Team Canada would obviously prefer that Price claim the role.
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After all, the wait has been long enough.
When he said on Tuesday he’d bench any American player who doesn’t stand for the national anthem at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, the coach of Team USA meant it.
Price, who has not suited up for a game since he sustained the injury at Madison Square Garden facing the New York Rangers.
“No more than normal”.
“It hasn’t come up in our room”, McLellan said. This gentleman who spoke to us this morning is doing the real stuff.
Anthems are expected to be played prior to all preliminary games. While Kane has been slotted alongside Pavelski and Max Pacioretty on the first line, the US coach says that Kane will probably be a rover on multiple lines to help the team offensively when needed.
How do you win the job in four practices and two games? “He gives the guys a sense of calm”. He’s a quality guy and he’s been off awhile. “He’s been off a while, but we’ll give him that opportunity”.
Babcock added he hasn’t had a lot of interaction with the goalies because assistant Stephane Waite, Price’s goalie coach in Montreal, has been performing those duties here. And they tell you something, it has happened to me a number of times where I did not even think of (what he was being told).
Other parents of young hockey players had mixed reactions. This year’s tournament is being held in Toronto, a decidedly shorter trip than when the Olympics are the focal point of the worldwide hockey calendar.
When rumour became truth on Wednesday, Pavelski was bowled over.
“Anyone that’s looking at it from a sane perspective … he’s won everything internationally”, said Holtby with a smile. Unlike during NHL games, national anthems aren’t typically played before the start of global games; they are played after. His teammates, for that matter, were in awe at his form at camp. In an interview with Sportsnet’s FAN 590 in Toronto, the highest-drafted African-American in league history said: “I have no problem”. That is what is so great about him, it just comes to him and it is certainly something you can’t teach.
“I think it’s fair…” He’s naturally so gifted, he’s big, he’s quick and he’s got a great range. “He’s so talented he’ll be able to pick it up right away”. “You’re not going to see anything from any of us with Torts, so I have no problem with that”.
“I’ve been skating a lot”. Tortorella’s goal is to get from three contenders down to two – No. 1 and his backup – by the final exhibition game in less than two weeks. “I don’t have any question marks about my health or my body or anything”. “I’ve tested absolutely everything to the limit”. “I’ve tested absolutely everything to the limit and I did everything correctly so I have absolutely no worries about anything”.
Will you watch the World Cup of Hockey? “But I don’t know why we’re talking about this”. No chance I’m involved in that stuff. “But still, there are a few unknowns about how it’s going to be melded together”. I can’t really tell but will teams be playing more back to back games? Quite honestly we are entertainers.
“This is probably a tournament where you have all the best talent from around the world in one tournament”, Stamkos said.
“Participants from Team Europe were strongly of the view that notwithstanding their commitment to work together as a team toward a common objective in this tournament, their passion and loyalty for their own respective homelands and anthems made any surrogate musical tribute somewhat artificial and therefore unnecessary”, said the joint statement.
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Team Canada has opted for rest to get ready. He has become virtually an automatic selection when it’s time to choose Team Canada for World Cup or the Olympics. Should any of his players try it, they’ll be disciplined. They aren’t playing for a country, but those players will want to win just as much as the others.
