What other answer would you expect?
When you ask a Canadian hockey coach who is in charge of an NHL team in a Canadian market who he’s picking to win gold in the men’s hockey tournament at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, there’s probably only ever going to be one answer.
“Of course I’m going to say Canada,” said Calgary Flames head coach Ryan Huska.
With his team having just beaten their arch-rival Edmonton Oilers in their final game before the Olympic break on Wednesday evening, the Flames were in good spirits as they prepared for a little time away from the Saddledome.
Martin Pospisil, who will be joining Slovakia, is the only Flames player who will be making the trip to Italy to represent his country in the first best-on-best Olympic men’s hockey competition in a decade.
Rasmus Andersson was chosen to play for Sweden, but he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in January.
MacKenzie Weegar was on Canada’s radar, but didn’t make the final cut and it’s honestly shocking that Mikael Backlund wasn’t called up as an injury replacement — at the very least — by Sweden.
What are the Flames doing over the break?
So, instead of hopping on flights across the Atlantic, most of the Flames will be decamping to warm, tropical locations for a little badly needed rest and relaxation. Hopefully, finding ways to watch the games will be their biggest stress over the next couple weeks.
“Get a vacation, get the mind right,” Weegar said. “I’ll definitely try to watch the games, for sure. It’s best-on-best and you get to see (Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid) playing together and there’s just lots of cool storylines.
“It’s been so long for everybody. I know 4 Nations (Face-Off) was a bit of a sneak peek, but this is the real deal.”
The break is coming at a good time for the Flames. Beating the Oilers meant they went their separate ways with smiles on their faces, but it still has been a challenging stretch.
Never mind the relentless grind caused by the condensed NHL schedule this season, there also has been the mental challenge that has come with fighting through a catastrophic start to the season, their December resurgence and then a disappointing 4-8-2 record in January that saw them plummet back down the standings.
Add in the Andersson trade and the further speculation that has swirled around guys like Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman, and a break begins to sound pretty nice, doesn’t it?
“I just told them to enjoy whoever they’re going to spend time with and make sure they get away for a few days and be safe,” Huska said. “I think at this time of the year, it’s weird that you get three weeks off. So the importance for the players is to unplug and let go for a few days and then it’s about making sure they’re following the plan that (director of sports performance Rick Davis) would have for them while they’re gone and when we get back here, it’s kind of (like) training camp for them again.
“It is important for them to be able to have a mental break and I think that’s the No. 1 thing. They should enjoy some time with family or friends, wives, girlfriends, whoever they spend time with.”
Who is the coach picking?
Nobody intends on getting completely away from the game, though. These might be professional hockey players and coaches, but the Olympic tournament gives them the rare opportunity to just be fans, too.
Related
They’ll be tuning in and cheering their countries on.
In Huska’s case, he’s picking Canada, no question about it. And after watching his team play the Oilers on Wednesday night, he was more confident than ever in the Canadian team’s chances of bringing home gold.
“You watch 97 (McDavid) play here and I can’t stand it. But as a fan? My god is he something to watch,” Huska said. “It’s hard when you’re on a bench trying to coach against somebody, you see the talent and the way he can play the game.
“It’s exciting for us now, when you’re not involved in it, to be able to cheer for players like that.”
www.twitter.com/DannyAustin_9