Music: {allcanada} USA Today: Who should be on Team Canada

Monday, January 6, 2014

{allcanada} USA Today: Who should be on Team Canada

Defending champion Canada will announce its Olympic men's hockey roster on Tuesday morning.

My choices for which Canadians should go to Sochi:

Goalies: Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks), Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens), Mike Smith (Phoenix Coyotes).

Left wing: Patrick Sharp (Chicago Blackhawks), Logan Couture (San Jose Sharks), Chris Kunitz (Pittsburgh Penguins), Matt Duchene (Colorado Avalanche).

Centers: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh), Jonathan Toews (Chicago), Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim Ducks), John Tavares (New York Islanders).

Right wing: Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning), Corey Perry (Anaheim), Rick Nash (New York Rangers), Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay).

Extra forwards: Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins) and Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers).

Defensemen: Duncan Keith (Chicago), Shea Weber (Nashville Predators), Jay Bouwmeester (St. Louis Blues), Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings), Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose), P.K. Subban (Montreal) and Dan Hamhuis (Vancouver).

If Stamkos isn't medically cleared to return from his broken leg or another forward is injured: Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars).

Closing argument: Team Canada general manager Steve Yzerman is going to get hammered on Tuesday, no matter who he names to his Olympic team.

That's part of the job description. Since NHL players started going to the Olympics in 1998, it's been ridiculously agonizing to pick a Canadian squad every four years. As soon as you name 25 players to the roster, there are 25 other players with every right to be miffed because they deserved to be on the team.

The Marshall Mathers LP2 - Eminem