CALGARY, Alberta -- It became clear early on Monday just how Hockey Canada would compensate for the lack of an on-ice component at this year's Olympic Orientation Camp. Due to the prohibitive costs of insuring all 46 players -- whose combined NHL salary cap hit rests at about $1.5 billion -- Team Canada coach Mike Babcock employed a ball-hockey walkthrough among other methods to install the systems and terminology that will be used next Feburuary. Much like a minor hockey camp, the players were divided into groups and put through their paces by Babcock and his a sistants. MORE: | | | "I thought it was pretty cool," said Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic. "I know we weren't on the ice but I think a lot was accomplished here today and I know all the guys had fun here and it's very clear now with how the coaches want us to play in Sochi." When asked about how he came up with the idea, Babcock said he drew inspiration from some of his Michigan coaching brethren, in partcular Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo and Detroit Lions quarterback coach Todd Downey. "Tom Izzo is a Hall of Fame basketball coach," Babcock said. "When I phoned him, he was thrilled to talk to me and had a bunch of ideas for me. We talked back and forth, he was able to help me understand the proce s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jersey so we could present something to the players so they could learn but also so I was confident enough that we could do this." Babcock praised Downey effusively. "He was fantastic. Actually, he was brilliant. He had so many good ideas for me," Babcock said. "It's easy for me to come out and run stuff when you're on the ice. That's what I do for a living. This isn't what I do for a living, so I didn't know how it was going to be." This week's drills are intended to lay out the fundamentals and prepare players enough so that when they hit the ice as a team in Sochi, they'll only need a refresher course. "Yeah, you definitely can retain a lot (of the systems)," Lucic said. "We're all smart hockey players, we're all really good players with good hockey sense, that's part of the reason why we're here, so it shouldn't take too long to figure out the systems once we get to Sochi." Babcock was pleased with how smoothly everything went. "We thought this was an excellent day for our team and our coaching staff," he said. "I think the guys had a lot of fun. I talked to a few of the key guys, and they told me it was good." Just getting out on the surface was an important experience for the players as they tried familiarize themselves with the systems and the larger dimensions that they'll encounter in Sochi. "Yeah, it was different for sure but it's still good to physically be out here and just get a feel for exactly the type of system the team will be playing in Sochi," Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "I don't think too many things will change as we go along and I think it's one thing to be on the Olympic sheet and to realize how much space there is out here and how tough it is to get from A to B." Although the players appeared to be loose and laid-back during the ball-hockey se sion, Babcock was loudly hollering out instructions and was actively involved in adjusting how the drills were to be done. Toews took notice of the intensity and the attention to detail. "That's, I think, one of the good things about (Babcock) as a coach. He's very detailed, he's very specific, he requires the attention from all his players and I saw it right away that guys were paying attention to those little details because it does matter," Toews said. Notes: Monday's lines: Group 1: Forwards: Eric Staal/Jonathan Toews/Rick Nash; Logan Couture/John Tavares/Steven Stamkos; Martin St. Louis/Mike Richards/Jeff Carter; Andrew Ladd/Ryan Getzlaf/Corey Perry. Defense: Marc Staal/Drew Doughty; Dion Phaneuf/Brent Seabrook; Jay Bouwmeester/P.K. Subban; Alex Pietrangelo/Travis Hamonic/Dan Hamhuis. Goalies: Roberto Luongo/Mike Smith/Braden Holtby. Group 2: Forwards: Chris Kunitz/Sidney Crosby/Patrick Sharp;Milan Lucic/Matt Duchene/James Neal;Brad Marchand/Patrice Bergeron/Jordan Eberle;Taylor Hall/Jordan Staal/Dylan Walchuk (University of Calgary). Defense: Duncan Keith/Shea Weber;Karl Alzner/Mike Green;Marc-Edouard Vlasic/Dan Boyle;Marc Methot/Kris Letang. Goalies: Carey Price/Corey Crawford. Babcock made it abundantly clear that these lines in no way foreshadowed what we'll see in February. "We made sure that you couldn't read too much into the lines on purpose," he said. "I want every one of these guys knowing they have an opportunity to be an Olympian. Don't read into anything that happened here (Monday)." Christian Roatis is a contributor to Flames Nation, a Sporting News partner. He's on Twitter: . Ray Allen Jersey