Gretzky To Manage Team Canada?

The NHL cleared up any uncertainty today with regards to NHL involvement in the upcoming IIHF World Hockey Championships in April. The league made the appropriate decision by allowing any managing directors and coaches to participate in the annual tournament despite the inevitability of working closely with locked out players during the games. The NHL’s executive VP, Bill Daly, issued a statement this morning saying the decision was made after “due consideration to all of the relevant and sometimes competing concerns.”

Wayne Gretzky had been approached by Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson earlier in the month about taking control of the helm at the IIHF tournament. While Gretzky did not commit, he certainly did not rule out the possibility. Gretzky has led two previous versions of Team Canada, the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, resulting in golden performances each time. Gretzky’s participation would certainly be welcomed as Canada will attempt to defend the IIHF World Championship title it has held for the past two tournaments.

Should he accept Nicholson’s invitation, Gretzky would likely assemble his usual cast of characters to fill out the managerial positions for Team Canada. Oilers GM Ron Lowe and Canucks assistant GM Steve Tambellini have worked with Gretzky on the past two Gretzky versions of Team Canada, so he likely would not mess with a winning formula. Pat Quinn, Ken Hitchcock and Jacque Martin would take control behind the bench along with Canadian National team coach Marc Habscheid. Habscheid, who recently signed a contract with Hockey Canada giving him the head coaching position, said he would be willing to volunteer as an assistant coach to allow Gretzky’s group to take over. There have also been rumblings that Scotty Bowman may be asked to coach or scout.

The World Championships promise to offer some of the finest hockey that will be played this year as many locked out players will be participating for their respective countries. With the finest players in the world playing in this year’s tournament, the World Championships are poised to rival the World Cup in terms of the quality of hockey and fan interest. Instead of being the leftovers tournament that is usually played during the NHL playoffs, the World Championships will feature the very best each country has to offer.
Many of the players who played for Canada in September at the World Cup have not played much hockey at all this year due to the lockout. Canada would likely hold a training camp in mid-April and play a few exhibition games before embarking on their quest for gold at the World Championships. Injured players from the World Cup including Steve Yzerman, Chris Pronger, Rob Blake and Ed Belfour would deserve consideration for the team. All four have represented Canada well in the past and have extensive international experience. They would certainly be an asset to this team. For Yzerman, Belfour and perhaps Blake, this may be their final opportunity to represent Canada on the world stage.

Gretzky is expected to make a decision by the end of the week. Without any NHL hockey this season, there is no doubt his competitive spirit is running high. The 2005 IIHF World Championships would be an ideal place to let it out. For some reason, I think Gretzky is thinking the same thing.