Right Man For The Job

When it comes to a short international tournament, there are a number of factors that go into the successes of teams. Having the right mix of players certainly is one of those factors, but having a coach who can adapt and make changes on the fly certainly helps as well. After all, he or she is the person sending players over the boards, so the coach needs to be able to have the team execute no matter what circumstances are dealt to them. Based on that info, it seems Canada's entry at the Spengler Cup has found that coach as Hockey Canada announced that Bruce Boudreau will be behind the bench in Davos, Switzerland. The long-time NHL head coach has a pile of experience from which he can draw, and he's led Canada into tournaments like the Spengler Cup where every shift matters in the outcome of both games and the tournament!

There's no denying that getting a guy who has a career NHL record of 617-342-128 to lead Team Canada is a pretty nice addition behind the bench, but it seems that Canada is really loading up with experience as Hockey Canada announced that Larry Mitchell and Jeff Tomlinson, who coach EHC Kloten in Switzerland, and Jim Playfair, the associate coach with the WHL's Prince George Cougars, will join Boudreau on Canada's bench in Davos as they look to capture another Spengler Cup for the nation over the week following Christmas.

"All four coaches bring many years of experience coaching in the NHL, AHL, and Europe," Brad Pascall, Team Canada co-general manager, said today. "We know this diversity will be beneficial to our team."

Canada's team has yet to be selected, but Boucher's appointment to lead the team should have players clamouring to join the squad. You have to wonder if a guy like Eric Staal would be interested in going to see if he can convince an NHL team to sign him for the final half of the season, but I expect to see a couple of names from the AHL joining Team Canada for that week. Perhaps a Max Comtois or a Cory Conacher from the Chicago Wolves? Maybe a Dennis Cholowski from Bridgeport? It could be interesting when it comes to who is called by Brad Pascall and co-GM Joe Thornton.

As shown above, though, Boudreau is experienced, he knows how to get the most out of his players, and he wins often. In a two-game round-robin where winning at least one game is vital for a good setup for the remainder of the tournament, I expect Boudreau to push his squad hard to beat Frolunda in the first game they play on December 26 in order to have a day's break between their second game against HC Davos. Frolunda is currently 10-10-4-3 in the SHL for sixth-place with Max Friberg doing a lot of their scoring, so Canada will have to be ready to slow down the Swedish squad that features former NHLers Carl Klingberg and Christian Folin.

I also think that Boudreau's jovial nature will bring this team together quickly. As we know, Spengler Cup Canadian teams are cobbled together from mostly-Swiss League players as that league enjoys a holiday break, but Canada goes hunting for other solid players who can fill in the gaps that they may have on the roster. A lot of time, there are AHL players and KHL players who will take a leave from their current teams to join Canada in Davos. Finding chemistry is key for Canada as none of these players normally play with one another, and I believe Boudreau's sense of humour and his ability to relate to players will help the squad come together quickly.

For those asking, Canada will play Frolunda on Boxing Day, and the loser of that game plays on December 27 against HC Davos. Davos will then face the winner - possibly Team Canada? - before the 2-vs-3 games on Friday, December 29. The semifinals go on Saturday, December 30, and the Spengler Cup will be awarded to the last team left standing on Sunday, December 31.

stat The work begins for Brad Pascall and Joe Thornton as they put together a team, but I feel Team Canada's Spengler Cup entry is in good hands with Boudreau, Playfair, Mitchell, and Tomlinson. They'll expect 60 minutes of hard work for every member of Canada's squad, but it's a short tournament where anything less usually means you're done playing before Sunday. Boudreau will have this team ready to roll on Boxing Day, and I'll be happy to see Bruce Boudreau back behind a bench this season!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!