LAS VEGAS — From Patrick Roy to Martin Brodeur to Curtis Joseph to Roberto Luongo to Carey Price, goaltending has all the time been a place of power for Canada in worldwide hockey over the previous three many years.
Till now.
When the primary six gamers had been introduced for the Canadian roster for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off by the NHL and NHLPA on Friday, the wow issue was entrance and heart.
Forwards Connor McDavid (3) of the Edmonton Oilers, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins (2) and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (1) have mixed to win six Hart Trophies as NHL MVP. Defenseman Cale Makar gained the Calder Trophy as rookie of the 12 months in 2019-2020, Norris Trophy as prime defenseman in 2021-22 and Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup Playoff MVP that very same season. Ahead Brayden Point has 185 factors (97 objectives, 88 assists) in 163 video games the previous two seasons. And ahead Brad Marchand, captain of the Boston Bruins, has 401 objectives and is a plus-292 for his profession. They’ve mixed for eight Stanley Cups.
There will likely be no points for this group relating to placing pucks into the online. The most important query is: Who will hold them out?
“Goaltending, clearly, is one (place) that’s all the time going to be below the microscope for any group, however particularly with it being Canada and with Carey having been there beforehand,” Crosby stated, noting that Worth backstopped Canada to the gold medal on the 2014 Olympics and the World Cup of Hockey 2016. “He’s a man that’s not simply replaceable, however I believe there’s plenty of guys able to doing that.
“I believe that with any place, there’s all the time going to be arduous choices to be made however that one will likely be a little bit bit extra, I believe, extra of a take a look at that one due to Carey being there beforehand.”
Who?
Might it’s Jordan Binnington, who helped the St. Louis Blues win the 2019 Stanley Cup?
Or one of many Vegas Golden Knights duo of Adin Hill and Logan Thompson, who mixed to deliver the Cup to Nevada final June?
Or how about Stuart Skinner, who backstopped the Edmonton Oilers to Recreation 7 of the Stanley Cup Closing this season?
Or will one other candidate emerge for the match, which will likely be held at Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Backyard in Boston from Feb. 12-20. This would be the first best-on-best match for the reason that World Cup of Hockey 2016 in Toronto.
“It’s positively a kind of issues the place Canada is skinnier there than it was,” Corridor of Famer Martin Brodeur, the New Jersey Devils’ govt vice chairman of hockey operations who helped Canada win its first gold medal in 50 years on the 2002 Olympics, instructed NHL.com from the draft flooring of The Sphere on the 2024 NHL Draft. “However I do suppose Skinner did an important job and deserves to get an excellent take a look at that job. And there’s nonetheless a bunch of men, like Binnington.
“I believe it’s going to be totally different in previous years however I believe Canada goes to be simply wonderful.”
Perhaps so. However whenever you examine their candidates to, say, america, which may choose from a wealthy cache together with Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins; Connor Hellebuyck, 2024 Vezina Trophy winner because the NHL’s prime goalie; Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars; and Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks, goaltending does appear to be Canada’s Achilles heel.
“We needs to be wonderful,” normal supervisor Don Sweeney stated. “We’ve time to determine it out.”
Within the meantime, Crosby already is pumped for the match.
“Clearly there’s plenty of pleasure attending to signify Canada finest on finest,” Crosby stated. “It has been some time since we have had the chance to try this. I believe in the event you speak to all the blokes who obtained named at this time, I am certain they’re all excited.”
MacKinnon actually is, having already picked Crosby’s mind on what line combos may appear to be.
“We had been on a golf journey and he introduced it up,” Crosby stated. “I believe it was Day One. He was simply type of choosing my mind. … Having the possibility to play with him on the 2015 Worlds was plenty of enjoyable. And it has been some time since then.”
Crosby, MacKinnon and Marchand are all from Nova Scotia and have heated apply classes within the Halifax space in the course of the summer season.
“It’s positively intense once we get on the market,” Crosby stated. “However I believe that’s the wonderful thing about it. All of us need to see one another do effectively however we’re all actually aggressive, too.
“Hopefully we deliver one of the best out of one another or, possibly, generally, the worst.”
For Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning, it is a chance to lastly get one other likelihood to educate Canada in a best-on-best match. He was poised to try this within the 2022 Olympics earlier than the match was cancelled on account of issues associated to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Being on the doorstep earlier than and the sensation within the pit of your abdomen whenever you’re not going to have that chance, effectively, it fuels you,” Cooper stated.
“You’re representing your nation. What extra are you able to say?”
