On the eve of the first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off, Team Canada GM Don Sweeney discussed Canada’s goaltending, Drew Doughty joining the lineup as a late addition, and his team’s identity.
You’ve watched Connor McDavid from afar for a long time. How much are you looking forward to seeing him in the Canada uniform, and what do you expect out of a player of his calibre?
Sweeney: The guys are excited about the environment they’ll have the opportunity to play in together for the first time for several of them. With Connor, when you watch him play in the NHL, it is just pure excitement with what he can do on the ice.
The players that get a chance to play with him can’t be passengers. They can’t wonder what is going on. He has that awe about him. I think every guy is excited to see him at this level, on this stage, and really taking on a leadership role at Hockey Canada now and moving forward.
What was the process of arriving at the three goalies you selected, with Jordan Binnington, Sam Montembault, and Adin Hill?
Sweeney: We knew we were making a goalie decision, as we did with the rest of the team, maybe arguably earlier than we’d like to in order to see who might have the hot hand. But the fact is that two of these guys have won the Stanley Cup.
I had a front-row seat watching Jordan Binnington rise to that occasion. We have no qualms about which goaltender is going in the net.
Sam has been an up-and-coming goaltender who Hockey Canada has followed for a long time. He played in the World Championships and had success there. He plays on the biggest stage in one of the hottest markets here in Montreal. He is very comfortable in this environment. There is a growth opportunity for Sam as well.
There is confidence in all three guys.
Drew Doughty made a concerted effort to make sure he was ready for this tournament. What does it mean that the player put so much effort into making sure he could be a part of this team?
Sweeney: We knew from the onset of when Drew got hurt that he was going to do absolutely everything possible to get back and play for LA and be a part of this tournament.
The runway wasn’t very long for him in terms of the return to play and how many games he was going to get to play. We made sure we were watching every inch of ice that he took while he was coming back, realizing where he was at.
Coop had a front-row seat at one of the games. He wasn’t supposed to play in that game — it was a back-to-back — but it was typical Drew fashion. We communicated with Rob Blake and the LA coaching staff about how he was playing.
He played 23 or 26 (vs. Tampa) and then rolls into Carolina and plays 25. Just the other night, in a back-to-back, he played 29 and 31 minutes. It just goes to show you the competitor that he is. He has won at every level.
There is a claiming effect that Drew will bring but also an energy that Drew will bring with his experience level that will hopefully permeate around our room. He was just a guy who was hard to keep off the team at the stage when he was healthy.
Ideally, he would’ve made the team from the onset, but he certainly willed his way back into the environment.
What would you say the identity of the Canadian team is?
Sweeney: The skill level — as with all four teams — of the team we are putting together stood out to us. Hockey sense was a big part, as Jon talked about with Mark Stone. Who complements who? Who wants to represent their country, ultimately? Heart on their sleeve is the type of player we wanted to go along with the skill to represent Canada.
