Armstrong on Olympic roster selection: ‘We’re going to pick the best team at that time’
Published
Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong has thought a lot about the 4 Nations Face-Off in the months following the February tournament.
Canada beat the United States in overtime in the gold-medal game as Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid scored the game-winning goal.
But one of the tournament’s most talked-about moments came in the round-robin match between the two teams as three fights broke out in the first three seconds of the game.
USA’s Matthew Tkachuk took on Canada’s Brandon Hagel off the opening faceoff, while his brother, Brady, dropped the gloves with Sam Bennett the next faceoff. Canadian defenceman Colton Parayko then tussled with American forward J.T. Miller to cap off the three fights. The Americans would go on to win 3-1.
When asked about roster construction at Canada’s centralization camp in Calgary on Thursday, Armstrong said the 4 Nations tournament is a good example of what to consider.
“I’ve thought quite a bit about that tournament as a whole,” said Armstrong. “And I think the Olympics are going to be played very similar to that, minus 12 seconds [the fighting]."
There are 42 players in Calgary for camp, with Armstrong adding there are more players on their radar who aren’t present. Forwards Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart and Brayden Point as well as defenceman Cale Makar were the first six players named to the Olympic roster back in June, but Armstrong says while the 4 Nations was important, there are opportunities for players who weren’t there to earn Olympic spots.
“We’re going to pick the best team at that time with [the] understanding that experience does play a part of it,” he said.
Armstrong says goaltending spots up for grabs
Of the 42 players in camp, management opted to invite just three goaltenders: Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill and Samuel Montembeault, the same trio that represented Canada at the 4 Nations.
Armstrong, who is the St. Louis Blues GM, doesn’t shy away from his admiration for Binnington, who backstopped St. Louis to the franchise's first Stanley Cup title in 2019.
“I think everyone knows I have a soft spot for Jordan Binnington,” said Armstrong. “[Winning the Cup] in my day job doesn’t happen without him, and the 4 Nations what he did in the overtime and to get us to overtime [in the gold-medal game].”
Binnington played all of Canada’s games, with Hill serving as the backup and Montembeault as the No. 3. Despite opting to bring those three goalies to Calgary, Armstrong says others are being considered for the final roster.
“Ultimately, that’s probably the most open competition on our group right now,” said Armstrong. “We’re here with three goaltenders because we talked about the actual number that are going to be participating. We didn’t really want to have that many goalies in one spot.
“We decided to go with the three [goaltenders] but I’ve reached out to the other goalies we believe have a legitimate chance and told them the thought process behind bringing the three. They all understood that, and I gave the vision of scouting we’re going to do and then we’re going to take the best guys that give us the best chance to win on Jan. 1 when we pick the team.”