Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Team Canada is one of the hardest teams to field in the Olympics. In a country which has hockey for a national pastime, the skill level is so high and the competition is fierce, yet 12 members of the 2010 Vancouver, British Columbia gold medal winning team are returning to defend. Recent roster changes, due to injury, have left many fans feeling as though Team Canada righted a huge wrong in the initial selection process. Steven Stamkos was not able to overcome his injury in time to compete for Team Canada. As a replacement, Stamkos’s Tampa Bay Lightning teammate, Martin St. Louis, was added to the roster. Here’s a look at the players who will wear the red and black in Sochi, Russia. Returning players are marked with *.
Goal:
Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks)*
Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens)
Mike Smith (Phoenix Coyotes)
Defensemen:
Jay Boumeester (St. Louis Blues)
Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings)*
Dan Hamhuis (Vancouver Canucks)
Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks)*
Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis Blues)
P.K. Subban (Montreal Canadiens)
Marc-Édouard Vlasic (San José Sharks)
Alternate Captain: Shea Weber (Nashville Predators)*
Forwards:
Right Wing:
Rick Nash (New York Rangers)*
Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks)*
Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Centre:
Captain: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)*
Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins)*
Jeff Carter (L.A. Kings)
Matt Duchene (Colorado Avalanche)
Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim Ducks)*
John Tavares (New York Islanders)
Alternate Captain: Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks)*
Left Wing:
Jamie Benn also a center (Dallas Stars)
Chris Kunitz (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Patrick Marleau (San José Sharks)*
Patrick Sharp (Chicago Blackhawks)
Team Canada is undoubtedly stacked at the center position and noticeably missing a right-winger. The question becomes, who slides over to fill the empty slot on the right or do three players share the duty?