VANCOUVER -- Losing some of its top executives leaves Hockey Canada with some big skates to fill. Custom Minnesota Timberwolves Jerseys . But Canada has the depth of talent to remain a winner on the international stage, says the man who coached the mens team to back-to-back Olympic gold medals. "I am really confident," Detroit Red Wing coach Mike Babcock said Monday. "The group at Hockey Canada have done great things and have lots of different people. "Thats part of it. Different people get opportunities. They grow from it and they move on. A new group will get an opportunity and thats great." Steve Yzerman, Team Canadas executive director at the last two Winter Olympics, has already said he will not lead the team at the 2018 Games at Pyeongchang, South Korea. Bob Nicholson, who spent 16 years as president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada, stepped down in May to take a job overseeing business operations for the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL. Under Nicholson, Canadian hockey teams won seven Olympic gold medals. Brad Pascall, Hockey Canadas vice-president of hockey operations and national teams, has joined the NHLs Calgary Flames as an assistant general manager. Yzerman said Nickolson always stressed that Hockey Canadas role was to develop people for the next level. "Not only for players, but also for coaches, for managers, for all people," said Yzerman, the former Detroit star who is now general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. "I think Bobs great legacy at Hockey Canada is the structure he set up and the mentality of what we are trying to do in Canada with hockey. Great people will fill those shoes. With Bob Nicholson, those are big skates to fill. But I have no doubt there are tremendous people in this country with a passion and drive. The program will continue to succeed." Babcock and Yzerman were in Vancouver as part of the Hockey Canada Foundation Celebrity Classic. A Monday night gala paid tribute to the 2014 Order of Hockey Canada honourees coach Clare Drake, player France St-Louis and Yzerman. Also attending were members of the Olympic champion mens team, the womens team that won gold at the Sochi Olympics in Russia and the team that won the womens under-18 championship in Budapest. Babcock said Canada can be proud of its Olympic success but must continue to work hard if the country hopes to remain on top of the podium in four years. "You take a lot of pride in being the best," he said. "In order to be the best you have to find the best to win. "Were going to have to continue to grow our game over the next four years. If you want to have success at the next Olympics, 2014s effort wont be good enough to win the next one. We have to keep getting better." The NHL hasnt committed to sending its players to the 2018 Games. Among the leagues concerns are a 12-hour difference between Pyeongchang and the Eastern Time Zone, taking a break in the middle of the regular season, and the danger of players being injured. Sidney Crosby, the Canadas captain in Sochi, understands the problems but still thinks the Olympics are worth the effort. "I go back to my two experiences," said Crosby, who scored the Olympic winning goal in overtime in 2010 in Vancouver. "They were pretty good. "To think of all the things that had to happen to make them work, especially in Russia, it would be a similar case, maybe even a little more difficult the next one. Like I said, representing your country and to have those opportunities, I dont think that ever gets old, no matter what the situation. As a player, you want to be part of that." As a possible alternative to the Olympics, the NHL is discussing with the NHL Players Association about holding a World Cup of Hockey tournament in 2016. Yzerman said a World Cup has the potential to gain the same prestige as an Olympics. "It will take some time," he said. "The Olympics have been around for a long time on the world stage. If done right, I can see it being really successful." Babcock said the Olympics "are so special" because they are watched by people who are not even hockey fans. "My mom never watches sports but she watches the Olympics Games," he said. "People who are not interested in sport still follow it. "I think its the greatest opportunity, best-on-best, to celebrate the sport. Its something you want to be part of and you want other people to be part of. Its a thrill of a lifetime." All three people named to the Order of Hockey in Canada were recognized for their contributions to the game. Yzerman played 22 seasons in the NHL and played for Team Canada eight times, including at two Winter Olympics. As a member of Canadas national womens team St-Louis won five world championships and a silver medal at the 1998 Olympics. In 28 seasons as head coach of the University of Alberta Golden Bears Drake led his teams to six national championships and 17 Canada West titles. Babcock compared Drake to legendary NCAA basketball coach John Wooden. "He is one of the builders of hockey in Canada," said Babcock. "Clare is a gentleman who shared everything he had. He tried to make us all better. "He led the way so guys like myself, who werent NHL players, could one day coach in the NHL." Luol Deng Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, the Green Bay Packers have re-signed the cornerback to a four-year, $39 million deal with a $12. Andrew Wiggins Timberwolves Jersey . 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Miamis defence didnt offer much resistance early in Game 3 of the NBA Finals; the San Antonio Spurs played like they were on the court by themselves. San Antonio made 19 of its first 21 shots and shot a finals-record 75.8 per cent in the first half of a 111-92 victory. Just like last year, Game 3 was a blowout that left the Heat facing a 2-1 deficit. Miami came back to win the series, so nobody was overreacting to what happened Tuesday, especially since the Spurs themselves dont expect to shoot that way again. But the Heat have things to clean up before Game 4 on Thursday, or they risk going back to San Antonio facing the end of their title reign. "Youre always on edge in the post-season, but I dont want to be concerned at this point," James said. "For us, we have to make the adjustments." The Spurs had the same lead last year after a 113-77 victory in Game 3, a start-to-finish beating that was even more thorough than Tuesdays win. So they were taking no satisfaction in their position, and certainly not comparing it. "I dont think about last year at all at this point," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I dont think about last year Game 3, Game 4, at all. This is a different animal and Im just concerned about the game tomorrow night." The bigger concerns belong to the Heat, whose defence was also sliced up by the Spurs in the fourth quarter of Game 1. So Spoelstra gathered his team to look at the painful tape of Tuesdays performance, which featured among its problems: —Chris Bosh getting only four shot attempts after scoring 18 points in Games 1 and 2. —James trying to do too much to rally the Heat and ending up with seven of their 20 turnovers. Jerryd Bayless Timberwolves Jersey. . —Mario Chalmers missing all five shots and falling to 3 for 12 in the finals. "We did not play a good basketball game," Spoelstra said. "All of us have owned that. It doesnt matter ultimately how many you lose by or what the game is like. You have to learn from it, move on." Spoelstra said watching themselves get clobbered on tape was "painful" and "frustrating," but necessary. He wouldnt reveal what he told his players, but whatever it was, James wouldnt have argued. Thats a lesson he said he learned "quite a few years ago, when you realize that it wouldnt change anything." "You know, the coach is always right," James added. "Its like a teacher. Theyre always right, and thats fine. Thats fair. They make the rules and weve got to live by them." Spoelstras process suits the Heat, who have won 13 straight post-season games following a loss. They followed last years Game 3 no-show with a rout of their own to swing the series back in their favour, and are confident they can make corrections before Thursday. But the Spurs, who didnt think they played that well in the first two games, have shown that not even the respected Miami defence can stop them when they execute the way they did Tuesday. "We finally put a game together for not the full 48, but for as long as we could, where we did exactly what we planned to do and executed in that respect," Tim Duncan said, "and thats what were going to need again." No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals, and a victory Thursday would guarantee the Spurs two chances to win the series on their home floor, starting with Game 5 on Sunday. Dwyane Wade said the Heat arent thinking that far ahead. "Were an in-the-moment team," he said. "And right now in the moment is the day after a loss, getting better mentally, physically and then coming into tomorrow and playing the game of basketball here on our home floor and trying to win Game 4. That is all we focus on." ' ' '