Johnny Misley met the Canadian player for Davos Daigle and Black

During the European Tournament which saw Canada playing national games against Switzerland and Germany and the German Cup, Team Canada's Executive Vice-President Johnny Misley used the opportunity to visit Davos and made a not-so-startling revelation: "If we want to defend our title at the Spengler Cup, we will have to call on our abilities and play intensively to succeed."

Johnny Misley, Executive Vice-President of Team Canada, lives in Calgary.  Consequently, his contact with the Canadian players throughout the year is restricted primarily to telephone and email conversations.  Ironically, his trips to Europe give him a golden opportunity to have much more contact with the Canadian team playing in Europe.  And ever since the team first participated in 1984, one of the year highlights is the Spengler Cup in Davos.  Recently Misley along with Mark Black (co-ordinator of the Canadian national team) visited the region.  His visit revolved around an inspection of the locker rooms and accommodations which the team can expect during the Spengler Cup, and he held conversations with the organizing committee.  Olympic Committee President Fredi Pargätzi was very pleased with Misley's visit, "It is a pleasure to see that the Spengler Cup is so high on the Canadians' list of priorities."

Proud to attend

In the coming weeks, the final line-up for the defending champions at the Spengler Cup will begin to crystallize.  The final team member nominations will be announced only in December.  For the training staff, it is naturally very important to form the group of talented players into a cohesive team in the shortest time possible - this accelerated schedule is contrary to what is the norm for club teams.  Before the first serious game in a tournament like the Spengler Cup, the teams will have had perhaps only two occasions to train together.  A huge factor in the success of the team is the pride in playing for one's country, but also required is a sincere harmony between players, coach and staff.   Only with this sort of rapport among the team members can the necessary cohesion take place in such a short space of time.

Great expectations

Their expectations for the 2008 Spengler Cup are high.  Team Canada will only be satisfied with a strong defence of their title: "For us, it is important that for each game we play, we also aim for victory."  Back home in Canada, the expectations of the fans are no less lofty, and always want the best performance from their team: "Every year the fans expect us to win the gold medal at the World Championships or at the Olympics.  And every year we do our best to succeed at these challenges."  Nevertheless, Johnny Misley places a great value on the overall level of play at the Spengler Cup: "Each of the five teams attending is equally capable of taking home the trophy."

The fact that the tournament challenges the players physically and mentally by having five games in six days is a major factor. "The challenge of the Spengler Cup is to be able to cope with the short, intensive tournament schedule and the ability of the players to be able to tap into a maximum of their resources is critical for overall success."   Team Canada will bring a delegation of 120 people, the largest entourage of the tournament.  Among these people will be the family members who will accompany the team in order to celebrate Christmas together before the tournament.  This could be an important factor with a view to winning their 12^th Cup.