Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 5.22

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As the National Hockey League goes on hiatus for the next two weeks as the Olympics hockey tournament gets underway, it’s high time we weigh in with our opinions regarding Team Canada’s men’s hockey team.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the first thing the team will have to deal with before worrying about the competition from any of the other countries involved will be the pressure faced by the twenty three men carrying the hopes of a nation on their shoulders. If you thought there was pressure on their shoulders in Nagano or Salt Lake or Torino, it pales in comparison to what they will face with the tournament on home soil.

The opening ceremony on Friday night was watched by over two thirds of all Canadians. Can you imagine how many viewers there will be should Canada reach the gold medal game? Well safe to say the record currently held by the opening ceremony as the most watched Canadian TV event in history could be in jeopardy.

In order to have success with so much of the competition having improved over the last decade, it will come down to two things: the ability to come together as a team quickly and quite simply, goaltending.

In Torino, the team never gelled. The team must quickly show an ability to define roles and adapt to perform them with efficiency. Players used to being front line players in the NHL will have to get used to role players. There isn’t room for four first lines.

Secondly, in a short, one game elimination style tournament, goaltending is critical. There is no time to fight back over the course of a seven game series. Canada will need one of Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo or Marc-Andre Fleury to step up and be dominant. In goal in the Olympic tournament, there is no room for error.

Clearly, anything short of gold will be a disappointment for Team Canada but make no mistake; the path to gold will be anything but easy. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.