MY 2004 WORLD CUP TEAM
November 18, 2003


Story by: Kevin Yearwood

For me the announcement of Wayne Gretzky, Kevin Lowe and Steve Tambellini heading up the management team for Team Canada at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey was very exciting.

Maybe because I know that Team Canada is a good bet to win the tournament and that's probably as close as I'll get to a major international hockey event while living here in Toronto.

Or maybe the excitement comes from trying to guess just who Gretzky, Lowe and Tambellini will recruit to represent our country.

I did some thinking and here's who I'd select to wear the Canadian National Team jersey at next summer's World Cup.

GOALIES:
Martin Brodeur- New Jersey Devils; Roberto Luongo- Florida Panthers; Jose Theodore- Montreal Canadiens.

Brodeur is a no-brainer. Now that Patrick Roy has retired he is easily the best goaltender in the NHL. I like Luongo because of his play in last springs' World Championships and his commitment to the National Team program. And Theodore because the bigger the game the better he plays.

DEFENCE:
Rob Blake- Colorado Avalanche; Adam Foote- Colorado Avalanche; Scott Niedermayer- New Jersey Devils; Ed Jovanovski-Vancouver Canucks; Chris Pronger- St. Louis Blues; Eric Brewer- Edmonton Oilers; Wade Redden- Ottawa Senators.

These first six names won gold for Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano and all deserve to be back. Wade Redden, some say, should have made the team in 2002. Now it seems likely he will take the place of Al MacInnis, who will be 41 at the time of the tournament.

Others to consider: Jay Bouwmeester- Florida Panthers; Derek Morris- Colorado Avalanche; Chris Phillips- Ottawa Senators, Bryan McCabe- Toronto Maple Leafs, and Barret Jackman- St. Louis Blues. If the team carries a taxi squad any one of these players could be a member.

OFFENCE:
Mario Lemieux- Pittsburgh Penguins; Joe Sackic- Colorado Avalanche; Paul Kariya-Colorado Avalanche; Jarome Iginla- Calgary Flames; Todd Bertuzzi- Vancouver Canucks; Joe Thornton- Boston Bruins; Brendan Shanahan- Detroit Red Wings; Ryan Smyth- Edmonton Oilers; Simon Gagne- Philadelphia Flyers; Dany Heatley- Atlanta Thrashers.

Others to consider: Anson Carter- NY Rangers; Jason Williams- Philadelphia Flyers; Mike Peca- NY Islanders; Vincent Lacavalier- Tampa Bay Lightning; Alex Tanguay-Colorado Avalanche; John Madden- New Jersey Devils; Eric Lindros- NY Rangers.

There is a real possibility that both Mario and Dany Heatley won't be available for health reasons; and there's an outside chance that a veteran like Brendan Shanahan might opt out. If that's the case, look for Gretzky and his coaching staff to take a long, hard look at Tanguay, Lecavalier and Madden to fill those spots. The Wayner has already said that Bertuzzi and Thornton are shoo-ins.

As for coaches, who knows. I love the job that Pat Quinn, Jacques Martin and Ken Hitchcock did in Nagano, but perhaps it's time for some new faces. How about Kings coach Andy Murray assisted by Devils' Pat Burns and Bob Hartley of the Thrashers?

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A Ridiculously Early Guess at Canada's World Cup Team [ Click Here ]