Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
Yeah, wasn't it 2010 when they had Toews playing 3rd line C? He was one of the best Centres in the NHL but not better than Crosby or...I forgot who was #2.
Top end players can play lower-end roles and be bumped up, its a lot harder to get lower-end players to step into Elite roles.
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Lines become pretty fluid when you're at a best on best. The scoring/shutdown lines kind of form over a 1-4 typical setup. How the lines started the tournament weren't how they finished.
The tournament started with Crosby and Bergeron, and Getzlaf and Perry having Nash and Staal rotate as their wingers. Natural chemistry for Getzlaf and Perry, and hoping Crosby and Bergeron would rekindle their chemistry from the 05 World Juniors. Marleau-Thornton-Heatley was brought onto the team as a line, and stayed as a line (also Boyle joining them on the PP with their choice of Hall of Fame calibre defensemen to round it out).
Toews and Richards originally had Iginla and Morrow on their line as the guys rotating as the 13th forward But it was Nash-Toews-Richards that ended up clicking as the shutdown line, with Staal and Iginla clicking with Crosby, and Bergeron being relegated to the 13th forward. Toews ended up leading the team in scoring, so does that make him the #1, #2, #3, or #4 centre? Who really knows.
In the Gold Medal Game it was Getzlaf who had the most ice time in terms of centres (17:52), Toews second (17:19) and Crosby third (16:52). Thornton was a distant fourth (13:33) so Canada basically had three #1s and #4, which is really how it should be for Canada at a best-on-best.