Canada needs a permanent, year-round men's national hockey team

Exhilarating international hockey did not begin with the now legendary 1972 Summit Series between Canadian National Hockey League players and the national team from the then USSR.  

It began many years before that with top amateur teams.

Fifty-one years ago this month, another contest between Canadian and Soviet squads thrilled hockey enthusiasts in Winnipeg — and it speaks to the reason why Hockey Canada should support a permanent year-round national men's team again.

The crowd of some 10,000 people, including my father and me, erupted into a standing and spontaneous roar of approval.- Martin Zeilig

I still retain dramatic memories of the winning goal in the championship game of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association's Centennial Hockey Tournament, which took place from Dec. 31, 1966 to Jan. 6, 1967 at the old Winnipeg Arena.

A sizzling slapshot from just inside the blue line by defenceman Carl Brewer late in the third period gave the Canadian national team, or the Nats, a 5-4 victory over the vaunted Soviet national team. It was our own miracle on ice.

The crowd of some 10,000 people, including my father and me, erupted into a standing and spontaneous roar of approval. 

After the post-game ceremony, which included the obligatory handshake between the two teams, Canadian captain Roger Bourbonnais held the Centennial Trophy high over his head as he skated around the rink before passing off the silver chalice to his teammates. The fans, most of whom remained for the trophy presentation, cheered in appreciation once again.

That's the kind of exciting world-class hockey a national team could deliver.

Long history of world-class national teams

That tournament, which was held to mark the imminent 100th anniversary of Canada's Confederation, also included the national teams of Sweden and what was then Czechoslovakia, plus a squad representing the United States.

But there was a long history of world-class national hockey teams in Canada even before that.

Years earlier, the Royal Canadian Air Force Flyers won gold in men's ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland — 70 years ago this February.

Then, during the 1950s and early 60s, Canada was represented internationally by Allan Cup-winning senior amateur club teams.

"In 1962 Father David Bauer gained the approval of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association for the concept of a Canadian Olympic hockey team," according to Historica Canada.

In September 1963, a group of university players began training under Bauer — who had coached the St. Michael's  Majors from Toronto to the 1961 Memorial Cup championship — at the University of British Columbia.

A national men's team could, again, become the way for Canada to be represented at major international ice hockey tournaments, including the Olympics.- Martin Zeilig

And by 1965, a permanent national team was established in Winnipeg, Historica Canada's website says. Coached by Jackie McLeod and managed by Father Bauer, that team won the bronze medal in the 1968 Winter Olympics Games in France.

Besides former Toronto Maple Leafs star Carl Brewer, Jack Bownass — a native of Winnipeg who had played 80 games in the NHL and in other pro leagues — was also a member of the Nats that season. Both men had regained their amateur status.

The majority of team members, though, were players with no professional experience — like the diminutive, swift-skating, slick play-making Fran Huck, who went on to play in the NHL and the now defunct World Hockey Association. In 1999, Huck, who played with the Nats from 1965-1969, was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation's Hall of Fame.

The men's national team was a full-time program until 1968.

It was revived for the 1980 Games at Lake Placid, New York, where the team was defeated by the Soviet Union, Finland and Czechoslovakia to finish out of the medals, says Historica Canada. 

Time for a new national team

Hockey Canada should consider this concept of a permanent, year round men's national team. It should seek support from the NHL which, as the public knows, has refused to participate (for understandable but still disappointing and regrettable reasons) in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea next February. This would benefit the NHL, too.

A national men's team could, again, become the way for Canada to be represented at major international ice hockey tournaments, including the Olympics — but only if the NHL decides not to participate at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in China and, instead, focuses on the World Cup of Hockey as an alternative.

Such a squad should be a blend of our best university players, some junior players, and even Canadian pros in Europe and minor pro leagues in North America. (In fact, players from Europe and minor pro leagues will skate for Canada in South Korea.)

Let them gel together as a team over a year or even a six-month period.

Such a squad, under the guidance of top coaches and trainers, could compete at the highest levels of ice hockey. After all, it has proven to be a successful format for Canada's women's hockey team over the years. 

Let's think outside the box. It's worth considering.

Go, Canada, go.

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