Thursday, December 13, 2001
Gretz delivers a message
By CHRIS STEVENSON -- SLAM! Sports
OTTAWA - Team Canada's Wayne Gretzky had a rather pointed message for Detroit Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman Thursday: mind your business.
Bowman was widely quoted Thursday saying Wings winger Brendan Shanahan would be named to Team Canada, the rest of which won't be officially unveiled until Saturday afternoon at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
"I don't want get into a controversy with Scotty Bowman. I've got a great deal of respect for Scotty Bowman. But I will tell you one thing. Either myself or (assistant general manager) Kevin Lowe will contact the players Saturday morning. Neither me or anybody else has talked to anyone," said Gretzky, who was watching his Phoenix Coyotes play the Ottawa Senators at the Corel Centre.
"I urge people not to believe some of things that are said. Honestly, no one knows who's on the team except for the original eight.
"Nobody has contacted Scotty Bowman."
Gretzky, Team Canada's executive director, said he is worried some players might be led into believing they have made the team. If their name isn't on the list of the final 15 players to be revealed Saturday, that will make the news that much harder to take.
"It's going to be disappointing enough," said Gretkzy. "That's the last thing we want...(people) not on the inside saying somebody is on the team or not on the team. It's going to be an even bigger disappointment. I urge people not to get into that."
Gretzky said he and Lowe will contact the remaining 15 players to be named - they will join forwards Mario Lemieux, Paul Kariya, Owen Nolan, Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman and defencemen Rob Blake, Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger already on the team - just before Saturday's press conference.
Gretkzy said they will wait until then because they are worried word will leak out if players are contacted before then.
"Nobody is going to know until 12:30 (Saturday afternoon)," said Gretzky.
Gretzky, Lowe and the rest of the Team Canada will nail down their final selections Friday, but Gretzky made no secret of the fact he doesn't like the way he's been forced to handle the naming of his team. Gretzky said he didn't like the fact eight players had to be named last spring, though he said he understood the logistics of the decision. Olympic organizers wanted the names of eight players so they could use their names and likenesses for marketing purposes.
"It's not fair to name one group of eight," he said. "You don't win with eight or lose with eight. You win or lose with 23. The next time around they should name 23 at one time."
2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
