Team Canada

[Smitty34 0]

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olyhockey/ne...tory?id=4302904

Thoughts on the players selected/not selected?

[number18 0]

no spezza or stamkos.....i thought stamkos would be invited to the orientation camp for sure

[furlanitalia 1]

There's a lot of good talent there to sort through. It'll be hard to get down to the 23 man roster they need.

[nexusrage21 1]

I'm very surprised that Spezza was left off.

[K9 Unit 1]

i'm more surprised savards not on it

[Smitty34 0]

i'm more surprised savards not on it

I agree, that was the most surprising absence to me. His ability to pass the puck is right up there with Joe Thornton.

[RadioGaGa 162]

How far and how fast has Carey Price's stock fallen???? :o I hope this motivates him and he has a great year.

[althoma1 574]

Price had a terrible second half of last season and doesn't deserve the invite at this point, but he's still young enough to play in future Olympics if he turns things around. The only Montreal Canadien (ex now) I thought deserved a look was Tanguay. He played well when he was healthy and is very skilled (I'd rather have him back then Gionta or Gomez, but it's too later for that now).

I'm also surprised by the fact that Savard wasn't considered - he's put up great numbers for years. Spezza is another player I'd consider if I was inviting players, but I'm not. I'd take Savard, Spezza and Tanguay over Smyth (I know he has grit, heart and has played with Canada for years, but he isn't as talented as the other three), Morrow, or Cleary.

[hockechamp14 0]

Savard got screwed... again.

Is there some political BS that he's been dealing with? Was he one of those guys who never played for team Canada in like the World jr's, U18's and world championships?

He also got hosed on the all star game two years ago. He was in like the top 10-15 scorers at the time, and boston was doing horribly that year. He even put up points during the playoffs! I don't know what their criteria is for selecting the team! I guess they have Crosby and Thornton to distribute the puck, but what oh what happened to jumbo joe (again) in this year's playoffs?

[hockeyherb 1]

By my rough guess 12 of the 25 guys invited play center so maybe they couldn't squeeze another C. But Andy McDonald over Savard? C'mon. I've heard Pierre McGuire make comments before that Savard isn't a well liked guy but I thought that was the old Savard.

24 of 30 NHL teams are represented at the camp. Anaheim, Calgary, Chicago and Philly have 4 each at the camp. Any surprise they're all playoff teams? :)

So who wants to make some guesses of the final team?

Assuming 4 full lines and 3 G here's my picks:

G: Luongo, Brodeur, Ward (not so hard except the 3rd spot)

D: (hard to pick)

Niedermayer/Pronger

Keith/Weber

Bouwmeester/Phaneuf

Boyle/Green

F Lines: (hard to choose, so many good centers)

Nash/Crosby/Iginla

Heatley/Getzlaf/Perry

Staal/Lecavalier/St. Louis

Toews/Richards/Doan

I don't envy Yzerman having to make these choices.

[QandA 0]

By my rough guess 12 of the 25 guys invited play center so maybe they couldn't squeeze another C. But Andy McDonald over Savard? C'mon. I've heard Pierre McGuire make comments before that Savard isn't a well liked guy but I thought that was the old Savard.

24 of 30 NHL teams are represented at the camp. Anaheim, Calgary, Chicago and Philly have 4 each at the camp. Any surprise they're all playoff teams? :)

So who wants to make some guesses of the final team?

Assuming 4 full lines and 3 G here's my picks:

G: Luongo, Brodeur, Ward (not so hard except the 3rd spot)

D: (hard to pick)

Niedermayer/Pronger

Keith/Weber

Bouwmeester/Phaneuf

Boyle/Green

F Lines: (hard to choose, so many good centers)

Nash/Crosby/Iginla

Heatley/Getzlaf/Perry

Staal/Lecavalier/St. Louis

Toews/Richards/Doan

I don't envy Yzerman having to make these choices.

Nash/Getzlaf/Heatley will probably stay together after a strong world's in '07

[chadangle 0]

all three staals invited to camp. good for them.

[number18 0]

i heard on the radio that savard has turned down canada at alot of world championships and that might have affected him not being invited. i'm not sure when he turned them down or if thats why thats just what they meantioned. take it for what its worth

[Warriorsdman 1]

I think that they could do a lot better than Shane Doan, Lucic, and Cleary.

[lee92 2]

I think that they could do a lot better than Shane Doan, Lucic, and Cleary.

I don't know. Doan has always played well for team Canada, so I understand his place there, especially on a 4th line. Lucic is an up-and-coming energy/power forward, so they're probably giving him some premature exposure for future international events. I actually like seeing Cleary there, as I feel he'd be a great role player for team Canada. He's got great versatility, and can play as a scorer or a defensive checker. I feel he's there for potential 4th line duty as a shutdown man, which I feel he could accomplish. For the limited ice-time he sees in Detroit, he's composed a solid resume, especially with his play in the playoffs.

[QandA 0]

I think that they could do a lot better than Shane Doan, Lucic, and Cleary.

You need foot soldiers to win championships, not just guys who can dangle.

[Leafsrule16 5]

I think that they could do a lot better than Shane Doan, Lucic, and Cleary.

You need foot soldiers to win championships, not just guys who can dangle.

I agree. Cleary would be great, but Lucic could be a real sleeper. If he stays out of the penalty box and keeps calm i think he could be just as effective throwing hits on a 4th line.

[Smitty34 0]

Yeah, I think it's good to have guys like Lucic, Doan, and Cleary on the team to add some grit and energy as well as some offense.