Monday, June 20, 2005

Let the Games begin - Turin 2006 Winter Games

Who said there is no hockey to discuss outside of the boardroom? The Winter Games are eight months away, and Team Canada is under the microscope.
Although it is still eight months away, the lineup Team Canada will send to the Olympic Games remains a hot topic of discussion. Canadian Press pooled its resources to come up with a list of names to consider:
Sure BetsGoal: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils; Roberto Luongo, Florida Panthers.Defence: Scott Niedermayer, New Jersey Devils; Adam Foote, Colorado Avalanche; Chris Pronger, St. Louis Blues; Rob Blake, Colorado Avalanche; Ed Jovanovski, Vancouver Canucks; Wade Redden, Ottawa Senators.Forward: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins; Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche; Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames; Joe Thornton, Boston Bruins; Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning; Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets; Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes; Ryan Smyth, Edmonton Oilers; Brad Richards, Tampa Bay Lightning; Simon Gagne, Philadelphia Flyers.Brodeur, Foote, Jovanovski, Niedermayer, Gagne, Iginla, Lemieux, Sakic and Smyth helped Canada win Olympic gold in Salt Lake City in 2002 for the first time in 50 years. The nine were also on the victorious World Cup of Hockey team in 2004. This should be the experienced core of the team for Turin. Lemieux gets the 'C' again.Blake and Pronger were unable to play in the World Cup because they were recuperating from injuries but their stature should put them on Olympic ice again.Luongo (two-time world champion), Redden, Doan, Lecavalier and Thornton get in because of their World Cup play, Lecavalier winning the MVP in the NHL tournament last September.Richards picked up a much-deserved Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when Tampa won the Cup in June 2004. He'll be even better on the big ice.Nash, who turned 21 Thursday, is in our lineup for his starring role at the 2005 world championships, where he was the class of the tournament.We still need one goalie, one defenceman and three forwards to fill out the 23-man Olympic lineup.
-referenced from www.sportsnet.ca

No comments: