With the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament ready to start in 364 days, why not start taking a look ahead and seeing what people are thinking in terms of who should be on the team.  There are certainly some bubble players and surprising names that have popped up thus far.  Pierre McGuire posted his yesterday, and I think he has some good names on there, I only disagree with a few of his choices.

Here’s my list, 12 forwards, 7 defencemen and 3 goalies.  The hotter topics are in bold and explained below…

F - Thornton, Savard, M Richards, Crosby, Marleau, Nash, Iginla, Carter, Toews, Lecavalier, Doan, Getzlaf

D – Phaneuf, Regehr, Green, Burns, Weber, Pronger, Campbell

G – Brodeur, Luongo, Mason

Marc Savard – I know the guy is sometimes viewed as “lacking committment”, or other knocks that have followed him throughout his career.  I just don’t know how you can overlook his consistency and playmaking ability.  Playmaking was one thing sorely missing in 2006, as Canada was unable to get pucks to high percentage areas consistently.  Savard can do that.

Patrick Marleau – The 2 things that sell me on Marleau are 1) his character and 2) his versatility.  It was a rough year for Marleau last year, yet we never heard any complaining from the captain and he was able to show the type of player he is by raising his game in the postseason.  Second, Marleau is a natural center, yet he’s shown an easy transition to the wing, which helps Canada in 2010 with so many natural center icemen.

Jeff Carter – Another guy who can play down the middle and on the wing, Carter is in the midst of a breakout campaign.  He’s able to combine soild size (6’3, 193) with a good power game and great speed.  To me, there is no question Carter is a future 40-40 guy in the NHL, and I think he fits in perfectly to Canada’s team in 2010.

Jonathan Toews – He really will be one of the bubble players come selection time, but I really believe Toews should play a role on this team.  He has all the intangible aspects that are needed in a quick tournament like this.  Plus, he also has an incredible skill set and will be able to play a physical style.  His 2 way game is good enough for him to play a 3rd or 4th line role.

Shane Doan – Again, with Doan, there are 2 things that sway me his way.  First of all, he’s made it back-to-back solid seasons, putting up 78 points last year (career high).  He’s on pace for about the same for this year.  Second, his international experience puts him over the top, with a great resume at the World Championships and the 2004 World Cup.

Robyn Regehr – He wasn’t listed on McGuire’s list, but I believe Regehr needs to be on this team.  Playing on the small ice, Regehr will be able to do what he does best…be one of the NHL’s top shut down defencemen.  I think the ice argument is being used too much, because I would have had Regehr on this list regardless.

Brent Burns – His skating ability is the main reason Burns should make this team.  Burns is one of the smoothest skaters in the NHL and has well documented offensive instincts.  What goes under the radar is how well he can play in his own zone, while still being able to lead rushes.

Chris Pronger – Pronger and Campbell were the 2 guys I debated, as they won out over Scott Niedermayer and Dan Boyle.  What did it for me with Pronger is his shut down ability, which I think Canada will need in this tournament.  He can log massive minutes and is used to being matched with top notch forwards.  I still think Pronger should be a no-brainer for this team, but many will argue.

Brian Campbell – It came down to Campbell and Boyle to me, and it comes down to me just being a real big fan of Campbell.  I know lots will say “he can’t play in the Western Conference, he’s too small” but I don’t buy it.  He did NOT look good in that playoff series against Calgary last year, but I’ve been a big fan of how he’s played this year in Chicago.

Steve Mason – Brodeur and Luongo were givens, so to me it came down to Mason, Carey Price and Marty Turco.  I ruled Price out right away because he’s proven to be far too inconsistent in his young NHL career.  Then it was Mason and Turco, and I guess I just believe this will be a more valuable experience for Mason than it would be for Turco.  Hockey Canada will be using Mason for years to come in international competition, so why not give him a taste here to keep him hungry for the future.

So, this was certainly a tough thing to do, and I’ll tell you this much…I do not envy Steve Yzerman and the rest of the committee choosing the team.  Players like Boyle, Niedermayer, Gagne, and Perry have been left off here.  When Yzerman announces his roster, big names will be left off…which is good for us, because then we can talk about it!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 at 6:30 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.