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Torts: Don't Be A Kaepernick |
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Team USA head coach John Tortarella has a message for his 23 man roster of superstar hockey players:
If you want to be the NHL equivalent of Colin Kaepernick and sit during “The Star-Spangled Banner”, you will be embarrassed then stapled to the end of his bench during the upcoming World Cup Of Hockey.
In other words, if you know what is good for you, don't go there.
Tortorella told ESPN on Tuesday that players who disrespect the U.S. national anthem by sitting during it''s in-arena presentation in Toronto will never play for him during the two week tourney.
“If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game,” Tortorella said.
Torts isn't messing around. He obviously isn't impressed by Kaepernick, the 49ers quarterback whose refusal to stand at attention during the national anthem at a preseason NFL game in August.
Kaepernick's refusal to stand during the anthem has ignited an inferno of both passionate opposition and support.
Last week during "Military Appreciation Night" in San Diego, Kaepernick, who is protesting police brutality against black Americans, knelt rather than sit during the anthem. Kaepernick's 49ers teammate Eric Reid took a knee in solidarity with the embattled signal caller on the sidelines. U.S.A. soccer player Megan Rapinoe mimicked Kaepernick on Sunday. Seattle Seahawks defense back Jeremy Lane sat down for the anthem before a game last week, and said he would continue to support Kaepernick during the NFL regular season which kicks off later this week.
Team USA players cannot say that they weren't forewarned in advance of the World Cup Of Hockey.
Recent Boston Bruins UFA signee and Team USA veteranDavid Backes recently told USA Today that barring an injury or poor play, Tortorella shouldn’t have any reason to bench him.
“(Kaepernick) is going to do his thing, but I salute those who have stood for our country, who have died and given limbs and lives for us," Backes said. "I will salute that flag every time it is raised."
Devils goalie Cory Schneider, who is one of three netminders on the roster, said he and his teammates are focusing on national pride.
“It’s (Kaepernick’s) right to do, but everyone here is just concentrating on representing their country and their flag,” Schneider said in a USA Today interview.
Why is Tortarella so adamant about the U.S. national anthem and it's significance?
The Columbus Blue Jackets head coach's son Nick in a U.S. Army Ranger who is currently deployed, causing Torts to change his lcoaching vocabulary. Tortarella has pledged to stop referring to hockey games as "wars" or "battles."
Team USA will play an exhibition game against Canada on Friday in Columbus, Ohio.
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Auston Matthews is paying his dues.
The first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft is currently playing an unfamiliar role as his team prepares for the World Cup Of Hockey.
Head coach Todd Mclellan is using Matthews as his thirteenth forward at Team North America training camp in Montreal. If Matthews wants more time on ice, he is going to have to leverage it away from other players at his center position. Super centers Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid are Team North America's top centers in Team North America training camp. If Matthews wants ice time, he will have to take it away from McLellan's veteran Edmonton Oil pivot Ryan Nugent Hopkins.
Such is life as an 18 year old in the NHL.
Well, not quite the NHL. Yet.
It's the World Cup Of Hockey but it looks, smells, feels, and plays like the NHL.
Here are the forward lines, D pairs and goalie trio from Tuesday's skate:
Here’s how Team North America looked today:
Forward
Drouin-McDavid-Schiefele
Gaudreau-Eichel-Saad
Larkin-Nugent-Hopkins-MacKinnon
Matthews/Miller-Couturier- Trocheck
Matthews took turns at times with RNH along with Larkin and MacKinnon. I'm told that Larkin received the majority of those reps on Tuesday.
Matthews also got a few looks on the second PP unit.
"I'm trying to earn as much ice time as I can and build my way up the lineup," Matthews said. "That's just the way it goes. I don't have time", Matthews said.
Defense
Rielly-Ekblad
Gostisbehere -Trouba
Murray- Jones
Colton Parayko
Goal
Murray
Gibson
Hellebucyk
Matthews is okay with having to earn his 5 on 5 and power play TOI. After all, he is the new kid on the block.
"I'm fine with it. I'm the younger guy, the youngest guy on the team. Everybody here has had experience in the NHL, I haven't. I definitely need to earn my way up the lineup."
The kid is in a precarious position in that he has never suited up and skated in an NHL practice, let alone an honest to goodness NHL game. Matthews will play for Team North America before he skates his first training camp practice of his Toronto Maple Leafs career.
Team North America teammate Nathan MacKinnon, 21, knows a thing or three about being the first overall pick in the NHL having been the top pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2013.
MacKinnon offered a cautionary tale to Matthews on Monday.
“A lot of hype. A lot of expectations A lot of noise. He’s a hot topic,” said MacKinnon told media after Team North America's first practice in Montreal.
“Going first to Toronto? Yeah, he’s going to be a focal point.”
Matthews admitted that he has a lot to learn still about being a professional hockey player. Perhaps he will absorb the advice and observe the good habits of his fellow under-23 teammates.
“I’m sure it’s going to change quite a bit,” Matthews said. “But, it’s something I’ve worked towards for my whole life and dreamed of since I was a little kid. You want to have fun with it. Enjoy it as much as you can.
“You’re close to living out your dream.”
“It’s a little nerve wracking, in a sense that you’ve never played at the NHL level, nevertheless the top of the top,” he said. “For me I just want to learn as much as possible, and just have fun with it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, this tournament.”
Buffalo Sabres center and 2015 second overall pick was asked about Matthews and his NHL learning curve.
"Obviously you’re better with a year through the NHL than you were before; he’ll be better in 12 months than he is now."
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Imagine a world where Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid are playing on the same power play unit. That would be some kind of spectacular power play unit, eh?
Welcome to Team North America.
As Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News tells it, Todd McLellan is playing Eichel and McDavid together on the PP in practices and will likely do so on Thursday night when the young studs play Team Europe in an exhibition game in Montreal.
On Tuesday, Eichel and McDavid played forward with Columbus’ Blue Jackey power forward Brandson Saad. Florida Panther defenseman Aaron Ekblad and Winnipeg Jets center Mark Schiefele rocked the PP points.
“There’s a lot of talent out there,” McDavid said. “And it works out well that we’re kind of all different shots and there’s one-timers on other side, so it’s obviously a huge benefit.”
McDavid lurks in the slot while Eichel and Saad get open looks from the dots to the half walls.
Ekblad and Scheifele have bombs for clappers and will be looking to get shots and pass through to Eichel, McDavid and Saad.
That's some kind of grotesque amount of skill on a 5 man unit.
“We’re really moving the puck around,” Eichel said. “There’s really so many good players who can be on the power play. It’s a very versatile group and we’ll see how it goes. it’s good to have that.”
While pairing Eichel and McDavid together seems like it was scratched on the legal pad by Team North America coach Todd McLellan months ago, the Edmonton boss said there was plenty of study done on the subject.
“What we did was look at where they’re comfortable and what positions they play with their club team,” McLellan said. “Everybody has a tendency to migrate to a certain spot on the power play ... our staff has done a really good job of looking at that. It presented itself that those two wouldn’t migrate to the same spot in the offensive zone and that allowed them to play together.”
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