72"></div><p><i>All games played at Air Canada Centre, Toronto. All game times EST</i></p><h2><b>PREDICTION 7</b></h2><h3><b>X-FACTOR</b></h3><p>Team Europe needs a leader to emerge quickly, and the most likely candidate is Anze Kopitar. The lone Slovenian in the event, Kopitar is one of the most respected players in the NHL, not to mention one of its best two-way performers. The newly minted captain of the Kings will play 20-plus minutes a game, in all situations, and lead by example. In short, Europe will go as far as he takes them and might surprise some opponents.</p><p>AVERAGE AGE <b>29.9 YEARS</b></p><p>AVERAGE HEIGHT <b>6-1 FEET-INCHES</b></p><p>AVERAGE WEIGHT <b>204 POUNDS</b></p><p>AVERAGE NHL EXPERIENCE <b>526 GAMES PLAYED</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-02

WHEN ANZE MET ZDENO

<div class="byline">BY DAVID BOCLAIR</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0052-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0110/29692-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0110/29685-1-eng-US/f0053-012.jpg" title="f0053-01" width="107" height="109"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 107px"><span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>ll the movement</b> eventually catches up to Roman Josi, and he needs time to be still. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a really lazy person whenever we have a day off,&rdquo; Josi said. &ldquo;Most of the time I&rsquo;m just relaxing on my couch. I just watch TV.&rdquo;</p><p>It seems reasonable given that, on the ice, the 26-year-old is a study in perpetual motion. He is a oneman transition from defense to offense when he carries the puck out of his own zone and promptly puts opposing players on their heels. In his own end, he closes down space more than he takes the body, wins races to 50-50 pucks and sublimely backchecks after his offensive intentions mislead the opposition into thinking it has an odd-man rush.</p><p>Maybe his approach is tied to his native Switzerland, a country that can&rsquo;t compete with the elite on traditional terms. Or maybe he&rsquo;s just the right guy at the right time. Whatever it is, Josi is a prototype for the modern defenseman, a blueliner in title but a player for whom the entire sheet of ice presents possibilities.</p><p>In five seasons with Nashville he has 190 points (52 goals, 138 assists) in 334 games. He is the only defenseman in team history to post 40 or more assists in a season twice and 55 or more points twice. He was one of four NHL D-men with more than 60 points in 2015-16 (he had 61), and finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting the past two seasons.</p><p>The combination of his elitelevel performance and joyous approach helped Nashville, the team and the city, recover from the heartbreak of Ryan Suter&rsquo;s 2012 departure via free agency.</p><p>Even more remarkably, Josi unwittingly helped franchise officials envision their roster without Shea Weber. They apparently became so dazzled by Josi and his fleet feet they wanted more. So they acquired a similar skater, P.K. Subban, in exchange for Weber in a June blockbuster. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure he wouldn&rsquo;t like somebody to say things come easily to him, but he plays the game fluidly,&rdquo; said Predators GM David Poile. &ldquo;It looks easy. Some guys have to work like a dog, and they don&rsquo;t get any results. Josi makes good plays. He&rsquo;s very comfortable out there all the time.&rdquo;</p><p>What makes him uncomfortable is the idea he is one of the best defensemen on the planet. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m still young,&rdquo; Josi said. &ldquo;There are so many great defensemen out there, a lot of great defensemen who have been doing it consistently for years. Shea is one of those guys. I still have a lot to prove, but I am happy with the way I&rsquo;ve played the last two years. I hope I keep it going.&rdquo;</p><p>Nonetheless, the idea he is a star is not new. It has expanded from when he was one of his country&rsquo;s top prospects to when he was Switzerland&rsquo;s best player.</p><p>Josi led an improbable Swiss silver medal effort at the 2013 World Championship, when he was named Most Valuable Player (a first for a player from his country), Best Defenseman and a tournament all-star. That ranks as the pinnacle in his career with the national program, which dates back to 2007 when he played at the world juniors as well as the under-18 worlds. In 2009 and 2010 he played in the WJC and the World Championship. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a good guy &ndash; he&rsquo;s my friend,&rdquo; said Predators left winger Kevin Fiala, one of Switzerland&rsquo;s rising stars. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s our best guy. He&rsquo;s our leader.&rdquo;</p><p>Josi was an obvious choice for a Team Europe roster that otherwise will rely on much older defensemen such Zdeno Chara, 39, Dennis Seidenberg, 35, and Christian Ehrhoff, 34, plus Josi&rsquo;s countryman and off-season training partner, 38-year-old Mark Streit.</p><p>It is remarkable that hockey wasn&rsquo;t an obvious career path for Josi during his early childhood in Bern. &ldquo;I always wanted to be a soccer player when I was younger,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t remember what finally made my decision, but then I finally decided to play hockey, not soccer.&rdquo;</p><p>The Predators could not be happier with his choice. As they have switched to a more a offense-minded team under coach Peter Laviolette, Josi has become the guy who makes them go. &ldquo;I love it,&rdquo; Poile said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the exciting part of the game and how we want to play. As long as he has the stamina to do it, go for it.&rdquo;</p><p>There&rsquo;s always time to rest away from the rink, after all.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0052-01

ROMAN JOSI

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0054-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-027/29749-1-eng-US/f0054-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">TOMAS PLEKANEC <span class="photo-credit">(MARTIN ROSE/BONGARTS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0110/29763-1-eng-US/f0054-012.jpg" title="f0054-01" width="168" height="205"><img src="mon052.jpg" title="common05" width="193" height="200"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>f you&rsquo;re not</b> old enough, this might be difficult to believe, but there was a time when the Czech Republic was the best hockey nation in the world. Really. From 1996 through 2001, the Czechs won an Olympic gold medal, four world championships (plus two bronze medals) and two world junior championships.</p><p>Since then, however, the Czechs have gone from stars to extras on the international hockey stage. The Czechs are the only &lsquo;Big Six&rsquo; country that failed to medal in the past four world championships, and since winning it all in 2010, their average finish has been fifth. Since taking gold in the under-20 event in 2001, they have medalled just once and finished, on average, sixth. They surprised with a silver at the under-18s in 2014 but have never won the tournament.</p><p>In the span of two decades, the Czechs have shifted from expecting victory to hoping to be competitive. And that will be the case at the World Cup as the Czechs, without arguably the greatest NHL player they have ever produced, try to run with hockey&rsquo;s big boys.</p><p>With Jaromir Jagr retiring from international competition, the Czechs are a team in transition. They have plenty of youth but little depth. In Detroit Red Wings stopper Petr Mrazek, they boast a goaltender who can steal games. At forward, they have considerable talent. They can assemble a top line of Ondrej Palat, David Krejci and Jakub Voracek and a second line of Tomas Plekanec between David Pastrnak and Tomas Hertl. Their projected third line of Radek Faksa between Vladimir Sobotka and Martin Hanzal can make life difficult for their opponents.</p><p>But, as has been the case for the Czechs in recent years, depth is a weakness. This glaring hole is most prominent on defense, where five of the seven players on the roster are right shots and none would be considered a member of a top pair for any NHL team. In fact, all would struggle to even be a second-pair defenseman in the NHL.</p><p>That could make things ugly for this team, one that is decent but not great offensively and likely won&rsquo;t be able to score its way out of trouble. And if it is relying on its goaltending to do the job, you know it will be because opposing teams are spending an awful lot of time in the Czechs&rsquo; defensive zone and not allowing their offensive players to be creative.</p><p>Almost everything would have to go right for the Czechs and horribly wrong for a number of other teams for this squad to even finish in the top half of the tournament. Without Jagr, the Czechs have much to prove and should have no problem motivating themselves for games. Winning them? That will be a lot more difficult.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-019/29742-1-eng-US/f0055-012.jpg" title="f0055-01" width="790" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THE THREADS</b> Tradition rules for the Czechs, with a coat of arms that has been the heart and soul of their jerseys since they split from Slovakia in 1993. The symbol is a derivative of the separate ones from the country&rsquo;s three historical regions &ndash; Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia.<span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: ADIDAS.COM; PASTRNAK: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>ROSTER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-027/29735-1-eng-US/f0055-022.jpg" title="f0055-02" width="286" height="731"></div><p>IIHF WORLD RANKING 6th</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-035/29728-1-eng-US/f0055-032.jpg" title="f0055-03" width="533" height="545"></div><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT PLAYER</b></h2><p>david pastrnak has battled inconsistency during his young NHL career in Boston, but he&rsquo;s been as steady as they come on the international stage. In his past four appearances for his country, Pastrnak has four goals and 20 points in 22 games. The Czechs need a player to build around &ndash; particularly with Jaromir Jagr stepping aside &ndash; and Pastrnak is the leading candidate. He&rsquo;ll move closer to that role by making a statement at the World Cup.</p><h2><b>SCHEDULE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-045/29721-1-eng-US/f0055-042.jpg" title="f0055-04" width="411" height="72"></div><p><i>All games played at Air Canada Centre, Toronto. All game times EST</i></p><h2><b>PREDICTION 8</b></h2><h3><b>X-FACTOR</b></h3><p>Radko Gudas, Roman Polak and Zbynek Michalek are arguably the three best defensemen on the roster. In a tournament that is bound to be locomotive-fast, it could leave the Czech blueline sorely exposed. The key will be slowing opponents through the neutral zone and mitigating the rush. Coach Josef Jandac and his staff will be tasked with devising game plans that accomplish those goals and insulate the D-corps.</p><p>average age <b>years</b> 27.3</p><p>average height <b>feet-inches</b> 6-1</p><p>average weight <b>pounds</b> 205</p><p>average nhl experience <b>games played</b> 364<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0054-02

MISSION IMPROBABLE

<div class="byline">BY WAYNE FISH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0056-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0110/29792-1-eng-US/f0056-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JONATHAN KOZUB/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>edemption comes in</b> various shapes and sizes, sometimes in something as unusual as the World Cup. For Jakub Voracek, who went from NHL first-team all-star one season to just one goal in his first 30 games the next, the timing of the splashy event in Toronto couldn&rsquo;t be better. The Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; high-profile winger could win back a lot of people with a good performance for the Czech Republic.</p><p>Voracek is coming off a season bookended by turmoil. He signed an eight-year, $66-million contract extension in the summer of 2015, and while he insisted that wouldn&rsquo;t add any pressure on his game, it did.</p><p>After he snapped his scoring drought, things were proceeding smoothly again at a point-pergame pace until late in the campaign when he suffered a broken bone in his foot, ending an ironman streak of 286 games and hampering him the rest of the way. He managed just one goal in a six-game, first-round playoff loss to the Washington Capitals.</p><p>That brings us to Voracek&rsquo;s approach to the World Cup and the upcoming season. To continue his &ldquo;comeback&rsquo;&rsquo; from last season, Voracek returned to the off-season training regimen of 2014 which helped make him the Flyers&rsquo; first NHL first-team all-star selection since left winger John LeClair in 1998. With a better diet and more diligent workouts, Voracek was able to cut his weight that summer from 220 pounds to about 209. The result? A quicker, more agile player who led the NHL in scoring for portions of 2014-15 and finished fifth at season&rsquo;s end. &ldquo;Usually when I get back (from visiting family in Kladno, Czech Republic) to Philly I&rsquo;m about 218 or so,&rsquo;&rsquo; Voracek said. &ldquo;But right now I&rsquo;m about 208, 209. So that&rsquo;s a good start for me there. When I work out, I feel better, I feel quicker.</p><p>&ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s the way the game is going. You have to be quick. When you look at (Stanley Cup champion) Pittsburgh, they were the fastest team in the league, and it showed in the playoffs. Speed kills, and that&rsquo;s why they won.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Voracek, 27, would love to reclaim a regular spot on the Flyers&rsquo; top line with Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn or Wayne Simmonds. But Vorackek will need to prove to coach Dave Hakstol he deserves it, and a confidence-building performance at the World Cup would be a good start. Perhaps the fact he&rsquo;s had a year to absorb the big contract will lighten the load. &ldquo;I know what kind of player I am,&rsquo;&rsquo; Voracek said. &ldquo;I know it&rsquo;s a team game. The year before I had 81 points, and we didn&rsquo;t make the playoffs. Last year I had 55, and we made the playoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;This year I&rsquo;ll be a year older, a year more experienced. I have eight years under my belt, and it&rsquo;s only going to get better. And I know it will.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>THIS YEAR I&rsquo;LL BE A YEAR OLDER, A YEAR MORE EXPERIENCED. IT&rsquo;S ONLY GOING TO GET BETT ER. AND I KNOW IT WILL.&rsquo;&rsquo;</b> &ndash; Jakub Voracek</blockquote><p>It took some mental fortitude last season to deal with criticism from mainstream and social media, not to mention talk radio and TV. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m pretty good with that stuff,&rsquo;&rsquo; Voracek said. &ldquo;But at times it can get to you. I&rsquo;m a hockey player who makes a lot of money, and you&rsquo;re expected to perform every night. So it (the badmouthing) is going to happen.</p><p>That&rsquo;s why there&rsquo;s media, (the voices of) the fans&hellip;if you don&rsquo;t play well, you deserve it. That&rsquo;s the way it works. I just have to play my game and produce.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Voracek said he&rsquo;s looking forward to the World Cup, in which he figures to have a prominent role. He knows most of the players on the Czech team, but having Flyer teammates Radko Gudas and Michal Neuvirth on the roster will heighten the comfort level. &ldquo;I have to be on the top of my game,&rsquo;&rsquo; he said. &ldquo;Sort of like the way I played the last 35, 40 games of last year. I want to be a game changer. That&rsquo;s how I want to help. I don&rsquo;t have a low expectation. Just like with the Flyers, you want to go on the ice expecting to win.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>The pressure of competing for one&rsquo;s country can be a good thing. Voracek hopes the World Cup experience will bring out the best in his game. &ldquo;I like to be under pressure,&rsquo;&rsquo; he said. &ldquo;Like last year, things weren&rsquo;t going well, but I knew they would turn around. Eventually that&rsquo;s what happened.&rsquo;&rsquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0056-01

JAKUB VORACEK

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-027/29821-1-eng-US/f0058-022.jpg" title="f0058-02" width="520" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>SEX SELLS IN EVERY COUNTRY</b> A team of the NHL&rsquo;s most dashing men, including Lundqvist, would entertain in more ways than one. <span class="photo-credit">(JARED SILBER/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0110/29835-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="138" height="114"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 138px">with ken campbell</figcaption></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><span class="image-inline"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="21" height="17"></span><p class="dropcap"><b><span>E</span>VER SINCE YOUR</b> trusty correspondent coined the term &lsquo;World Cash Grab of Hockey&trade;&rsquo; it has kind of become a thing. Not a big thing, but a thing. Feel free to use it at your leisure. Please direct all royalties to Ken Campbell, c/o The Hockey News. After all, the NHL and NHL Players&rsquo; Association shouldn&rsquo;t be the only ones making money off this tournament.</p><p>I joke. Actually, no I don&rsquo;t. This thing is a cash grab, not that there&rsquo;s necessarily anything wrong with that. Capitalism makes the world go round, right? What sticks in the craw, though, is the notion this trumped-up event is an adequate replacement for the Olympics. Or that it will grow the game in any way on a global level. It is not. It will not. Should the NHL make a long-term commitment to the Olympics, however, all criticisms of the World Cash Grab of Hockey&trade; will cease and desist. And if the NHL and NHLPA want to hold this thing every six months and make up a couple of teams that don&rsquo;t have a country or an anthem, they can fill their boots.</p><p>Team North America and Team Europe, can&rsquo;t you just feel the swell of national pride? If you&rsquo;ve lived in or have intimate ties to Denmark, Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Austria and Norway, the latter is your team. If you&rsquo;re partial to wildly talented young men who will make more in their first three years than you will in your lifetime, get that Team North America foam finger ready. But the fact is, there will be a time when those concepts, as imaginative and completely natural as they are for the World Cash Grab of Hockey&trade;, will likely run their course. So here are a few teams they might want to consider for future World Cash Grabs of Hockey&trade;</p><p>Red-Headed Guys From Saskatchewan: All righty, then, we&rsquo;ve got Scott Hartnell and&hellip;well, Ryan Getzlaf if we paint his head orange. Lots of spots open here, kids. So like that insipid car ad says to 11- and 12-yearolds about the merits of taking out the garbage in the rain and shovelling out the back of a pickup truck, tryouts start now.</p><p>NHL Mascots: To you and me and most other people, they&rsquo;re just a big bunch of dopey doofuses. But they&rsquo;re actually 30 not very lean, mean, hockey-playing machines. Harvey the Hound once got in a tussle with Craig MacTavish and had his tongue pulled out. So that pretty much answers any questions about toughness. Stinger (from Columbus) is listed at 6-foot-9 and can&rsquo;t wait to dump the puck into Zdeno Chara&rsquo;s corner. Youppi! and Carlton the Bear, well, they&rsquo;re big, dopey doofuses, so they&rsquo;ll be good for team morale.</p><p>The Crazy Co-Eds: How about Hayley Wickenheiser centering Jamie Benn and Patrick Kane? Amanda Kessel playing alongside brother Phil? Florence Schelling sharing the crease with Marc-Andre Fleury in an all-floral tandem? If this team wins, not even the 18 white men over 50 who make up the Hall of Fame selection committee will be able to ignore them any longer.</p><p>Guys Named Mike Smith: According to <a href="http://HOCKEYDB.COM">hockeydb.com</a>, 15 guys named Mike Smith have played at the Jr. A level or higher in Canada. Three of them are goalies, including the guy in the NHL. We&rsquo;ve also got our GM. And since previous tournaments have played it fast and loose with these teams, we can fill out the roster with other guys named Smith. And Andreas Athanasiou.</p><p>Team Two Minutes For Lookin&rsquo; So Good: In an effort to attract a wider base of fans, this team will be made up of guys who are easy on the eyes. Patrick Sharp is the captain, of course. Henrik Lundqvist is between the pipes, but Carey Price is on his heels. Ryan Kesler did underwear ads, and Joffrey Lupul cleans up pretty well. This team won&rsquo;t win the tournament, but have you seen the trophy for this thing? Guys that good looking won&rsquo;t want to be anywhere near that abomination.</p><p>Team Great Flow: These are the guys who are so follically gifted that the ads on their sweaters &ndash; another super great thing about this tournament &ndash; will be for the previously unexploited hair products industry. You&rsquo;ll also know this team because they&rsquo;ll address everyone with the words, &lsquo;Hey Brah.&rsquo; They&rsquo;ll ask, &lsquo;Do you even lift, Brah?&rsquo; and respond, &lsquo;No, rest day, Brah.&rsquo; This team will have its share of Matts &ndash; Martin, Moulson and Mathieu Perreault. Again, not a real contender here, but they&rsquo;ll look really good in warmups.</p><p>Team Great Name: Smitty and Jonesie will not make the cut on this team. But Tampa Bay prospect Bokondji Imama will, joined by Philadelphia prospect Samuel Dove-McFalls. We&rsquo;ve got a great WHL line with Gunnar Wegleitner between Rykr Cole and Nolan Volcan, with Taz Burman taking care of the goaltending. We&rsquo;ll probably lure Bear Trapp out of retirement, and if we need some serious toughness, we&rsquo;ll call on former Minnesota high schooler Miles Death. Might be tough to win with this team, but imagine being able to go to a bar after a game and walk up to a young lady and say, &ldquo;Hi, my name is Trygve Many Guns.&rdquo;</p><p>So many possibilities. It&rsquo;s nice to know the World Cash Grab of Hockey&trade; can continue to stock itself with teams just as legitimate as Team North America and Europe. Unless Saudi Arabia and Chad get good at hockey. That will screw everything up.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Search for your favorite player or team

September 12, 2016

FIVE INSANE TRADES THAT

STAT SHOT: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO HOCKEY ANALYTICS

CATCH THEM IF YOU CAN

THE INSTIGATOR