It was just announced that former Oilers coach Craig MacTavish, The Captain’s Stanley Cup teammate, has been selected as head coach of the Canadian team for World Championships in Germany in early May. As GM of Team Canada, The Captain shares with us his thoughts on the selection process and his excitement about working with Craig again, as well as their joint hopes and expectations for Team Canada in the tournament:
Selecting Craig MacTavish to coach the Canadian World Championship team was a fairly easy decision. While there are many capable candidates, I have known Craig for over 25 years. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Craig as a person, coach, and a leader. Craig was always someone I looked up to in difficult times as a teammate. He led the Edmonton Oilers to a Stanley Cup appearance in 2005, and has been involved with Hockey Canada for many international tournaments. One of the things I put a lot of emphasis on is synergy within the team management and coaches. I believe the cohesiveness that is critical for team success begins at the top, with management, and I am confident that Craig will be a vital part of that equation.
Having had the opportunity to play for Canada, I think the World Championships are an incredible experience for players, fans, and family members. The European players grow up dreaming of representing their countries in the Worlds. It is a festive celebration of many countries coming together to celebrate the game of hockey. I am really looking forward to representing Canada again on an international level, this time in a management capacity.
The Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament, which came to a close two weeks ago, is one of the biggest weekends of the year in Minnesota hockey. Not only was it an exciting time for the sport of hockey but it was also a very exciting time for The Messier Project as 20 high school teams, including semifinalists Minnetonka and Hill Murray, wore the M11 all season – and during the tournament. Though The Captain was unable to visit Minnesota for this year’s tournament, he shares his thoughts on the action and Minnesota’s leadership role as part of The Messier Project:
It is incredible to see the progress we have made in Minnesota. When I think back to a year ago at this time, we had a prototype of our helmet and an idea to engage the community in our mission to address concussion. Today, Minnesota is a great supporter of The Messier Project and true leaders in the mission to make head protection a top priority in the game of hockey.
Coaches, players, and parents alike are truly engaged in raising awareness about the issue of concussion, and are interested in learning about what can be done to better protect themselves. We now have 20 Minnesota high school teams wearing the M11 – including two of the tournament semi finalists in the AA section, Minnetonka and Hill Murray.
In our discussions with coaches during the tournament, they indicated they felt their players were better protected in the M11 this year and all said their players loved the comfort and performance of the M11. This is incredible feedback, however, to me perhaps as important as wearing the M11, is the players’ receptiveness to take a leadership role in helping to change priorities in our sport. I am very grateful for it! With all the information we have available to us now, the most important factor determining a player’s choice of helmet can not be “the mirror test.” While I personally think the M11 looks great, I applaud the players’ recognition of the importance of protection as the main decision criteria. It is this kind of leadership from the great young players of our game that will truly make a difference. Congratulations to all the players that participated in the tournament and to the Edina Hornets for capturing the title this year. I look forward to getting out to Minnesota to experience this great tournament in the future.
May 2nd, 2010 at 3:04 pm
A M11 helmet, a visor and tight chinstrap is the perfect combination