Team Canada

All of Canada feels as though their hockey team is the favorite to take home the gold medal and the odds-makers agree.

Home ice advantage and a good mix of youth and veterans, along with depth between the pipes for the Canadians, has vaulted them into this role of the favorites for gold.

In a one-game knockout tournament once past the preliminaries and qualification rounds anything can happen and a hot goaltender can steal a game.

There are a number of goaltenders in this tournament that have the ability to do this for their respective teams.

Among those are the Czech’s Tomas Vokoun, Finland’s Miikka Kiprusoff, Russia’s Evgeni Nabakov and Ilya Bryzgalov, Slovakia’s Jaroslav Halak, Sweden’s Henrik Lundqvist, Switzerland’s Jonas Hiller, and last but not least USA’s Ryan Miller or Tim Thomas.

That covers seven of the 12 teams not including Canada, who has the option of using arguably one of the best goalies of all time, Martin Brodeur and the home town Vancouver Canuck, Roberto Luongo.

In the preliminaries the Canadians only real challenge within their group will be the young speedy American’s back stopped by the aforementioned Miller.

This boarder rivalry has a little more added to it after the USA juniors beat Canada at the WJC this year to take the gold.

The USA has a solid defense-core headed up by Brian Rafalski, Ryan Suter, Erik and Jack Johnson and 2009 Stanley cup winner Pittsburgh’s Brooks Orpik.

The young forwards with Toronto’s Phil Kessel, Bobby Ryan, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kesler, and Paul Stastny, along with some crafty veterans like Chris Drury, Jamie Langenbrunner and Zach Parise who is still fairly young at 25, will be fast and be able to bulge the twine.

These teams may face each other three times, though unlikely, in this tournament the second for playoff qualification and the third of which would be a knock out game, and during the preliminaries you can expect both teams to try and set the tone.

Both the USA (No. 6 World Ranked) and Canada (1) should make it out of group A which also includes Switzerland (7) and Norway (12), Canada’s first opponent. 

Group B consists of Russia (2), Czech Republic (5), Slovakia (8), and Latvia (11).

Out of these teams obviously Russia being ranked second by the IIHF and the odds makers will be a test for anyone that has to face them.

Canada could very well meet this high-flying Russian team in the gold medal game.

With two solid goalies, Nabakov and Bryzgalov, and a slew of offensive players including the best player in the world right now, Alexander Ovechkin, the Russians are solid between the pipes and up front.

The other forwards for Russia that will cause damage are Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Semin, and ex-NHLer’s Sergei Fedorov, Viktor Kozlov and Alexander Radulov now playing in the KHL.

The question about this Russian team is how their defense-core will play, but if their goal tending holds up and their forwards who are capable of scoring at will do what’s expected of them, the defense will play a secondary role if that’s possible.

Group C showcases Sweden (3), Finland (4), Belarus (9), and Germany (10).

Sweden, who has become one of the more dangerous hockey nations over the past couple decades, has all the piece’s in place to go deep in this tournament and are in the gold medal hunt as well.

Lunqvist between the pipes can steal games and is one of the top goalies in the NHL. The defense of this team will be led by Detroit Redwings captain Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Mattias Ohlund, and Buffalo’s Henrik Tallinder.

Up front, the Swede’s are deep with the Vancouver Canucks twin towers Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Nicklas Backstrom, Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, Tomas Holmstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, and ex-NHLer Peter Forsberg.

Anyone playing this Swedish team will have to be very careful as they are a solid team up and down the lineup.

All in all this will certainly be no waltz to the gold medal for Canada.

Russia, Sweden, and the USA will be Canada’s biggest tests and will obviously be hurdles for anyone on their way to the gold medal game, and perhaps the Czech’s, Finland, the Swiss and even Slovakia may be a thorn in the side of any of the top teams.

Once it gets down to the knock out stage anything can happen.

Of course, I am cheering for my home country of Canada but even I as a blinded Canadian hockey fan can see that there are some challenges ahead for the boys on their journey towards gold at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.

Odds-on favorites to win outright from Bet365.com: Canada -125, Russia +250, Sweden +600, USA +800, Czech Rep +1600, Finland +1600, Slovakia +3500, Switzerland + 10000, Germany +40000, Latvia +100000, Belarus +100000, Norway +200000.

Every four years, Canadian hockey fans wait impatiently for the announcement of Canada’s hockey roster. In the end, regardless of the names on the back of the sweaters, the expectation is always the same—a Gold Medal.

Historically, Canada has fared well at the Olympics, but they are hardly the unbeatable force that many hockey fans label them to be.

Canada’s hockey teams have a proud Olympic history, one which has seen Canada bring home two Bronze Medals (1956, 1968), four Silver Medals (1936, 1960, 1992, 1994), and seven Gold Medals (1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1948, 1952, 2002).

A little quick math tells us that Canada has earned 13 medals in total. That means Canada failed to medal (never mind bring home the Gold) on ten occasions.

What it all means is this—regardless of expectations—Canada is no “lock” to win the Gold, or a medal of any color for that matter. With that in mind, what should Canadian hockey fans be expecting from this group of NHL players turned Olympians?

First, let’s take a look at Canada’s roster:

Forwards: Patrice Bergeron, Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, Dany Heatley, Jarome Iginla, Patrick Marleau, Brenden Morrow, Rick Nash, Mike Richards, Corey Perry, Eric Staal, Joe Thronton, Jonathan Toews

Defense: Dan Boyle, Drew Doughty, Duncan Keith, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Brent Seabrook, Shea Weber

Goaltenders: Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Marc-Andre Fleury

Up front, Canada will ice one of the most intimidating rosters of all-time.

Sidney Crosby, Rick Nash, Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Jarome Iginla are expected to lead Canada offensively, with Mike Richards, Brenden Morrow and any of Eric Staal, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry taking on the task of shutting down Canada’s opponents.

Patrice Bergeron—who recently sustained a hand injury—and Jonathan Toews can play in all situations, solidifying their spot on this team, which underlines their value in a short tournament such as the Olympics.

The strength in Canada’s forwards lies with their abilities to play in all areas of the game and in any conceivable situation. Staal, Richards, Getzlaf and Perry can easily move up to the first or second lines in a pinch. Likewise, Nash, Iginla, Thornton, and Crosby can be played on the third line and even kill penalties if need be.

Canada has the luxury of icing an offensive lineup that boasts scoring prowess, physical play, grit, skill, speed, and leadership. On the surface, there are no weaknesses—Canada will ice a very balanced attack—which should serve them well at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

Canada struggled to score goals at the 2006 Olympic games in Turin, scoring just 15 times in six games, finishing seventh overall. Canada scored 22 goals in six games during their Gold Medal effort in 2002 in Salt Lake City.

Goals are at a premium at the Olympics, with that in mind, if Canada is to be successful in 2010, the forwards will have to find the back of the net on a regular basis—especially if Canada plans on beating the likes of Russia and Sweden, two teams that are poised to score at will.

On paper, Canada’s top six forwards are as good as any other nation's. The trick is converting that perceived strength and converting it into results. Canada’s position of biggest strength comes in the form of their bottom six forwards, which, in my opinion, are the best in the world.

Final Thoughts

Canada’s special teams will be very strong—especially the power play. Scoring will be tough to come by, but Canada should emerge as one of the strongest offensive teams. Defensively, Canada’s forwards should provide the biggest challenge for opposing nations—keeping them at bay and winning the battles in the corners.

Ranking The Forwards

Overall offensive rank—Second (Russia first)    
Overall defensive rank—First

Canada’s defense boasts a unique combination of skill, toughness, and speed. Veterans Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer are expected to be the main cogs in Canada’s last line of defense, while youngsters Drew Doughty, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook should inject a measure of energy.

Dan Boyle and Shea Weber cannot be overlooked. Weber is one of the game's best hitters, while Boyle brings a tremendous amount of offense to the fold.

Much like Canada’s offense, Canada’s defense is a position of strength. While each defenseman brings certain intangibles to the team, there is not much to choose between any of the seven—an argument can be made for all seven to be dressed on any given night.

Once again, Canada’s depth is a huge advantage and, in my opinion, gives Canada the edge as the best defensive corps in the world.

Pronger, Weber, Seabrook, and Keith (sometimes Niedermayer) should be given the duty of shutting down the opposition—both five-on-five and on the penalty kill—with Niedermayer, Doughty and Boyle chipping in offensively, especially on the power play.

Final Thoughts

Canada’s defense will perform at a high level in all areas of the game. The added offense from the back end will be a difference-maker on most nights. Given Canada’s offensive troubles in the past their defense will have to be excellent—failure to keep the likes of Russia and Sweden at bay may very well cost Canada a chance at the Gold Medal.

Ranking The Defenses

Overall defensive rank—First

Overall offensive rank—First

Canada’s goaltending is also a position of strength. Martin Brodeur—arguably the best goaltender in NHL history—is expected to get the nod as Canada’s starter. His cool demeanor, tremendous reflexes, competitive spirit, and uncanny ability to seemingly always be in position put Brodeur head and shoulders above any other goaltender in the world.

Sweden’s Henrik Lundqvist, Finland's Miikka Kiprusoff, Team USA’s Ryan Miller, and Russia’s Evgeni Nabokov are all excellent goaltenders. That said, at the end of the day I suspect most hockey fans would take Brodeur in net in a one-game playoff, which is why I feel Brodeur is still the game's best.

Canada boasts two well-rounded backups in Roberto Luongo and Marc-Andre Fleury. Luongo is widely regarded as one of the games premier back-stoppers and is more than capable of stepping up if Brodeur should falter. Fluery, who back stopped the Pittsburgh Penguins to a Stanley Cup victory in 2008-09, is an easy going goaltender who lacks ego, making him the perfect teammate and another candidate to lead Canada if Brodeur falters.

It’s tough to predict which goaltender will be the best at the Olympics. Miller has been hot all season long, while Nabokov has been exceptional for the San Jose Sharks. Mental toughness will be a huge factor, as will experience.

For that reason, I have to give the nod to Brodeur, making him my pick as the Olympics' best goalie.

Final Thoughts

We can argue the merits of Lundqvist’s Gold Medal effort with Sweden in 2006 and the strength of the team in front of him, but when you look at the total package—abilities, experience, mental toughness, past accomplishments, and strength of team defense in front of him (including the forwards)—Brodeur gets the nod, hands down.

Further, if any of Lundqvist, Kipprusoff, Nabokov or Miller goes down there is likely to be a noticeable difference in quality if their countries need to call on their second or third string goalies—once again, Canada’s depth is a factor when considering the tournament's best.

Ranking The Goaltenders

Overall goaltending rank—First

Canada’s depth at every conceivable position is what puts this nation's hockey team above all others. Russia will bring a great offensive lineup (maybe the best ever), but they lack defense. Sweden will bring a more balanced attack, but their roster is not as impressive as Canada’s.

Team USA, Finland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia will all ice decent rosters, but on paper, none of them compare to Canada’s roster, much less Sweden’s or Russia's.

The final piece of the puzzle may be the advantage of playing at home in Vancouver. The Pro-Canadian crowd should give Team Canada a boast, especially in those tough close games.

Capturing a Gold Medal in 2010 will be no easy task, but Canada has all the tools to make it happen and, for that reason, Canada remains the favorite to win it all at the 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver.

Prediction—GOLD MEDAL

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

With the Olympics just a few weeks away, every Canadian citizen with a pulse awaits the drop of the first puck and with it, the renewed opportunity for Canada to bring home a Gold Medal, a feat Canada has not accomplished since 2002.

Heading into the Olympic hockey tournament, the Canadians are the consensus pick to win Gold. That said, don’t expect the Gold medal to be uncontested. Russia, Sweden, Finland, and the United States are expected to give Canada all they can handle, with the greatest challenge expected to come from Alex Ovechkin and the rest of the offensively deep Russian squad.

With all the stiff competition coming Canada’s way, it’s a good thing that the Canucks are deep at every position. The legendary Martin Brodeur is expected to get the nod as Canada’s No. 1 goaltender. Brodeur will be joined by Roberto Luongo and Marc-Andre Fleury, two goalies that are capable of rising their game should Brodeur falter.

All three of Canada’s goaltenders have impressive resumes. Martin Brodeur—arguably the best goaltender in NHL history—has won three Stanley Cups (1995, 200, 2003), four Vezina Trophies (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008), has played in 10 NHL All-Star Games (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008) and boasts two Silver Medal efforts at the World Championships (1996, 2005) and, most importantly, one Gold Medal at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

The Hockey News recently voted Brodeur as the decades greatest NHL goaltender, and with good reason.

Brodeur owns several NHL records—including, most regular season wins, most shutouts—regular season and playoffs combined, most overtime wins, most consecutive 30-win seasons, most consecutive 35-win seasons, most 40-win seasons (of which he has seven!), most games played by a goaltender, most shut outs in a playoff and most shutouts in a Stanley Cup final, amongst others.

Brodeur’s ability to remain calm, cool, and collected is legendary as is the confidence he gives those in front of him. Known as the games best puck-handler, Brodeur prides himself in forever progressing his craft. Brodeur is a winner, a pioneer, a visionary and one of the finest NHL citizens of all-time.

Perhaps the best positional goaltender in NHL history, Brodeur plays a hybrid style (a mix of both standup and butterfly). At age 37, Brodeur’s reflexes are still second to none and his glove hand is as good as it gets.

In nine career starts at the Olympics, Brodeur has a record of 6-2-1, with a goals against average under 2.00. In 26 combined games Internationally, Brodeur has amassed a record of 16-6-2 with a 2.19 GAA and one shut out. Impressive, to say the least.

With all of Brodeur’s accomplishments, records and experience there really is just one choice for Canada’s starting goaltender. You can bet that, barring injury, Brodeur will be between the pipes for Canada, and a big reason for their success.

Until next time,

Peace!

What's this? Don Cherry is biased toward Canadian hockey?

Shocker, I know.

As an American, I do not have the luxury of turning on the TV and witnessing Cherry's weekly ramblings on "Coach's Corner."  However, I stumbled upon the most recent episode that aired on Saturday .

Four minutes in, Cherry directs the discussion toward the recent World Junior Championship game that saw Canada surrender their five-year domination to the United States for the second time in tournament history.

It was a proud moment for the few Americans who knew what was going on in Saskatoon. Many sportswriters began to write that perhaps all of the hard work put in to promoting hockey in the U.S. is beginning to show.

Cherry, of course, had something to say about the excited American journalists:   "Canada did their best and [Americans] sang in the dressing room 'we went to a foreign land and kicked their ass ' and stuff like that...all I heard about 'American development', 'American development is so good'..."

His tone was anything but positive when speaking of the U.S. development programs, implying that they don't compare to the Canadian programs.

He then went on to list current Canadian NHLers who could have played in the WJC, inferring that Canadians are moving to the big boys at a faster rate than Americans and hurting the respective junior teams they leave behind. Cherry then closed with the statement that Americans leave the U.S. to learn hockey in Canada because Canada is the best at the sport.

As an American who loves hockey, I have many issues with Cherry's biased stab at the U.S. and its programs.

First, concerning the dressing room chant, let the American kids enjoy their win.  They weren't chanting that to the Canadian bench, they were in their dressing room and celebrating as a team. I am sure Canadians have celebrated their wins in enthusiastic ways so give the Americans a chance to enjoy the taste of a well-deserved victory.

Going to the meat of the argument, why is it bad that American success in hockey is generating some excitement in those who follow the sport? And what does America's success have anything to do with Canada being better at the sport?

Cherry sounded like that kid in the lunchroom who would look at your favorite PB&J sandwich and flaunt his homemade lasagna. Listing off the names of could-have-played Canadians also made him sound like a sore loser.

It seems like Cherry assumed that this excitement was generated from people believing that the American programs are equal to or better than the Canadian programs because of the 2010 WJC. Of course, we all know this isn't true and I would shoot down any article that would state something so asinine. However, I have yet to see an article that makes this claim.

While Cherry accurately points out that many Americans go to Canada to hone their hockey skills, he fails to point out that Canadians also come to America for the same reason.

Shattuck St. Mary's in Fairbault, Minnesota was the home of many Canadian NHL stars including Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews. Many newly-drafted NHLers also opt to continue their hockey development at top tier American universities such as Boston College, Boston University and No. 1 ranked Miami University at Ohio.

But hang on, since when did hockey development start in the junior/college level? Before we can even start talking about college or junior hockey, I wonder how Cherry thinks Americans first get involved in hockey.

Certainly not in Canadian programs.

I'll be honest, I've never played a second of competitive hockey in my life. The extent of my experience ends at my driveway. However, that was where the love of the game began for me; having fun with my brother and our friends in our driveway as we pretended we were Charlie Conway and the rest of the Mighty Ducks.

An interest in hockey has to start and grow somewhere before kids are old enough to play junior or college hockey. This all-too-important interest is what leads kids to join recreational leagues and continue their improvement in the game until they are old enough to see where their hockey skills lead them, maybe a junior Canadian team or an American university.

The important thing is that Americans are able to stay in the U.S. and feed their hockey hunger here before thoughts of junior or college hockey enter their minds. This is why the growth of U.S. hockey programs is crucial since most parents wouldn't even think about sending their kids to another country when they're 3-13 years old.

As a Penguins fan, I know about "Sidney Crosby's Little Penguins Learn to Play Hockey" that allows kids ages 4-7 to learn to skate and play hockey at virtually no cost thanks to generous donations from Crosby, Reebok and Dick's Sporting Goods Store. Alex Ovechkin has a similar program called Ovi's Crazy 8's.

It's great to see what NHLers like Crosby and Ovechkin are doing to promote the game in the U.S., so why does Cherry have to make it a point to talk about how much better the Canadian programs are?

I would have hoped that he, along with the rest of the hockey world, would be proud that the U.S. is trying to generate interest in hockey and we are finally seeing some progress through the success of junior Team USA. This is a team of boys that may have spent their mid to later teenage years on Canadian junior teams, but spent their younger years playing hockey in their neighborhoods and recreational leagues, just like me.

None of the players on Team USA would be wearing gold if it weren't for those U.S. programs that developed their interests before juniors were even in their sights.

I just wish Cherry would acknowledge the hard work put into those programs instead of bellowing "Only Canada can be good at hockey!" even when they lose fair and square.

Its over! The dominance of Team Canada in the IIHF World Junior Championship is done.

The Canadians lost in the gold medal game versus the United States, capturing the silver medal in a 6-5 overtime heartbreaker.

The Canadian Jrs team has always been a powerhouse in the December classic, winning it the previous five years.

The game was furious battle between the two national rivals as both teams played aggressively across the ice.

Canada was the first to strike with a Luke Adam shovel move that went straight pass U.S. goaltender Mike Lee less than three minutes into the game.

Then the United States showed it came to play. Forwards Chris Kreider and Jordan Schroeder scored goals just 36 seconds apart to take a 2-1.

Nearing the end of the first period, Canada's Nazem Kadri had a nice feed to Greg Nemisz, who netted his first goal of the tournament to tie the game 2-2, going into the intermission.

One of the issues compromising team Canada's game was its top defenseman, Travis Hamomic, could not play in finals due an shoulder injury sustained in the semis versus the Swiss.

Another issue was that Canada took many undisciplined, unnecessary penalties that put the team in the box.

This included Alex Pietrangelo's hit on Jeremy Morin that was launched from behind.  Pietrangelo landed in the penalty box for a minor/major penalty.

Peitrangelo's penalty allowed the U.S. to move to a 3-2 lead early in the second period before Canada responded to tie the match at three goals apiece.

Three goals in seven shots was not a good average for Lee, so he was replaced by Jack Campbell.

The third period was by far the most exciting part of the tournament.

The United States moved to the front after a turnover in the neutral zone saw Jerry D'Amigo take advantage of an odd-man rush to net his sixth goal of the tournament and the fourth for the U.S. in the game.

The US then received a gift from Canadian tender Jake Allen. He fumbled a shot that rebounded to Derek Stepan. With a quick move, he gave the United States an insurance goal that ended Allen's night.

This was a bit of deja vu for the Canadians as they trailed late in the third period against the Americans on New Year's Eve, before making a strong comeback to tie and then win the game in a shootout.

Could they do it twice in a row.

The Canadians' play in the final five minutes of the third period was electric with constant shots aimed at the net.

Then, Jordan Eberle chipped not just one shot pass the American defense, but followed it up just a minute later with a tying goal, which sent the game into overtime.

Eberle's two goals pushed him ahead of 2009 NHL number one draft pick John Tavares to become the all-time scoring leader for team Canada with 14 goals over two years.

The Canadian team actually looked to have it won late in third as Peitrangelo was gifted with an open net. Yet, he missed his chance, which sent both teams into the overtime period.

Canada pressured the Americans early, but the American defense was stellar and kept the home team under control.

Then, Canada's hopes for a sixth consecutive victory in the tournament was terminated as the U.S. went on a three-on-one rush into tha Canadian zone.

John Carlson snipped the puck past Canada's goal line, ending the match with 6-5 victory for the Americans.

Despite the loss, Eberle won tournament MVP honours, leading the tournament with eight goals and 13 points.

Earlier in the day, Sweeden defeated Switzerland in a 11-4 victory to claim the bronze medal.

On December 30, Team Canada recently announced the Men's Canadian Ice Hockey team for the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. A quick look at the players selected to Team Canada this year shows some major changes from the last Winter Olympics in 2006.

Rather than emphasizing experience, as was done in 2006, when players such as Shane Doan, Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St Louis, and Ryan Smyth were selected, all of them were left off the 2010 team. In their places are players with not nearly as much international experience, such as Eric Staal, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Jonathan Toews.

Forwards:

A good mix of experience and youth, as well as top six and checking line forwards are present in the selection of Team Canada. Canada has three top lines that should shoulder the bulk of the scoring, as well as a solid checking line with players such as Brendan Morrow and Mike Richards.

In 2006, despite a stellar start to his rookie campaign, a notable omission was that of the then 19-year-old Sidney Crosby. This year he'll be counted on to play a very important role as Canada's top center and one of three alternate captains.

Defense:

If there would be any controversial selections, it would likely center around the defensemen picked for Team Canada. However, while some might express surprise at players such as Mike Green, Jay Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf being left off the team, it actually makes a lot of sense leaving off players who are routinely among the NHL's highest scoring defensemen.

With the abundance of offense that Team Canada will have with all of their forward lines, Team Canada will be relying on their defense to do one thing and one thing only: play defense. Accordingly, it makes a lot more sense that more "defensive defensemen" such as Duncan Keith, Shea Weber and Brent Seabrook were chosen instead.

Both Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger will try to reproduce the same success in Vancouver that they had together as defensemen in Anaheim when the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007.

Goaltending:

No surprise here, as Team Canada's goaltending situation has been universally predicted to be Marty Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, and someone else over all of 2009. Marc-Andre Fleury deserves this third spot as he's had a really solid start this year (22-11-1, 2.49 goals against average with a .907 save percentage though December 30).

Other Olympic hopefuls such as Cam Ward (5-13-5, 3.17 goals against average with a .896 save percentage through December 30) and Steve Mason (11-13-6, 3.18 goals against average with a .894 save percentage through December 30) have struggled this year, making Fleury the logical choice.

With such a talented group of skaters up front, no matter who is picked to be the starting goalie for Team Canada will not be required nor expected to "steal games." Rather, a talented team like Team Canada just needs a goaltender who is simply just solid in net.

Predictions for 2010:

Overall Team Canada this year seems like a balanced team. Of course, this team is going for gold and anything less would be a huge failure. With the players selected this year and with no glaring weaknesses, coupled with the fact that the Canadian team is playing in front of their home crowd, a gold medal will very likely be won by the Canadian men's ice hockey team in February 2010.

Team Canada (http://www.ctvolympics.ca/hockey/news/newsid=24276.html?cid=rsstsn )

Team Canada needed overtime to come from behind and beat Team USA 5 to 4 on New Year's Eve at the World Junior Championships at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

The high tempo game, played in front of over 15,000 junior hockey fans, had breakaways, a penalty shot, and three short-handed goals.

Both teams were undefeated going into the game, easily defeating Latvia, Slovakia, and Switzerland. Canada outscored the competition 30 to 2 in the first three games while the USA beat the same teams 22 to 4.

Team Canada is the five-time defending gold-medalists for the IIHF championship. The last team to beat them was the USA, back in 2004.

Canada got on the scoreboard early as Stefan Della Rovere put the puck past Jack Campbell of the USA at three seconds after the two minute mark.

The USA tied it less that two minutes later on a power play as Philip McRae scored on Jake Allen. The first period ended with the score tied 1-1.

Jordan Schroeder got a breakaway and scored short-handed while Team Canada had a powerplay in the first half of the second period. 

Jordan Eberle tied the game at 8:43.

Kreider was awarded a penalty shot, after getting tripped in front of Canada's net, but he failed to score on Allen, who stopped Kyle Palmieri on a breakaway shortly after. 

Tyler Johnson got the lead back with another short-handed goal for the USA with 11 seconds left in the second period.

It was the USA 3 and Canada 2 at the end of two periods.

Taylor Hall missed on two chances at the start of the third period and Danny Kristo scored to make it 4 to 2 for the USA at the start of the third period.

It became a one goal game when Jordan Eberle scored for Canada at 9:52 of the third.

Team Canada got a short-handed goal to tie the game Alex Pietrangelo with four minutes remaining.

Canada got a go-ahead goal a minute later but it was waved off and the fans in the stands littered the ice in response.

The game was tied at 4 after three periods. 

In the five minute overtime, playing 4 aside, both teams had big chances in the final minute but no-one scored.

Each team had three shots after the overtime period. The USA won the coin toss to determine the shooting order and elected to have Canada go first.

Jordan Eberle was the first shooter and he scored for Canada. Danny Kristo scored for the USA. Nazem Kadri scored for Canada. Brad Morrin scored for the USA. Brandon Kozum scored the winning goal for Canada.

Canada won first place in Group B in the tournament so they claim a bye, to go straight in to the semi-finals, while the USA, will have to play a quarterfinal game against Finland.

Sweden clinched first place in Group B with a 7-1 win over Finland, earning a bye into the semifinals, earlier in the day.

Team Canada’s Olympic camp roster introduced discussions about the probability and expectations of goalies that would make the cut. Some nominees had a spot on the world stage almost guaranteed, while others would have to train hard and work towards making the cut.

The long anticipated roster for Canada’s Men’s Ice Hockey team at the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver was announced Dec. 30 at noon EST.

Goalies

Martin Brodeur

Roberto Luongo

Marc-Andre Fleury

Defense

Chris Pronger (A)

Shea Weber

Brent Seabrook

Scott Niedermayer (C)

Dan Boyle

Drew Doughty

Duncan Keith

Forwards

Sydney Crosby (A)

Jerome Iginla (A)

Jonathan Toews

Rick Nash

Eric Staal

Mike Richards

Brenden Morrow

Dany Heatley

Joe Thornton

Ryan Getzlaf

Patrick Marleau

Corey Perry

Patrice Bergeron

Team Canada has been predicted to win gold by many Canadian hockey fans even before the roster was announced, and this roster does not disappoint that hope. There are a few surprises and a few disappointments, but there aren’t many surprises in net.

Goaltending is key to winning, and Steve Yzerman understood that when choosing his goalies.

Martin Brodeur

Despite having a slow start to the season, it’s no surprise Mr. Perfect made the Olympic team. The four time Vezina trophy and William M. Jennings Trophy winner just recently broke Terry Sawchuk’s record for most regular-season shutouts and has managed to hold up a 2.15 GAA.

Brodeur has a steady glove hand, plays it simple, and can play the puck without problem. Martin Brodeur is without doubt goaltender in the NHL and asset to Team Canada.

Robert Luongo

Roberto Luongo, Captain of the Vancouver Canucks, had a weak start to the season similar to Brodeur’s, but managed to fight back and now holds at 2.57 GAA. Although we’ve seen better from Luongo, he’s still one of the NHL’s best goalies and it’s hard to even predict what he’s going to be able to achieve in the future.

Luongo has experience at an international level and has nothing to prove to fans, he can stop pucks at crucial times in the game, and has the fastest glove hand in the NHL. Playing behind some of the best defensemen in the world, it’s going to be interesting to see what Roberto Luongo can achieve.

Marc-Andre Fleury

Marc-Andre Fleury might be relatively new to the NHL compared to Brodeur and Luongo, but he’s been on fire ever since he’s started playing and has not cooled down. The Quebec native is currently tied for second in the NHL for wins and is only two wins behind league leader Martin Brodeur.

Even though he has an elite team in front of him, he keeps it simple and does the saves. His 2.49 GAA. are impressive, and he’s an elite goaltender, but he probably won’t get much playing time behind Brodeur and Luongo. If he does get to play, don’t expect to be disappointed, expect to be surprised.

Seeing as this will be my final article for Bleacher Report, and seeing as the nature of the article is one that evokes intense debate, I figured I’d go out with a bang.

My 2010 Team Canada Olympic Team

(Depth Chart)

Centre

Sidney Crosby

Joe Thornton

Ryan Getzlaf

Brad Richards

Stephen Weiss

Left Wing

Dany Heatley

Patrick Marleau

Rick Nash

Ryan Smyth

Right Wing

Jarome Iginla

Corey Perry

Steven Stamkos

Shane Doan

Defensemen

Scott Neidermayer

Chris Pronger

Duncan Keith

Shea Weber

Drew Doughty

Dan Boyle

Mike Green

Goaltenders

Martin Brodeur

Roberto Luongo

Marc-Andre Fleury

Thoughts

• It was a three-way battle for the two wing positions on the checking line. Leaving Brendan Morrow off this team was really hard, but his offensive production has been ugly since the start of November, and he doesn’t generate the SOG that Shane Doan does. Ryan Smyth has proven time and again that not only can he play with top-flight forwards (look at his work with Kopitar this year and how Kopitar’s offensive numbers died a fast death when Smyth went down a month ago), he also steps up with key plays in the biggest situations. I don’t have the confidence in Morrow that I do in Smyth and Doan.

• Everyone talks about Brent Seabrook being on the team because of his upswing in points and the chemistry he shares with Duncan Keith. Well, neither of those things are going to matter if you can’t keep up with the fastest guys in the world every night. Watching one of the speedy Russians blow by Seabrook in the neutral zone to create a scoring opp for himself was more than enough for me to keep him off the team. On the other hand, Drew Doughty plays 24 minutes a night, is a +8 while going up against opposing teams’ top forwards, and is tied for second in the NHL for most goals by a defensemen, ironically enough tied with seventh D Mike Green.

• There is a lot of hate for Green amongst the NHL brethren, saying that he can’t play in his own zone. Well that’s fine, but when a guy can both shoot and create like Green can, you can’t overlook that. Pronger was a joke in 2006 on Team Canada’s powerplay. I’ll never forget watching games with James Rose and us losing our minds at the fact that Pronger missed the net clean more times than his shots actually hit the goal. Hell once he even missed by a legit four feet, and no it wasn’t a bank play. Even this year, with teams shutting down Green’s shooting lanes as they have in the past to guys like Adrian Aucoin and Bryan McCabe after their great goal-scoring years (among others), Green is still right around a point per game because of his creativity and playmaking ability—and that’s without Ovechkin and Semin in the lineup for stretches.

• Steven Stamkos has to be on this team. Forget all the negatives you can come up with, and look at the bottom line: Stamkos has blazing speed, and he is the fourth highest scoring Canadian in the NHL. You can’t leave both him and Dustin Penner off the team, and since Penner has slowed down since his hot start, you have to take Stamkos and his ability to finish. You hide him on the fourth line, you spot him against other teams’ weaker defensive lines, and you use him on the PP. A guy like Stamkos with his tools can be a monster in this type of short tourney setting, especially since he won’t be the focus of checking lines as he currently is, and will have more space to use his scary speed.

• Dion Phaneuf has no business being on this team, so thank goodness Shea Weber is Canadian, as he plays the same physical style that Phaneuf has, has the same canonizing drive from the point, and is far more defensively responsible.

• The fourth and fifth centre roles are a crapshoot. You have—among others—Richards & Weiss, Mike Fisher, and Jordan Staal to choose from. Brad Richards is a former Conn Smythe winner who had five points in six games in the 2006 Olympics (one of the few who played well), is T-9 in points, plays just over 20 minutes a night (which is a lot, but nowhere near the 28 a night he played at one point during his time in Tampa), is comfortable playing both Centre and Left Wing, is a great penalty killer, and produces as much offense as he does while playing against opposing teams’ top lines. He’s not a flashy pick as he’s been under the radar the last three seasons, however he absolutely deserves to, and should be there.

• If I’d had the chance to watch more Pittsburgh this year, maybe I would have taken J-Staal here, as many of the HNIC crew did. But Stephen Weiss, who is T-21 in league scoring and was compared to Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman in his draft year, hasn’t so much blossomed as he has exploded this year, finally showing that he may in fact reach his full potential.

Weiss is currently playing some out-of-this-world hockey, and his 18 goals would put him squarely on Canada’s third line if the lines were being determined in terms of who has scored how many goals. With sublime playmakers the likes of Crosby, Thornton, Richards, and Getzlaf playing Centre for Canada, they need quality goal-scorers, such as Weiss. Not to mention the fact that Weiss is another minutes hog like Richards, also playing just over 20 minutes a night, and again being matched up against the opposition’s top lines every night. While you can’t go wrong here picking Mike Fisher or Jordan Staal, you gotta go with the guys who you think will be hot come February for the 13th forward role, and in such a crapshoot as this is, I’m going with the breakout star.

Okay so let’s have fun with lines & D pairings.

(LW-C-RW)

Richards-Crosby-Iginla

Marleau-Thornton-Heatley

Nash-Getzlaf-Perry

Smyth-Weiss-Doan

Stamkos

Neidermayer-Pronger

Weber-Keith

Boyle-Doughty

Green

I know that everyone and their mother thinks that Rick Nash should play on the Crosby-Iginla top line, and I’m sure he will. I’d put Richards there though because of Crosby’s increased attention to scoring since the playoffs began last year, and the fact that Richards has both played better than Nash this year, and he can be a playmaker of the highest level for both Crosby and Iginla, to the point where I’d tinker with the idea of having Richards center the line.

The SJ guys have chemistry, so I think that one’s a no-brainer.

Putting Nash on the third scoring line w/Getzlaf & Perry makes for a disgusting power line with tons of speed, nastiness, and the potential for three top-flight NHL’ers to be able to put up scary offensive numbers, as other countries’ checking units will be focusing on the Crosby and (to a lesser extent) Thornton lines.

Stamkos can slide in on the wing on any of these three lines and his speed and soft hands will fit will with the playmakers on all three lines.

I have Weiss centering the shutdown line because he’s better defensively than Stamkos, and can handle what would be asked of him much better. (Assuming he makes the team) Smyth will likely see spot duty on the Crosby line, as his ability to create space for Crosby/Iginla and take some of the physical burden off of them is a great attribute in this kind of grinding, physical tournament.

Looking at the defense, each unit has a quality stopper paired with an offensive talent, and really in the case of all of them, the stoppers are quality offensive players, too. In spotting Green, I would play him with Neidermayer and Keith, as Neidermayer’s speed allows him to regain lost position frighteningly fast, and Keith is a defensive stalwart of the highest order, as his +30 and +33 respectively the last two years will attest to.

In goal, as much as everyone wants 2010 to be Robbie-Lu time, and he will certainly get his chance at home, Marty Brodeur has simply been the better goaltender this year, and won’t have the added pressure of playing in his home arena piled on to the pressure of pulling on the Team Canada jersey.

Plus, his 2002 Gold Medal performance and the three Stanley Cup rings give infinitely more big-game experience than Luongo has. Marc-Andre Fleury, he of the insane athleticism, crisp technique, and fancy new Stanley Cup Champions’ ring, would be fighting for the No. 1 job on virtually every other team in the tournament.

So that’s my Team Canada for 2010. And while I don’t expect a lot of people writing to say “Hey, nice stuff,” I’m sure that anyone who disagrees will mention it.

A month ago when color analyst Peter McNabb started lobbying for Wojtek Wolski to be chosen for team Canada at this Winter's Olympics in Vancouver, people laughed.

They aren't laughing anymore.

37 games into the 2010 NHL season, Wolski has not only established himself as a top line forward for the Avalanche, but also as one of the most versatile wingers in the NHL.

Once known as a lazy, one-dimensional forward who didn't score enough, Joe Sacco's "work or you sit" system has changed Wolski into the Avalanche's hardest forechecker and backchecker, due in large part to Sacco sitting him early in the season for lack of effort.

Does a hot season warrant making the Olympics?

Eric Staal, Vincent Lecavalier, and Steven Stamkos are some of the best players in the world, and they're only considered bubble players for Canada.

In the past Winter Olympics, the Canadian team featured players who were having bad seasons but were considered to have the most talent or experience. As a result, players like Todd Bertuzzi and Kris Draper made the team instead of players like Sidney Crosby and Marc Savard.

The plan backfired, as the heavily favored Canadian squad failed to medal.

This time around, Canada is considering everyone from Patrice Bergeron to Dustin Penner in an attempt to build the best, but not necessarily most experienced, team they can.

I believe Wolski fits to motto of that team.

By the numbers

36 -Wolsi's point total, more than any Canadian left wing not named Danny Heatley

15 -Wolski's goal total, one more goal than he had all of last year in 78 games played

2 - Wolski's power play goal total, showing that he can score goals at even strength while playing solid defensive hockey

11 -Wolski's +/- rating, higher than any Canadian left wing