North America existing only in the back of Team Canada minds
Shea Weber emerged from the dressing room following Canada's practice Monday at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto prepared to deflect questions about Team North America.
"Packers and Vikings. Great game. Vikings played well," the defenseman said, his wry smile demonstrating just how much pride he took in derailing the line of questioning.
After the young upstarts stole headlines at the World Cup of Hockey with an undeniable performance Sunday against Finland, inquiries about Team North America are to be expected.
The buzz hasn't quite infiltrated the Canadian locker room, though. Besides, everything would have to fall perfectly into place in order for Canada and North America to square off at the tournament, in a contest that would generate interest akin to the Sochi Olympic final two years ago.
Maybe later
So, while each recognized the ease with which North America dispatched one of the best national programs in the world, just one of four Canadian players polled Monday were willing to admit they even set aside time to tune in.
Brad Marchand said he came away impressed with the performance, how the 23-and-unders organized themselves in the defensive zone, and backchecked with purpose. He noticed the discipline they had within their system, noted the "insane" amount of passes completed in the lead-up to Jonathan Drouin's goal, and said that, overall, he had fun watching the kids play.
But he never pondered just how Canada might fare against the group.
"It's a ways away, so I haven't thought about it, but they are obviously a great team," Marchand told theScore. "They play with a tremendous amount of speed and skill."
Alex Pietrangelo was another player who chose to watch Aaron Rodgers and Sam Bradford sling it instead of keeping his eye on Group B.
The St. Louis Blues captain wasn't making inferences from the 4-1 score when touting North America's balance up and down the lineup. He's been convinced the kids would show well since the pre-tournament.
"They might have caught us off guard at first with how quick they were in those exhibition games, but it's no secret now," Pietrangelo told theScore. "We know what they're capable of."
One at a time
It's characteristic of a Mike Babcock-coached team to have blind focus, and not look too far ahead. What's immediately in front of the Canadians is Tuesday's clash with the United States, and a chance to not only earn a semifinal berth, but also eliminate their biggest rivals.
Babcock, of course, is following that doctrine. But considering the manner in which he praised Team North America, and the idea to bring those kids together in the first place, it suggests he'd welcome the challenge of toppling the game's future stars.
"What a great way to showcase the NHL 10 years from now," Babcock said about the North America concept. "That to me is one of the most exciting things about this tournament."