For more than 50 years, when best-on-best hockey is being contested, there has been a Maple Leaf of prominence.
Paul Henderson in 1972, Darryl Sittler and Borje Salming in ‘76, Mats Sundin in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, John Tavares in various events, plus coaches Pat Quinn and Mike Babcock, the latter directing Canada’s World Cup entry in 2016, have all been winners.
Now that opportunity knocks for Toronto’s Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Jani Hakanpaa and likely Mitch Marner.
Nylander was already part of Team Sweden prior to the full roster reveal along with Finland’s on Wednesday afternoon, while Matthews is part of the American squad to be unveiled with Canada’s in their entirety just before the Leafs play the Predators on Wednesday evening.
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After the most recent World Cup, there was no window for a high-level tournament, other than the annual world championship that take place while top NHL players are busy in playoffs.
The combination of COVID-19 and the league’s reluctance to shut down in mid-season to send players to the Winter Olympics on the other side of the globe, with incompatible North American broadcast times and other red tape issues, had derailed the concept.
But the players and fans wanted it re-instated and the 4 Nations Face-Off, albeit without Czechia and the banned Russians, was created in part to replace the stale late-January NHL all-star game.
Nylander hopes to follow in the skates of Salming, the darling in ‘76 when the event was partly based in Toronto and full appreciation of his pioneer contributions could be recognized.
As Leafs captain, Sundin didn’t win a Stanley Cup, but his three golds at the world championships were capped by winning the 2006 Olympic title in Turin.
Finland, which has a much-smaller NHL player pool than the Swedes, put Hakanpaa on its list, but at present he’s there only on past reputation.
He has played just two games since March, when he hurt his knee while with Dallas and is currently on injured reserve. No doubt the Leafs would love it if he is there and uses the tourney to help get playoff-ready.
Right winger Marner was not on the initial list released in the summer, but his 33 points in 24 games have put him at the top of charts. Though criticized in Toronto as each spring sees the Leafs encounter early playoff road blocks. Marner is highly regarded by peers such as Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby — his summer training partners — and should thrive with them as he does with Matthews, especially on the power play.
While a Leaf, Henderson scored three winning goals in Moscow to salvage the Summit Series against the former USSR, while then-captain Sittler sank Czechoslovakia with an overtime winner in the elimination game of the Canada Cup.
Matthews was on Team North America with McDavid at the last World Cup as part of a Young Guns team that was so entertaining.
But after joining the Leafs right after as the 2016-17 Calder Trophy winner, he has not been able to flex his talents against McDavid or the much-decorated Crosby at the highest level or play with any number of top Americans who came after him, led by Jack Eichel and Matthew Tkachuk.
Canada opens the 4 Nations Face-off on Feb. 12 against Sweden in Montreal, followed by the Americans versus the Finns the next evening on Boston.
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