The Atlanta Thrashers Associate General Manager discussed the Team Canada roster exclusively with latenightvampire.com, just after it was announced this afternoon. He thought the toughest decisions for Steve Yzerman and the hierarchy were the omissions of Martin St.Louis, Brad Richards, and Steve Stamkos. There are several players who Dudley is as familiar with, as anyone working in the National Hockey league. Dudley was with the Lightning when Dan Boyle was on their blue line as a Stanley Cup winner, and recalled how assistant coach Craig Ramsey, now in the same role with the Boston Bruins, worked with him in developing Boyle’s defensive game. Dudley, the former Sabres power forward, is particularly keen on Dan Boyle’s character attributes. Specifically, he admires the Ottawa native’s desire to be “the guy” in pressure situations. He says the Sharks defenseman wants to have the puck when everything is on the line, and responds very well when the heat is on. Dudley says that Boyle always had the “jam” in his game, going back to his college days. The former Panthers, Senators,Blackhawks, and Lightning executive, Dudley also remembers how Ramsey taught Boyle to “play the clock and the scoreboard”, and also taught him to properly use “angles and leverages” in order to become a complete defenseman.
Prior to joining the Thrashers, Dudley was an Assistant G.M. with Chicago, so he is very aware of the dynamics that make up Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Jonathan Toews. Dudley told latenightvampire.com that Seabrook and Keith are high character types, who understand that the “collective good “is what leads to individual success and that there are players in hockey and other professional sports, who have it the other way around, placing individuals goals ahead of team goals. Dudley illustrated his point by stating that the two Hawks “D” men, along with Dan Boyle, are the types who, if necessary, “ will drop face first in front of a shot” for their team in a key situation. An alumnus of Port Credit High School, Dudley says that Jonathan Toews character is “off the charts,” in terms of his focus and dedication to team success. He also added that for those who wondered about Danny Heatley in terms of being a team player, those questions were answered at the world championships.
Generally speaking, Rick Dudley says the common elements to this Team Canada roster, that went into their selection from his perspective, are the character of players “who will do anything to win, great skaters, and high skill.”