Some Intriguing Choices

The focus always begins with who was left off.

In '98 it was Mark Messier. In '02 it was Scott Stevens, and then, Sidney Crosby in 2006. This year, the list seems even longer.

All three Calgary blueliners — Dion Phaneuf, Jay Bouwmeester and Robyn Regehr —didn't make the roster. Up front, veterans Shane Doan, Vinny Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Ryan Smyth and Marty St. Louis were excluded after having played well internationally for Canada before.

And what about Mike Green, the NHL's highest scoring defenceman?

Yep, there's going to be debate over this roster.

What seems clear is that Team Canada boss Steve Yzerman decided that the short prep time in Vancouver — just one practice before the tournament began — made it logical to pick some combinations, including the entire San Jose line of Joe Thornton centering Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau.

Anaheim forwards Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf skate together every night. Chicago defencemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are Joel Quenneville's shutdown pair. Familiarity won the day.

So did youth. Drew Doughty, just 20, is the youngest Canadian Olympian in the NHL era. He beat out Mike Green by being a more complete defenceman.

Up front, Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron were linemates at the world juniors in Grand Forks, N.D., in 2005, and they're on this team together.

In other words, Yzerman wasn't particularly interested in going back with the same crew for one last kick at the can, and that cost the likes of Doan, Smyth and Lecavalier roster spots.

Shut out three times in the '06 games, the big question will be whether Team Canada can be more lethal offensively in Vancouver. If it isn't, the players left off the roster will become lightning rods for controversy.

The Roster

GOALTENDERS

Martin Brodeur
Age: 37
Height: 6-2 Weight: 215
Hometown: Montreal
Team: New Jersey
Stats: 35 GP, 24 W, 2.15 GAA

Roberto Luongo
Age: 30
Height: 6-1 Weight: 205
Hometown: Montreal
Team: Vancouver
Stats: 33 GP, 19 W, 2.27 GAA

Marc-Andre Fleury
Age: 25
Height: 6-2 Weight: 180
Hometown: Sorel, Que.
Team: Pittsburgh
Stats: 34 GP, 22 W, 2.49 GAA

DEFENCE

Dan Boyle
Age: 33
Height: 5-11 Weight: 190
Hometown: Ottawa
Team: San Jose
Stats: 7 G, 24 A, +6

Drew Doughty
Age: 20
Height: 6-0 Weight: 211
Hometown: London, Ont.
Team: Los Angeles
Stats: 9 G, 17 A, +7

Duncan Keith
Age: 26
Height: 6-1 Weight: 196
Hometown: Winnipeg
Team: Chicago
Stats: 6 G, 29 A, +10

Scott Niedermayer
Age: 36
Height: 6-1 Weight: 194
Hometown: Edmonton
Team: Anaheim
Stats: 4 G, 20 A, -10

Chris Pronger
Age: 35
Height: 6-6 Weight: 214
Hometown: Dryden, Ont.
Team: Philadelphia
Stats: 5 G, 19 A, +9

Brent Seabrook
Age: 24
Height: 6-foot-3, Weight: 218
Hometown: Richmond, B.C.
Team: Chicago
Stats: 3 G, 13 A, +13

Shea Weber
Age: 24
Height: 6-4 Weight: 234
Hometown: Sicamous, B.C.
Team: Nashville
Stats: 6 G, 15 A, +1

FORWARDS

Patrice Bergeron
Centre
Age: 24
Height: 6-2 Weight: 194
Hometown: Ancienne-Lorette, Que.
Team: Boston
Stats: 10 G, 19 A, +2

Sidney Crosby
Centre
Age: 22
Height: 5-11 Weight: 200
Hometown: Cole Harbour, N.S.
Team: Pittsburgh
Stats: 23 G, 25 A, +14

Ryan Getzlaf
Centre
Age: 24
Height: 6-4 Weight: 220
Hometown: Regina
Team: Anaheim
Stats: 10 G, 31 A, +2

Dany Heatley
Left wing
Age: 28
Height: 6-4 Weight: 220
Hometown: Freiburg, Germany
Team: San Jose
Stats: 23 G, 21 A, +11

Jarome Iginla
Right wing
Age: 32
Height: 6-1 Weight: 207
Hometown: Edmonton
Team: Calgary
Stats: 20 G, 18 A, 0+/-

Patrick Marleau
Centre
Age: 30
Height: 6-2 Weight: 220
Hometown: Aneroid, Sask.
Team: San Jose
Stats: 25 G, 16 A, +15

Brenden Morrow
Left wing
Age: 30
Height: 6-0 Weight: 205
Hometown: Carlyle, Sask.
Team: Dallas
Stats: 13 G, 12 A, +1

Rick Nash
Right wing
Age: 25
Height: 6-4 Weight: 218
Hometown: Brampton
Team: Columbus
Stats: 19 G, 18 A, -12

Corey Perry
Right wing
Age: 24
Height: 6-3 Weight: 206
Hometown: Peterborough
Team: Anaheim
Stats: 16 G, 25 A, +3

Mike Richards
Centre
Age: 24
Height: 5-11 Weight: 195
Hometown: Kenora, Ont.
Team: Philadelphia
Stats: 16 G, 15 A, +6

Eric Staal
Centre
Age: 25
Height: 6-4 Weight: 205
Hometown: Thunder Bay
Team: Carolina
Stats: 8 G, 18 A, -5

Joe Thornton
Centre
Age: 30
Height: 6-4 Weight: 230
Hometown: London, Ont.
Team: San Jose
Stats: 10 G, 44 A, +11

Jonathan Toews
Centre
Age: 21
Height: 6-2 Weight: 210
Hometown: Winnipeg
Team: Chicago
Stats: 11 G, 20 A, +17

COACHES
Head coach: Mike Babcock (Detroit)
Assistant: Lindy Ruff (Buffalo)
Assistant: Ken Hitchcock (Columbus)
Assistant: Jacques Lemaire
General manager: Steve Yzerman

Comments

[ostrichlover]

Jordan Staal should be on ahead of Bergeron. Is this a joke? Also i feel leaving off Vinny and Green are huge gambles.

[Spazzy Mcgee]

I smell a Tin medal after losing in the Bronze to Finland.

[S.M.Frydman]

Fact is, Canada has enough players to make two teams that are competitive. There are always going to be players that we can say "shoulda" but when it comes down to it, its the players with the heart that will win it. Stevie had a tough choice, but I think all of them will play honourably for Canada.

PS: Which Stevie has more pressure? Harper or Yzerman?

[Doug]

Brendan Morrow? Seriously? How is he better than Brad Richards, Jeff Carter, Milan Lucic just to name a few. And I'm surprised that a Norris trophy finalist and 2 time leading scorer among defencemen (Mike Green) is left off instead of Pronger or Boyle.

[Ktownboywest]

If we win the gold there will be no second guessing.

[2nd Guess]

What I like: Yzerman didn't feel compelled to bestow "long-service rewards" to the likes of Bouwmeester, Doan and Smyth over those more deserving; the one-dimensional Mike Green was not included, even though his absence will generate more 2nd-guessing (shameless plug) than any other decision.

What I'm not sure about: It would have taken a braver man than me to leave off Thornton, Marleau and Heatley, but their MIA-in-big-games reputations can't be easily disregarded; will a designated grinder like Morrow prove more useful than multi-taskers like Penner, Carter or Brad Richards?

[msutton]

Bergeron fits the role MUCH better then Jordan Staal. Bergeron has been the best Pk guy this season and brings much more versatility then J. Staal does. He can move to wing (which is neccessary) much more smoothly then Staal can.

[Anthony Vlasics]

Hats off to Steve Yzerman! These are great choices! As for omissions - Cox lists 9 players and says Yzerman's picks are "intriguing". If players were democratically elected by fans and sports writers, I'm sure there would be a much different line up - one that would be guaranteed to fail. That's why we allow people who have actually been there to make the call. It's fun to second guess, but this is beyond question a worthy Team Canada. Just read over the names of the chosen players and see if you agree.

[johnny bean]

Yzerman did an excellent job. Excellent.

Why would the failed veterans of 2006 perform any better in 2010? This team is the future and I'm so glad Yzerman has the balls to go where Gretzky was afraid. The 2006 team should have been called "Old Gretzky's Buddies"... Adam Foote? Todd Bertuzzi? That team was destined to fail.

Lecavalier is LAZY in the extreme AND having a bad year. Bouwmeester has never won anything... ever. All he does is skate fast. St. Louis? Invisible in 2006.

Ryan Smyth? A slow, past-his-prime mucker. Didn't deserve to be on it in 2006 either. Doan? Invisible in 2006.

The only issue I have is leaving off Mike Green. But... anyone who watches him play knows how poor he can be in his own zone and giving up odd-man rushes. Can't afford that in a short tournament. I would have picked him, though.

Kudos to Yzerman. Great job.

[Steve]

Where's Ian White?

[Pat]

Would love to see a roster for Team Canada 2 team. Be interesting to see how they would match up.

[Imran Abdullah]

Like it was mentioned above...if we win the GOLD, no one will question the team. If we don't, regardless if we had the top scorers, top defenders or not (as we do have the top goalies), people will criticize them for not choosing this person for that one. At the end of the day we as Canadians should support our athletes and hope that they all bring home the gold. Realistically, we know that won't happen, but like in rowing (during the summer olympics), we take it for granted that hockey is gold or don't bother coming home mentality....and yes, I'm guilty of that as well GO CANADA GO

[Mark]

Big Up to my hometown L'ancienne-lorette who's well represented with the like of Patrice Bergeron and Simon Gagné who both used to live few blocks from my house when I was a kid.

[Rob Blatchford]

Will they be televising the "thanks for coming game" because Canada is in it. It won't conflict with a medal game I'm sure. No Vinny, still among top 10 players in the world, beyond Pronger & Weber. no physical presence on the blueline. Yzerman & company have failed miserably and have failed Canada.

[JP]

Mike Cammelleri belongs on this team.

[rasper]

Why pick defense pairings or full forward lines? These won't be regular season NHL games. Can't see that San Jose line outperforming, or having better chemistry, than Crosby/Iginla/Whomever, and it might not show up at all. Heatley and Thornton are both malcontents, mopers... if they get off to bad starts or don't get enough ice time they'll be poison, and Marleau can't carry them. It's too easy to picture that line on the bench, dogfaced and sour, down a couple goals to somebody. You'd never get sourness from Brad Richards or Martin St. Louis. In terms of personality, this team is a step up from Turin (couldn't get worse), but it's not as good as it could be.

[Simmer]

I would have liked to see Brad Richards on the lineup, but I'm not too sure who I'd remove to replace him. Mike Green was left off, but when looking at the defensemen that they have, they aren't missing a PP Quarterback, and it isn't like the defensemen that they have don't have an offensive upside. Great looking team, can't wait to see these guys perform, there isn't one guy in the lineup who isn't a gamebreaker.

[Ken Diamond]

I'm looking at the size of those that made the team and I can see another reason he made these picks and why Martin St.Louis didn't make it.

[Matt]

No Jeff Carter and Penner? Bergeron and Morrow ahead of them? Well, Spazzy Mcgee is right, Canada could put two teams out there. All in all,excellent selections and right to leave off a lot of the 06 players.

[Jonathon]

Hmm, thats a lot of centres - I understand the notion of taking the best players regardless of position, but the presence of only two true LWs is a bit worrying - makes me wonder why guys like Cammallieri or Sharp (and St Louis on the right) didn't get a look.

[Nag Champa]

This team is gonna kick some a$$. Offensive stars such as Crosby, Getzlaf, Perry, Heater, Nash, Iggy, Staal.. complete 2-way guys like Toews, Richards, Marleau & Bergeron... a good mobile defence and the best goalies in the game... this team is gonna do much better than the last Team Canada.. I would have liked to see Jeff Carter over Morrow, but all in all a really good team. Mike Green is a notable omission, but I watched him through the playoff's and honestly, he's good for PP Points, but not that good in his back end.. Doughty is the better pick overall and he has proven to be a winner. I'm glad they didn't go with the same older guys who 'deserve' to be there and went with the good young NHL stars to lead the way... the game is about youth and skill... and Canada will dominate.

[MJH]

Who is Duncan Keith?

[MJH]

Maybe a bronze metal. Lacks any imagination!!

[Heda]

what nobody is talking about is somewhat suprising.............ONLY 1 player from a canadian team (luongo), is on this team, that either says our NHL teams are VERY subpar, or our best players would rather play in the States than at home....something to think about

[NP]

It's an injustice that Bertuzzi did not get consideration.