Training Camp Kicks Into Gear As Canada
Readies For World Cup Exhibitions 

August 22, 2004

OTTAWA (CP) - The Canada-U.S. hockey rivalry is ready to resume, but neither side is looking for more than a taste of game action when they meet in a World Cup exhibition game Monday night.

"I think both sides will just want to play well and see where they're at," Canadian veteran Joe Sakic said Sunday. "It's not about this game, it's about how you get better as you approach the tournament. "It's just a test to see where you're at."

Canada wound up three days of fast-paced practices at the University of Ottawa Sports Complex on Sunday with a scrimmage and a shootout to prepare for the first of three pre-tournament games this week.

They play the U.S. in Columbus on Monday night, the Americans again in Ottawa on Wednesday night and Slovakia on Saturday night at the Corel Centre. They also have an intra-squad game on Tuesday.

The United States beat Canada in the final of the inaugural World Cup in 1996, but Canada took revenge by beating the Americans in the Winter Olympic final in 2002 in Salt Lake City.

Because they are both talented teams playing at home on NHL-sized rinks, they enter the Aug. 30-Sept. 14 World Cup as decent bets to meet again in the championship game.

"We won't get too wound up," U.S. coach Ron Wilson said in Columbus. "But it's a little different than a normal training camp exhibition game because the intensity will be there."

Neither side announced its roster for the game as the teams debated whether to dress more than the regulation 20 players for the game.

The Americans suffered their first casualty on Saturday when defenceman Bryan Rafalski of the New Jersey Devils left practice with an undisclosed injury and did not practice on Sunday.

"It's just precautionary," said Wilson. "He won't play but he will practice.

"It's nothing major. He'll probably play Wednesday."

The 26 Canadian players are in top shape and the only question is which of them will sit out when they being the real tournament on Aug. 31 in Montreal against, who else, the United States.

Coach Pat Quinn settled part of it by stating the obvious -that Devils' goaltender Martin Brodeur is his starter, while Roberto Luongo of the Florida Panthers and Jose Theodore of the Montreal Canadiens are the back-ups.

Quinn said Brodeur would start Monday's game and one of the others -almost certainly Luongo -would play the second half. Luongo and Theodore will likely split the second game on Wednesday and Brodeur will go the distance in the final pre-tournament game, Quinn said, cautioning the plan was "subject to changes."

"I do the same in New Jersey," said Brodeur, who won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie the last two years. "I never play full games until the last pre-season game.

"I like to start easy. I feel good. I'm recognizing some of the things I do in the middle of the season. Early in the season, you just want to stop the puck, but today, I wasn't just watching the puck-carrier, I was looking around to see what's going on."

At the 2002 Olympics, Curtis Joseph was the No. 1 goaltender, but after losing the opening game to Sweden, he was replaced by Brodeur, who took Canada to the gold medal.

Now, it's Brodeur's job to lose, but he has two quality young back-ups if he falters. Theodore was the NHL's most valuable player two years ago, although his on-ice training is lagging somewhat because he was a late call-up after Toronto's Ed Belfour pulled out with a back injury.

"I feel I have to play well every day to prove I'm the top guy," said Brodeur. "The two guys here will push me to the end and I think it's healthy competition.

"It's definitely different (than in 2002) knowing you're playing with two guys who are in their first experience playing with the big guys. But I don't want to look at it like that. I don't want to get overconfident."

The Canadians began to practice special teams, but there were no indications of what the power play may look like. Quinn said the team would work on it further in their intra-squad game.

With Chris Pronger and Rob Blake both injured, Canada is without its best power play point men. Quinn said he would experiment with using Sakic and Brad Richards of the Tampa Bay Lightning on the point. Both sometimes play the point with their NHL clubs.

"As players, we just do our best whatever the coaches ask us to do," said Sakic. "I've played some point and up front on our team (Colorado), so it wouldn't be much of an adjustment."

For the World Cup, Sakic has been reunited with his linemates from Salt Lake City -Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames and Simon Gagne of the Philadelphia Flyers.

They promise to be a top line, along with one featuring Richards, Hart Trophy winner Martin St. Louis and captain Mario Lemieux.

"We seemed to have great chemistry at the Olympics and it's nice to get another opportunity to play with those guys," said Sakic.