Few NHL teams support the annual IIHF World Championship as well as the Edmonton Oilers. And that willing attitude flows from management to coaches to players.

“I think it’s very, very valuable, first of all, to represent your country, no matter where you come from,” said Oilers coach Tom Renney, who led Canada to silver at the 1994 Olympics. “I think it’s almost an obligation that professional athletes should have, recognizing where they’ve come from.”

Even a quick glance at Canada’s historical World Championship rosters shows how seriously the Oilers take their obligations.

For instance, when Finland last hosted the tournament back in 2003, Canada won gold with a roster that featured a whopping five Oilers: forwards Shawn Horcoff, Ryan Smyth, and Mike Comrie, plus defenceman Eric Brewer and Steve Staios.

It was a similar story the following year in the Czech Republic when the Canadians repeated as champs. All the aforementioned Oilers took part again, with the exception of Comrie.

This year, Jordan Eberle will be suiting up for Team Canada for the third straight year. The 21-year-old centre from Regina, best-known among fans of IIHF hockey for his last-minute World Junior heroics in 2009 and 2010, led the Oilers with a career-high 34 goals and 42 assists, placing him 16th in NHL scoring.

Two other players followed with announcing their World Championship participation.

Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk will also grace Canada’s roster for the third year in a row, while super-rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, whose passing has drawn comparisons at times to Wayne Gretzky, will make his Worlds debut. And if Taylor Hall – a number one overall draft pick (2010) like Nugent-Hopkins (2011) – wasn’t nursing a shoulder injury, he’d likely be heading for Helsinki too.

Towering goalkeeper Dubnyk will travel to the Worlds for the third straight time, although he has only played 14 minutes in a 9-1 victory over France. But this won’t prevent him from another experience with Team Canada and trying to earn more ice time this year. Carolina’s Cam Ward will be the other goalie, a third one will join.

18-year-old centre Nugent-Hopkins will appear in his first IIHF tournament ever. He had a strong rookie season with 52 points (18+34) in 62 games and is eager to join Team Canada after missing games due to a shoulder injury.

“You only get so many opportunities to do something like this,” Nugent-Hopkins told the Edmonton Journal. “This is always something I’ve always wanted to do. Getting asked was a big honour for me.”

Clearly, there’s something about the Oilers organization that makes World Championship participation a natural step when the club isn’t vying for its sixth Stanley Cup ever.

It’s not a one-time phenomenon based on, say, the fact that Oilers president Kevin Lowe is helming this year’s Team Canada, or that the 2012 Worlds will determine seeding for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

What is it about the Oilers?

Ryan Smyth is better-placed than anyone else in the Edmonton locker room to answer that question. The 36-year-old left wing earned the monicker of “Captain Canada”, playing in eight IIHF World Championships between 1999 and 2010, and wearing the “C” on his jersey on six occasions.

“It’s a great experience,” Smyth told IIHF.com. “It’s an honour to play for your country. Not only that, you should be playing this time of year anyways. It’s something you’ll remember forever, playing in a different country. You relish every opportunity when you put the skates on, and especially when it comes to playing for Canada.”

Although noted for his gritty play along the boards and willingness to go to the net, Smyth was by no means guaranteed a spot on the golden 2002 Olympic team – unlike, for instance, Mario Lemieux or Steve Yzerman. The Banff native recognizes how much showing up for three straight Worlds before Salt Lake City meant in terms of making his Olympic dreams come true.

“It played a huge part,” said Smyth, also a 2006 Olympian. “You get to understand the international game, the mentality over there, the bigger ice surface. Those opposing players really dig in for their countries. It paid off for me, for sure.”

While Team Canada’s World Championship players do sacrifice a few weeks that they could otherwise spend golfing or relaxing with their families, Smyth notes that Hockey Canada ensures the overseas experience is as smooth and devoid of culture shock as possible: “They don’t just take care of the players coming over, but also their guests. They make it a family-orientated thing. We’re proud Canadians, and they go the extra mile to make you feel comfortable as a player. You’ve just got to go out there and play.”

Smyth is excited about what young Oilers like Nugent-Hopkins and Hall can contribute to Team Canada, both now and down the road.

“They’ve got great careers ahead of them in the NHL, but they’ve also got big-time futures, if things work out well, for Team Canada,” said Smyth. “They should be in the mix for sure.”

And Renney will always encourage kids like these to step up when Hockey Canada comes calling at World Championship time: “It’s especially valuable for young players, where you need to have that playoff experience. Certainly young players should go as long as their health will allow them.”

Nations other than Canada have also gotten good results with Edmonton players. In 2005, the Czechs claimed the world title with Oilers forwards Ales Hemsky and Radek Dvorak on deck. In 2008 and 2009, Edmonton defencemen Denis Grebeshkov was a regular on Russia’s gold medal-winning squads.

It means that almost every spring, with or without the NHL playoffs, fans in the Alberta capital have something to cheer about.

LUCAS AYKROYD

The first 17 Canadian players who have committed to play at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship:

Goalkeepers:
Devan Dubnyk, Edmonton Oilers
Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes

Defencemen:
Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary Flames
Marc Methot, Columbus Blue Jackets
Dion Phaneuf, Toronto Maple Leafs
P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens

Forwards:
Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars
Jordan Eberle, Edmonton Oilers
Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks
Evander Kane, Winnipeg Jets
Andrew Ladd, Winnipeg Jets
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers
Ryan O’Reilly, Colorado Avalanche
Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks
Ted Purcell, Tampa Bay
Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes
John Tavares, New York Islanders