USA relies on veterans to defend World Cup
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 Goaltender Ty Conklin reperesents the new guard on a very veteran Team USA.  |
USA Hockey has had a steady group of national team players since the 1996 World Cup. And the 26-man roster for the 2004 edition of the NHL-NHLPA tournament has the same core of players who represented USA in the 1998 Olympics in Nagano and in Salt Lake City in 2002. Twelve Nagano-98 players will be back this autumn while 13 are Salt Lake City veterans.
This means that Team USA will be by far the most experienced of the eight participants.
Only the goaltending position has seen a total turnover, with Ty Conklin, Rick DiPietro and Robert Esche replacing the retired Mike Richter-John Vanbiesbrouck generation. On defence, Jordan Leopold, 24 and Ken Klee, 33 can be considered as new while Jason Blake, 31, Craig Conroy, 33, Jeff Halpern, 28 are seasoned NHL-veterans but still fresh faces on Team USA.
The only veteran absentee is forward John LeClair (Philadelphia) who represented Team USA in 1996, 1998 and 2002. Also the abscence of forward Scott Gomez (New Jersey) raised some eyebrows.
Read the usahockey.com interview with Jim Johannsen, USA Hockey Senior Director of Hockey Operations, which follows below the roster listing.
GOALTENDERS:
Ty Conklin, Edmonton Oilers (NHL)
Rick DiPietro, New York Islanders (NHL)
Robert Esche, Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
DEFENSEMEN:
Chris Chelios, Detroit Red Wings (NHL)
Derian Hatcher, Detroit Red Wings (NHL)
Ken Klee, Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)
Brian Leetch, Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)
Jordan Leopold, Calgary Flames (NHL)
Aaron Miller, Los Angeles Kings (NHL)
Brian Rafalski, New Jersey Devils (NHL)
Mathieu Schneider, Detroit Red Wings (NHL)
FORWARDS:
Tony Amonte, Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
Jason Blake, New York Islanders (NHL)
Craig Conroy, Calgary Flames (NHL)
Chris Drury, Buffalo Sabres (NHL)
Bill Guerin, Dallas Stars (NHL)
Jeff Halpern, Washington Capitals (NHL)
Brett Hull, Detroit Red Wings (NHL)
Steve Konowalchuk, Colorado Avalanche (NHL)
Jamie Langenbrunner, New Jersey Devils (NHL)
Mike Modano, Dallas Stars (NHL)
Jeremy Roenick, Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
Brian Rolston, Boston Bruins (NHL)
Bryan Smoliniski, Ottawa Senators (NHL)
Keith Tkachuk, St. Louis Blues (NHL)
Doug Weight, St. Louis Blues (NHL)
GM: Larry Pleau
Head Coach: Ron Wilson
Q & A with Jim Johannsen:
As news of the team's announcement was breaking, usahockey.com caught up with Jim Johannson, USA Hockey Senior Director of Hockey Operations, to discuss how the 26-man roster came to life.
usahockey.com: what is the philosophy of building a team of this caliber? What mix of talent, circumstance, size or speed comes into play?
Johannson: There are guys who grow on you, and there are other guys who get on top of their games and really show something that they can bring to a team. There are some players on this roster that if you asked on October 1, Would they be on your team?, the answer is probably not.
There were four meetings over the course of the year, with [head coach] Ron Wilson in one of those meetings. From our standpoint, we think were thorough in discussing the player pool and getting the appropriate feedback before the roster was named.
Each guy brings something different to the table -- there are guys we're going to expect to score, there are guys we expect to be checking against the top players, some we'll expect to be physical, guys we know who can kill penalties and good power play guys. That's for the coach to recognize, and that's why he's in the business. Management's job is to give the coach the best available options for approaching a game, and we're comfortable that has been accomplished.
[Still], we can do everything we want, the bottom line is that the players control their destiny. We just think we have the best people surrounding them in that environment for them to have success.
usahockey.com: Does coming off such a successful year of international hockey change at all the expectations going into the '04 World Cup event?
Johannson: I think with that with this level of player, they have high expectations every time. The core of the group has had some success and it has been injected with some new blood.
usahockey.com: The myriad specific differences are obvious, but, generally speaking, how is selecting a World Cup team different from picking a Men's National team to compete at the IIHF World Championship?
Every player is available. Our expectation now [for the World Cup team] is that no one will be injured, and we'll have the availability of every player, which we do not have at the World Championship. The contract status and insurance issues are not a factor, either, as it's part of the NHL and NHLPA, which has become a bigger and bigger part of the WC.
[Thereâs also] the uncertainty on the horizon of the NHLâs collective bargaining agreement. I don't know how that's going to play out. Some will say, Hey, this might be our last hockey in a while, others might say, Let's go put on a good show here and play part of what we hope continues in our normal NHL environment. Maybe that's a driving force to say, How can we let this game slip away, let's get this worked out.
usahockey.com: Is it hard to, since the event is so near to the selection of the World Cup, leave off players who participated in the IIHF World Championship, and do you hope that the two teams in the future would have more similarities?
Johannson: It's always hard when the management has to select teams -- especially this one and for the Olympics -- because there are a lot of players, obviously more than 26 we're allowed to name, who are exceptional players and have made great contributions to us. [Management has] to make the tough decisions on building the team on the talents that each player would bring to an event, while at the same time, to a degree, [taking into account] the performances of some of these players in our programs and in their NHL season.
The even harder part is for the coaches to use only 20 guys from a stable of 26.
[Regarding the IIHF World Championship], in the future we hope that every American player who is offered the opportunity and is healthy to play, accepts the challenge. It not only enhances their career, but speaks to repressing the good experiences that most, if not all of them, have had throughout our developmental chain -- from festivals to select teams to National Championships. We understand the business side of it, but someday we hope that the opportunity to put on the jersey becomes such a matter of pride that they accept the challenge.
usahockey.com: So many questions about the World Cup, initially in particular, will revolve around goaltending. How do you feel about this trio?
Johannson: This is really the first wave of guys without Mike Richter in net, which might be a focal point in the media, but all three guys coming in have had a lot of success.
As an organization, we feel great. They're all rising in their careers and this will be their first opportunity to be in that spotlight of our very elite level of professional players. So I know they'll all welcome the challenge, as will the team. I think what the 1996 win does is give them the confidence to know that they can win an event of this magnitude. I'm sure that's going to be a motivating factor.
usahockey.com: Were there any individual surprises in the selection process, such as a guy you just felt you couldn't live without?
Johannson: I don't think surprises, but what some guys did during the course of the season and in the World Championship solidified their being named to the team by performance. Larry and Don have a lot of experience in international hockey.
Bottom line is you have to take the best team. In some ways it's impossible to judge if it's the best 26 players because there are different talents, but we think it is or they wouldnât be on the team. But you can't just go look at a stats page and say here's the top 26.
usahockey.com: In some respects, the answer to this question might sound similar to one answered after a draft in which everyone got their guy, but are you happy with the team?
Johannson: The most fulfilling part is that there were a lot of players discussed, which wasn't the case if you reach back to past Canada Cups. I guarantee in 1991 you weren't talking about as many players, or in 1996. Yeah, it hurts not being able to name more players -- you want one guy for one night and one guy for another night because they're good people and good hockey players -- so I think that the rewarding part is that we have a larger and larger pool that is capable of playing at this level. Not long ago, we could always put a formidable team on the ice, but we didn't have nearly the depth of talent that we have now. And in the end, that's probably the most rewarding part.