TORONTO - The World Cup of Hockey was full of surprises for Vinny Lecavalier long before the tournament started.
When Canada filled its roster this spring, the Lightning star wasn't on it. He found that out when reporters asked him for his reaction right after a playoff victory over Philadelphia.
"I was disappointed, but I couldn't do anything about it," Lecavalier said Sunday.
But he did do something - plenty. He raised his play offensively, defensively and physically.
That launched him on a stellar playoff run, culminating with the Lightning's first Stanley Cup championship. It also landed him on Team Canada in place of injured Steve Yzerman.
He didn't just complete the roster; he has become a big reason why Canada will play in the championship Tuesday against surprise participant Finland (4-0-1).
The European Division winner didn't expect to get this far.
"Now I have to wake up because the game is coming," Finland coach Raimo Summanen said. "We have to be hungry when the game starts, otherwise we can't win."
Lecavalier rescued the home nation Saturday when he scored in overtime to lift Canada to a 4-3 victory over the Czech Republic in a tense semifinal matchup.
The 6-foot-4, 207-pound forward is second in scoring in the World Cup with seven points and he has more than proven his worth to 5-0 Canada.
"Vinny has created his offense a bunch of times out of his defensive play," coach Pat Quinn said. "He's a talented young man. He's just beginning his career and he's going to make an impact."
That became evident in the Eastern Conference final against Philadelphia. It marked a high point for Lecavalier, 24, the No. 1 pick in the 1998 draft.
Tampa Bay was a young team that never had been that deep in the playoffs, and it was matched against the experienced Flyers, who were riding the backs of captain Keith Primeau.
"He said that he was looking forward to doing what Primeau was doing against them," said Canadian teammate Simon Gagne, a Flyers forward.
"Every single game he was physical," Lecavalier said of Primeau. "He gets everybody tired the way he plays. I felt that I could bring my physical aspect to help the team in a different way."
He did that by putting the Lightning first and his World Cup disappointment second.
"I was in a different mind-set at that time," he said. "I definitely didn't forget about it but I knew I wanted to focus on winning the Stanley Cup.
"I knew that maybe if I did very well I'd get a chance to play if somebody (got) hurt - and someone did."
BRODEUR IFFY: Martin Brodeur had a wrap on his injured left wrist and said he felt good, just not well enough to join his teammates on the ice in preparation for Tuesday's final. The Team Canada goalie said he hopes to be able to practice today.
