Canada’s Olympic men’s hockey team has made chemistry a priority ahead of the Beijing Games.
Posted at 3:26 p.m.
Two weeks before the tournament opens for the Canadians, against Germany on February 10, the players are trying to get to know their teammates, both on and off the ice, in order to create a better unity.
Currently in Davos, Switzerland for pre-Games training camp, Canada’s head coach Claude Julien believes that between camp and the team’s arrival in Beijing there will be many opportunities for players to get to know each other well and eventually come together as a unit.
This effort will be supported by the two preseason games the Canadians will take part in before the start of the Games. Canada will face Switzerland on 1er February, before flying to Beijing. They will then face off in the United States on February 7.
Without NHL players for second consecutive Games, many of the Olympians on the Canadian team have previously played against each other or together.
According to Julien, the players understand what the “Canadian way” of playing represents, which is tenacious hockey that focuses on effort.
Former NHL player Adam Cracknell recently had a shortened season in Beijing with the Kunlun Red Star of the Continental League. He knows the city well enough if any team member has any questions.
Hockey Canada announced its 25-player squad for the Beijing Games on Tuesday. There is a mix of youth and experience, as the roster includes 37-year-old veteran Eric Staal and rookie Mason McTavish, who is about to celebrate his 19and birthday.