It’s both. It’s good to see them play, what role they have and how much ice time, stuff like that. But also, you talk to them about what’s coming up. So I have a team in my mind, but I haven’t announced it yet. We’ll see what happens.

You had a team in Stockholm earlier this year that was pretty special. You broke the World Championship “home ice curse” dating back to 1986 and won your first gold medal as a head coach. What did that mean to you personally?

I don’t know. That’s what you’re aiming for all the time, to win something. But that’s behind me now. I’m aiming to win more golds. That’s what’s driving me. What happened in the past is nothing. The next step is the Olympics coming up, and that’s what I’m looking forward to.

The Sedins are playing upwards of 22 minutes a night here in Vancouver under coach John Tortorella. What do you think about that approach?

I think it’s good, because they need a lot of ice time. They had just about the same in Stockholm when we won the gold medal. They need to play more PK and power play and stuff like that. I think they need that much ice time because otherwise it’s tough to perform.

Erik Karlsson came back from a serious Achilles tendon injury last season. How do you like the way he’s rebounded with Ottawa this year?

I think it’s good. He’s a key player for us, especially on the power play. I’m happy that he’s playing well now, because we’ll need him.

For a lot of people, Alexander Steen is one of the biggest surprises this season. He’s always been a good two-way player, but he’s scoring like crazy with St. Louis this year.

He’s doing well. I think it was good for him when he played in Modo [Örnsköldsvik] last year during the lockout. It was kind of different hockey. On the big rinks you have to skate a lot more and you can have the puck more. I’ve always known he was a talented player, but finally he’s found a way to score. That’s good.

You have a lot of great leaders within Tre Kronor. Have you decided on your captain for Sochi yet?

Not yet. In my mind, but I won’t tell you right now. Henrik [Sedin] is a captain, [Henrik] Zetterberg is a captain, we’ve got several guys who could be our captain.

There are close to 60 Swedish NHLers this season. Will there be non-NHL players on the Swedish roster?

There could be. I’m thinking about one or two, no more. You see, we’ve got a lot of young players. It’s good for them to play and see what’s happening. So just one or two.

What are the different challenges you face as a coach in Sochi compared to playing the World Championship in Stockholm?

I don’t know if it’s that’s big of a difference. We’ll meet better players, but our team will also be much better. You have to handle more pressure, perhaps, and help the players to succeed more.

Your first game will be against the Czech Republic. Do you like starting off against a top team instead of playing a weaker team?

Do I have a choice? [laughs] I think it can be good for us. You have to be there right from the start.

At the Worlds, you played the Swiss in the final. People used to assume that Switzerland would lose in the quarter-finals at best. Do you see them now as potentially a medal threat at the Olympics?

No. Not in this time. No. They can’t play that well one more time. But I think they have eight players here in the NHL, and they’re technically good. That’s what I see in them. They’re well-coached. Sean Simpson has done a good job.

You were an assistant coach at the Lillehammer Olympics where Peter Forsberg scored his famous shootout winner. You also had to get past Canada in this year’s quarter-finals in a shootout. So you know how important the shootout can be. Do you like to have a specific plan in advance, or do you base your shooter selections on who’s performing well in that game?

You have to scout the opponent’s goalie first to see how he acts and then choose your players. But I think you have to do that before the game starts, so the players have time to prepare themselves a little bit.

What will be the key to winning it all in Sochi?

With so many stars together, they have to accept the ice time they get and be happy when the other guys are successful. That’s the key.