2006 Turin Olympics: My Team Canada

FORWARDS (LW-C-RW)

Simon Gagne - Joe Sakic - Jarome Iginla

Dany Heatley - Jason Spezza - Brendan Shanahan

Glen Murray - Joe Thornton - Rick Nash

Ryan Smyth - Vincent Lecavalier - Martin St. Louis

D-MEN

Scott Niedermayer Brian McCabe

Wade Redden Robyn Regehr

Chris Pronger Ed Jovanovski

G

Martin Brodeur

Marty Turco

Roberto Luongo

INJURY/EXTRAS

C - Patrick Marleau

LW - Paul Kariya

RW - Todd Bertuzzi

D - Scott Hannan

G - Ed Belfour

Honorable mention: Rob Blake, Dion Phaneuf, Sidney Crosby, Eric Staal, Eric Lindros, Daniel Briere.

Rationale

- Gagne, Sakic and Iginla don’t need any discussion, and together they form what could be the best line of the tournament. It was just that back in 2002.

- Heatley and Spezza have undeniable chemistry. Spezza is by far the most deserving of the “young three,” or whatever you want to call them, which to me is a moot point anyway. The only reason Staal is being considered (or so the media would have us believe) is because of the media hyping up his play this year. He’s a totally unknown commodity.

- Shanny’s career has been rejuvenated and we know he can play well with speedy kids like Zetterberg and Datsyuk. He’ll look good on Spezza’s wing.

- Thornton and Murray not only played together for half a decade, they’re good friends and would love to be reunited on the national team. Murray is a sniper who has grit, experience and leadership skills.

- If Nash is healthy, he has to be on this team. On Thornton’s wing he could really thrive. This line would probably produce the most one-timers in the history of hockey, not to mention cause the opposing line to crap its pants when they see Big Joe and Rick bearing down on them in the corner.

- Ryan Smyth is Captain Canada. Cant have an international tournament without him.

- Again, line chemistry is so important with the little time to prepare and the short length of the tournament. St. Louis and Lecavalier know each other and have gotten it done in the past. Smyth can play with anyone, and if the top line struggles Vinny can move up there and play with Iggy like he has in past international competitions.

- Niedermayer, Redden and Pronger go without saying. Despite his poor season so far this year, ive seen Pronger play a couple times and I don’t think he’s lost anything. He’s just being asked to play a different role, much like Zdeno Chara.

- For some reason people are questioning McCabe. If there’s a better defenceman in the league this year or someone more suited to international play, I don’t know who he is. McCabe isn’t the fastest guy but he can tie up any player with his excellent positioning skills. Of course his special teams skills speak for themselves.

- Robyn Regehr has had injury problems this year, but if he’s healthy ill take him. He’s a solid Pronger/Blake type, can play in any situation and has a decent shot from the point. More importantly, he’s a young guy with international experience and confidence that he can play at an Olympic level.

- Jovo-cop was the toughest choice for me. I don’t see why people are fretting over the defence so much, I had trouble selecting six players who should be shoe-ins. He gets the nod over Blake because, like Blake, Pronger and Hannan, he is also being asked to shoulder more responsibility this year. He’s just doing a better job of it than Blake.

- Hannan was a tough decision. A guy who played on Gretzky’s last international team, we know Wayne likes him. Nevertheless, he’s not having a great season and id rather give the spot to someone more steady, like Jovo.

- The goalies are pretty much set, although a strong case could be made for CuJo or Belfour. Neither, I suspect, would want to go and not play, so id just as soon leave them off entirely. Better to give the spots to players that will enjoy the experience and give the guys good practices.

- Marleau is a gamer. He shows up in big games and I wish there were enough roster spots for me to include him. He gets a slight nod over Danny Briere, who I would have on the team for sure if he didn’t play centre. He might be one of the players best suited to international competition ive ever seen.

- if there were justice, Paul Kariya would be on this team. After Ryan Smyth, no one has represented Canada better consistently over the past decade. And he has so much class.

- Todd Bertuzzi, also in a just world, would have his spot on this team cemented. But then he had to go and slam some fourth-liner’s face into the ice and the rest, as they say, is history. If Bert gets left off the team and he finds the magic he had three years ago, when he got 100+ points, before February…well, Canada better win, because if he’s not there that will be a big focal point for the disgruntled Canadian fans and media.

- honorable mention goes to the other two members of the young gun troika, but they don’t merit a spot on this prestigious team just yet. Come 2010 in Vancouver those two will be locks for the team.

- Ditto Dion Phaneuf. I had him penciled in for the top six and his name didn’t look out of place at all. There’s just too much experience in Jovo, Pronger, etc. See you in 2010.

- I love Danny Briere.