By Pierre LeBrun (The Athletic)
TAMPA, Fla. — Jon Cooper said Sunday they’re pretty much there on Team Canada’s Olympic roster.
And I mean, they pretty much have to be with Wednesday’s Olympic roster deadline upon us.
“I’d say we’re crossing our T’s and dotting our I’s at this point,” Team Canada’s head coach said with his trademark smile Sunday afternoon before his Tampa Bay Lightning took on the visiting Montreal Canadiens.
These last few days have seen Cooper and Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong in constant communication as they finalize the 25-player roster for Milan ahead of Wednesday’s deadline. These have been the most painstaking conversations. That final forward debate. The eighth defenseman.
“Ultimately, I’m the coach and he’s the manager,” Cooper said. “You get down to the last player or two, somebody has to make the final decision. And you can sit here and say somebody has 49 percent of the vote and somebody’s got 51 percent (laughs). Usually it’s the manager that has 51.”
All kidding aside, everyone involved with Team Canada has been transparent in sharing that Cooper has lots of say in the roster process. He did for 4 Nations last year and has once again been very involved in the decision-making process for the Olympic team. Armstrong has said all along that he wants it that way because he wants his head coach to be comfortable with the players he has, and how and why they were chosen in specific roles. Team Canada’s GM didn’t see the logic in forcing players on the two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach.
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