Jon Cooper, Team Canada head coach at the 4 Nations Face-Off
Jon Cooper, Team Canada head coach at the 4 Nations Face-Off

After the first Team Canada practice ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off, head coach Jon Cooper discussed the formation of the Reinhart-McDavid-Marner line, the upcoming decision in net, and the process of bringing a team together quickly to compete in such a short tournament.

Team Canada Practice Lines – Feb. 10

How long ago did you settle on the lines? What was the process of getting to these combinations?

Cooper: There was a lot to it. We didn’t just pull it out of a hat at the neighborhood pub and say, “This is what we are going with.” There was a lot of communication with the players.

First of all, you have to wait until the team is picked. As coaches, you are around these players all the time — coaching them or competing against them or with them, and you see the types of players they succeed with. You think you have something picked, and then you talk to the players and hear what they feel they need.

It is not like a player says, “Oh, I want to play with Mitch Marner or Mark Stone.” It is, “I feel comfortable with this type of player.”

It was a great experience. There was a lot of communication with the players, how we felt things could go, who would benefit who, and what would put players in the best position to succeed. This is what we [decided] on.

With Marner, McDavid and Reinhart, can you take us through the thought process and how the players complement each other?

Cooper: You have speed, you have brains, and you have guys who can shoot it in the net. If you hand me a line like that, I’ll take my chances.

I remember back to the World Cup in 2016. I may be mistaken, but I bet we had two-and-a-half or three weeks of training camp. We were playing exhibition games in all sorts of different cities. I remember Auston Matthews, when we wrote it up, was our 13th forward. By the time the tournament was going, he was on our top line.

Now, [Matthews] was in a different situation because he was playing in Europe at the time, but with this one, we have to jump right in. We did our homework. We tried to do the best we could to see who could fit with who.

Those three guys, specifically, were a logical fit for us.

What tone does it set when Sidney Crosby does absolutely everything he can to be here and be a part of it?

Cooper: Did you guys read Steve Simmons’ article on him? I thought it was outstanding. It pretty much personifies Sidney Crosby. In that article, it said, “It is just Sid being Sid,” and there is something to that.

I haven’t been around him in my career other than competing against him. With the way he is and the way he interacts, for a guy who carries so much weight — he is a polarizing figure — there is so much humility that bleeds through him. That is why people follow him.

If you talk about wanting to play for your country, it is remarkable the passion he has for it. It is probably a reason why he has a whole lot of wins and not a whole lot of losses in these events.

Is Crosby good to go for the first game, or is it day-to-day?

Cooper: We are taking this one day-to-day. We would not put him in a position where he is going to get hurt or re-aggravate his injury. We are not going to put him in a position that would put Team Canada in jeopardy or the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Once we check all of those boxes off, Crosby is playing in the tournament, and we will cross the bridge when we come to it. It could be Wednesday night, but he is definitely playing.

If we go back to the ’87 Canada Cup, Mike Keenan loaded up Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky every second shift and played the crap out of them. You don’t see that a lot in the modern game, but is the nuclear option in your back pocket if you need it, whether it is MacKinnon, McDavid, etc?

Cooper: I have been on the record saying the ’87 Canada Cup was arguably the greatest three-game segment of hockey you’ve ever seen.

Today’s players are different than those players back then. We don’t have Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, but we have Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, and you go down the list. But the gap between the first and 12th forwards in ’87 is bigger than the gap between the first and 12th forward with today’s teams. There are just weapons all over the ice.

It is super cool being ice-level and getting to watch what is going on here. There are just no holes. I am not saying the teams in the past had holes, but I think you can put a lot of guys together there and create the chemistry. We’ll have to see.

How have you divided the labour among the coaching staff? What has it been like getting together and discussing all of these matters?

Cooper: A big part of it is synergy. You’re put in a situation to work closely with these people. To me, it is the best of the best.

I am extremely thankful to be in the position I am in, but there could be 15 coaches in this league who are Canadians who could be sitting here. Outstanding minds. It has been fun being around these guys. I am a big believer in surrounding yourself with a lot of guys smarter than you. That is what is going on in the room.

For me, if you watch practice today, I hand portions of it off so guys can express themselves and do the coaching and teaching that needs to be done. All of these coaches have deserved it. They have earned it.

It has been a blast being around it. It is great picking other minds, where you go, “I have never seen that drill. This is sick. This is awesome.” You are doing the same to them. Everybody is growing.

In a sport where everyone tries to protect their information, when it comes to this, it is an open book. That is why it has been such a great experience so far. Everyone wants to do it for their country.

[Peter Deboer] is running our PK. [Bruce Cassidy] is running our power play. [Rick Tocchet] has a lot of our special situations — faceoffs and those kinds of things. I am pretty much doing our whole five-on-five system. It is all a group effort, but different people are in front of the chalkboard. That is about it.

Can you share your starting goalie for Wednesday’s game?

Cooper: I’ll share it with you tomorrow. I have to tell them first.

In general, is the goaltending going to be a rotation? What does it look like to you, or how do you imagine it playing out?

Cooper: This is too short of a tournament to make that call. It is not like the World Championships, where there are a whole bunch of players in prelim games, and you can move guys in and out.

That goes for everybody — forwards, defensemen, goaltenders. This is it. If you lose your first game, now what? Everybody is here to perform and try to do their best. As a coaching staff, if we don’t feel it is getting done, we will make a change.

It is not like anybody can’t do it. Someone has to be put in the net first, but I don’t see it being a rotation.

You have three great goaltenders here, supposedly. How do you make the call about who goes first? With such a limited amount of practice time before the game, what is the key to it all coming together?

Cooper: That is a really good question. That’s deep, too. I really have to think about this answer.

When we were picking this team — and this includes the goaltenders as well — we picked what we felt was the best team. Every team will be second-guessed at some point — maybe this guy should’ve been here, and this guy shouldn’t have been, or whatever.

There was a ton of work that went into this. It wasn’t just the coaching staff. It was from [GM Don Sweeney] to all of the assistant GMs. It was so darned impressive to see the information gathered and the eyes that were watching. A lot of work went into this.

To me, being in these situations, it is not always the best players that win. It is the best team that wins. The team that gels the quickest and plays for each other — especially in such a short tournament — will have the advantage.

I am super, super confident that is at least what we have. If being around the guys last night is any indication, we’re in a good spot.

Connor McDavid on his line with Mitch Marner: “Definitely a good mix” 

McDavid: They’re two amazing players. Reinhart scores a lot of goals. Great shot. So smart. Mitch has been the playmaker and kind of plays up high in the zone.

Definitely a good mix. It was fun to be out there with them, for sure.

Marner on playing with McDavid: “It is about trying to find him in space” 

Marner: Try to get the puck to him in open ice. Try to get the puck to him in places where he can skate onto it to utilize his skill and speed. He is a top player in the world at what he does. It is about trying to find him in space.

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