2014 Canadian Men's Olympic Hockey Roster - V1

The National Hockey League in the National Hockey League Players Association are going to be talking to the International Olympic Committee in regards to their participation in the upcoming Olympics.  Right now they're looking to get a better deal from the IOC. They're looking for them better access to the players and the rights to display images from the games.  In essence they're looking to get the same access as if they were one of the official sponsors.  If the NHL and the NHLPA decide to go it will be a commitment for only the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia.  Because of the time difference it will be like a test drive to see if it will work and then decide later about the logistics for the games in South Korea.  If the NHL does go over to Russia it will likely shut the league down for at least two weeks and most likely up to 18 days.

Now the news only a year away the two major networks are going to be giving their preliminary rosters and lease for the Canadian team. TSN posted thier list last night from Ray Ferraro and Sportsnet's Mark Spector has his . As it is undecided how many players they plan on taking or have available to be named on the team right now I am including an extra " taxi squad" of players to take a long because of the extensive travel andhide different.  The NHL is looking to have rosters expand 25 cent depending on the final decision will dictate how many extra forwards and defencemen they take with them.

I'm going to presume the team Canada will opt to go with a much younger roster of them they have in the past.  So with that in mind here is my first draft of their roster and pulls a line combinations for the

Canadian National Team

Forwards:

LW-Steven Stamkos         C- Sidney Crosby          RW-Jeff Skinner

LW-Eric Staal                     C- Jonathan Toews        RW-Rick Nash

LW-Jamie Benn                 C- Claude Giroux           RW-Jordan Eberle 

LW-Patrice Bergeron        C- John Tavares             RW- Mike Richards

Defence:
Shea Weber        Alex Pietrangelo
Drew Doughty      Kris Letang
Marc Staal           Duncan Keith

Goalie:
Carey Price
Roberto Luongo
Marc-Andre Fleury

Taxi Squad:
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Jason Spezza
Jordan Staal
Taylor Hall
Brent Seabrook
Tyler Seguin
Justin Schultz

It could be Crosby-Staal's and Nash again. There is a chance all 3 Staal's could make the team.

Because they will be playing on leave or dry surface they will be needed team moves fast and mobile.  If this were being played in North America on NHL size rinks there would likely be more "grit" in the player selected.  The Olympic team can not necessarily be an All-Star team and must also have a role players. Players that are willing to buy into a specific system or player ruled that they're not accustomed to is key to success.  Players like Mike Richards and Jordan Staal may not be your prototypical scorers but could provide a defensive conscience that is needed on a third or fourth line.  That is why is so difficult to come up with the team that has such high and talent available to them.  Excellent players will be left off, sometimes is just a numbers game.  As far as the goalies are concerned it will probably depend on who is playing the best during the first part of next season to determining who will be the starter and who'll be backups.  There are probably five goalies from Canada that are worthy of one of the three available spots their play of the beginning of the season may be the determining factor of who makes the team.

A lot can happen within a year and this is just the first draft some time will tell what additions or subtractions will be made that I am interested in seeing how my list will stack up against those of the list put forth by TSN and Sportsnet respectively.

Feel free to include your roster in the comments section to compare to my list and the other lists put out by the networks.

Best and Worst For A Wednesday

Best: If you are Roberto Luongo, signing a 12-year contract extension worth $64M is definitely a best. If you are the Vancouver Canucks you hope that he continues to be the goalie he is now for a looooog time and remains healthier then another long term contract goalie that plays for the Islanders. If that is the case it may be a win win.

Worst: World No. 1 Dinara Safina had to come from behind in the third set in order to win her first-round match. She narrowly avoided being the first #1 seed to fall in the first round of a US Open. There is no reason it should have been as close as it was.

Best: Adam "Pacman" Jones is going the Canadian route to get back into the NFL. It appears that he will suit up for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. I know that the CFL isn’t the most compelling thing to watch but this has the potential to be a train wreck which is always fun to see. Plus revenue at local strip clubs are likely to go up and patrons can make money going to the rippers if Pacman decides to make it rain.

Worst: Adam "Pacman" Jones is on his way to the CFL. It is like this league is the equivalent to house arrest for troubled NFL players?

Best: Ottawa Senators defenceman Jason Smith has announced his retirement. After 16 NHL seasons, 1,008 games and being captian of 2 clubs he is able to walk away on a high note. Also this frees up the Sens for $2.6M off their cap in the event that they can’t move Heatley before teh beginning of the season or if they do make a move may allow them to make another move for scoring help upfront...where they may be lacking.

Worst: Anything that comes out of the Phoenix courtroom today as Judge Redfield T. Baum determines whether Jim Balsillie can remain in the hunt for the Coyotes. This saga over the club and who owns it or where they may play is played out and it is probably safe to say that most people just want to end the madness