And there were plenty of tough choices for Wayne Gretzky and Company. Heck, you could have reprised the 2002 Olympic Team that won the gold medal and not gotten much of a complaint from anyone.
But Canadian officials figured - quite wisely - that the World Cup is a different beast from the Olympics. NHL-sized rinks, NHL rules and the like add up to some small, but key differences, so Team Canada acted accordingly, putting together a fast, physical team. There was never any question about talent.
And Canada has reached into the pool of younger players for the 2004 World Cup. After all, no changes can lead to stagnation and that's not a winning formula. So welcome Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau, Roberto Luongo, Brad Richards, Robyn Regehr, Joe Thornton and Martin St. Louis.
And Gretzky wasn't kidding when he said that players heeding Canada's call to play in the World Championships would get a serious look. In all, seven players from the 2003 World Championships team made the World Cup roster and six from the 2004 contingent.
"You want to reward guys who play in the World Championships," said Kevin Lowe, the Edmonton Oilers' GM, who is Gretzky's assistant on Team Canada.
Gretzky pointed to Dallas' Brenden Morrow as a player who benefited from playing at the World Championships.
"He was one guy who really jumped out at us with his play in Prague," Gretzky told reporters.
And excelling during the Stanley Cup Playoffs never hurts your chances, either. Regehr's tremendous play for the Calgary Flames this spring opened some eyes and now he joins Canada's eight-man contingent of defensemen. That's got to be one of the most exclusive clubs you'll ever find.
"The recognition is nice and that feels good, but I have a big game to get ready for-there's lots of work ahead here," Regehr told reporters on the eve of last weekend's game against the San Jose Sharks. "I'm not thinking about (the World Cup). I'll probably think about it more when I have some time off this summer."
"Some guys can play under pressure and some can't and the players in the NHL know the guys who can," Gretzky said when quizzed about adding the Flames' Jarome Iginla and Regehr. "See what Iginla did in Game 7 in Vancouver and see what Regehr did with the challenge here -- they took it to another level. Regehr represents what Canadian hockey players represent -- he plays hard, he plays unselfishly and he earned it."
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They don't come much tougher than Yzerman as Gretzky remembered from the 2002 Olympics when Yzerman continued to play at a high level despite a serious knee injury.
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Older and better -- Just because Team Canada added some younger players, it doesn't mean there isn't a need for razors in the dressing room. There is plenty of highly experienced players on the roster, most notably Mario Lemieux, who will reprise his role as Canada's captain, and Detroit's Steve Yzerman, who made the team because, well, he's Steve Yzerman.
"Steve Yzerman is the consummate professional," said Gretzky, who then told a funny story about calling Yzerman to let him know he was on the team and Yzerman figuring he was getting a courtesy call to tell him he didn't make the cut.
But they don't come much tougher than Yzerman as Gretzky remembered from the 2002 Olympics when Yzerman continued to play at a high level despite a serious knee injury.
"The trainer said, 'I want you to know if this was the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals, I wouldn't let him play.'" Gretzky recalled. "And he went out and played on one leg."
Crazy man -- Far be it from the Flyers' Jeremy Roenick to let a good gag go unused. He was surrounded by reporters last weekend who wanted to know if he would play against Tampa Bay after suffering one of those dreaded "upper body injuries."
In response to the questions, Roenick stumped for Flyers teammates Keith Primeau and Mark Recchi, who weren't named to the team.
"I can't see how Gretzky kept them off the Canadian team," Roenick said. "I am shocked, utterly shocked."
But Jeremy, are you OK?
"I am really shocked that Gretzky kept Primes off the Canadian team. That's insanity in my opinion."
But your playing status?
"Gretzky is crazy ... "
Brian Sutter returns -- As Darryl Sutter prepares his Flames for the Stanley Cup Finals, older brother Brian is preparing to return behind the bench of the Chicago Blackhawks, having signed a one-season extension.
The Blackhawks also have hired former Washington Capitals coach Bruce Cassidy as an assistant coach.
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Brian Sutter is preparing to return behind the bench of the Chicago Blackhawks, having signed a one-season extension.
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"He was a defenseman and we feel he will help our defense," Hawks GM Bob Pulford said. "We now have designated areas where each of our assistant coaches will work on."
Cassidy was a first-round pick of the Blackhawks in the 1983 Entry Draft, but an injury prevented him to capitalizing on his career.
"He would have been a great defenseman if he hadn't gotten hurt," said Pulford, referring to asevere knee injury that Cassidy sustained playing box lacrosse.
Credit where credit is due -- Darryl Sutter could have basked in the adulation that has followed the Flames' successful season, but he was quick to laud the efforts of former Calgary GMs Al Coates and Craig Button for assembling much of the talent on the team. Sutter also tipped his cap to Dean Lombardi, who was the GM of the Sharks when Sutter coached there.
"You know what gets overlooked?" Sutter said. "Dean Lombardi did an unbelievable job putting most of that team together. And this team here is mostly still Coates' players and Craig's players."
More credit -- Losing in the Western Conference Finals was a bitter pill for the San Jose Sharks, who put together a wonderful 2003-04 season. Coach Ron Wilson was quick to credit the Flames for their achievement.
"You've got to tip your hat to Calgary," Wilson said. "They work hard; they're well coached, and they wear you down. There wasn't a guy on our team that didn't empty the tank tonight. It just wasn't enough."
"I don't know what to say so I probably shouldn't say anything," center Mike Ricci said. "We're disappointed for sure."
"We came up a little short tonight, but it wasn't for a lack of trying," winger Todd Harvey said after Wednesday night's loss. "It was a tough series; they battled hard, so did we. You have to give them credit. They got it done at home and we didn't get the job done at home. We played our hearts out. I don't think we can leave this place with our head hanging. We've come a long way in a short period of time."
Well said.
Material from personal interviews, wire services, newspaper, and league and
team sources was used in this report.
