Team Canada

[Troll King]

Not with just 13 points in 32 games he doesn't. The Kings are doing great this year but he hasn't been a factor in their success at all.

[project dragon]

 TEAM CANADA

 2006 Olympic Team - Goaltenders 

Player S/C HT WT Birthdate Hometown Team 
Martin Brodeur L 6'2 210 5/6/72 Montreal, QC New Jersey 
Roberto Luongo L 6'3 205 4/4/79 Montreal, QC Florida 
Marty Turco L 6'0 171 8/13/75 Sault Ste. Marie, ON Dallas 


 2006 Olympic Team - Defence 
  
Player S/C HT WT Birthdate Hometown Team 
Rob Blake R 6'4 225 12/10/69 Simcoe, ON Colorado 
Adam Foote R 6'2 215 7/10/71 Whitby, ON Columbus 
Ed Jovanovski L 6'2 210 6/26/76 Windsor, ON Vancouver 
Scott Niedermayer L 6'1 200 8/31/73 Cranbrook, BC Anaheim 
Chris Pronger L 6'6 218 10/10/74 Dryden, ON Edmonton 
Wade Redden L 6'2 205 6/12/77 Lloydminster, SK Ottawa 
Robyn Regehr L 6'2 226 4/19/80 Rosthern, SK Calgary 


 2006 Olympic Team - Forwards 
  
Player S/C HT WT Birthdate Hometown Team 
Todd Bertuzzi R 6'3 245 2/2/75 Sudbury, ON Vancouver 
Shane Doan R 6'2 216 10/10/76 Halkirk, AB Phoenix 
Kris Draper L 5'11 190 5/24/71 Toronto, ON Detroit 
Simon Gagne L 6'0 190 2/29/80 Ste-Foy, QC Philadelphia 
Dany Heatley L 6'3 215 1/21/81 Calgary, AB Ottawa 
Jarome Iginla R 6'1 208 7/1/77 St. Albert, AB Calgary 
Vincent Lecavalier L 6'4 207 4/21/80 Ile Bizard, QC Tampa Bay 
Rick Nash L 6'3 188 6/16/84 Brampton, ON Columbus 
Brad Richards L 6'1 198 5/2/80 Murray Harbour, PEI Tampa Bay 
Joe Sakic L 5'11 195 7/7/69 Burnaby, BC Colorado 
Ryan Smyth L 6'1 190 2/21/76 Banff, AB Edmonton 
Martin St-Louis L 5'9 185 6/18/75 Laval, QC Tampa Bay 
Joe Thornton L 6'4 220 7/2/79 St. Thomas, ON San Jose 


 2006 Olympic Team - Reserves 
  
Player S/C HT WT Birthdate Hometown Team 
Bryan McCabe L 6'2 220 6/8/75 St. Catharines, ON Toronto 
Jason Spezza R 6'3 211 6/13/83 Toronto, ON Ottawa 
Eric Staal L 6'4 205 6/29/84 Thunder Bay, ON Carolina

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?fid=8747&hubname=

[Jeenyuss]

No big surprises there, wish Cujo would've gotten in.

[froedrick]

I don't like Doan

[Da1andonly]

where's shanahan, damnit



go red wings!

[froedrick]

Don't you just love Koivu

[Capital Knockers]

Spezza should be a starter, he's proven he's got the shit - especially if they stick him with heatly.

[Mantra-Slider]

yes wtf u morons doing not picking spezza. he is fucking great
Philly-Ottawa tonight. cant wait! (Forsberg vs Alfredsson )

[froedrick]

yes wtf u morons doing not picking spezza. he is fucking great
Philly-Ottawa tonight. cant wait! (Forsberg vs Alfredsson )

my money is on ottawa

[AnidaLife]

Doan and Smyth are on but no Spezza... Gretzky should be replaced :grin:
Canada better get gold then.

And the game tonight, sens better bounce back from that horrible loss to the habs. blowing a 3 goal lead is sad, especially for the sens.

[Troll King]

Doan and Smyth, as well as Kris Draper, are on the roster because they deliver skills that Spezza doesn't have. Don't forget, this isn't an all-star team, it's a team that has to be able to adapt to other nation's styles of play. If you want to put someone with Spezza's skillset on there, you'd have to take away someone like a Sakic or a Lecavalier, or a Gagne. As good as Spezza is, I wouldn't play him ahead of any of those three. He may have the numbers this season, but those three have proven themselves at a higher level.

[froedrick]

i just don't like doan

[Mantra-Slider]

haha cool game!!

[HellzNo!]

First of all, for those who think crosby deserves to play on team canada, get off his dick. Any single junior who comes directly into a team where you get to play and live with one of the greatest hockey players of all time(lemieux) and one of the best power forwards of the last decade and a half(leclaire).

As for troll king, spezza has performed better than any of the mentioned players except simon gagne, and the only reason he hasnt proven himself before last season was because he was never allowed to. To say he can't perform on the international level is kind of strange, considering the international game is more wide open, and he is one of the league's most amazing play makers. Players like ryan smyth, draper, and other garbage players like that, are of alot less worth than someone like spezza, or kariya.

The players that didn't deserve to make the team imo, are smyth, draper, doan, nash, and st. louis. Nash is an amazing power forward, but he's been injured the whole season, and isn't even close to 100%.
Players who deserved to make the team, spezza, staal, cujo, and kariya.

As for that garbage of a defensemen bryan mccabe, any player who has over 40 points, and still carries a negative +/- rating, is an awful defensman, no matter what team you play for. Yeah, i know i said international hockey is more about offense and more wide open, but there's a limit to how bad defensively a player should be. Also, he's not that great of a skater or passer, but jut amazing on the power play because of his hard shot.

[Troll King]

Smyth and Doan and Draper might be less worth but again, it's about providing a certain skillset. Spezza can do some things they can't do but the things that they can do better than Spezza can are the reasons they made the team. If you are defending a one-goal lead late in the gold medal game and find yourself short-handed, I'd feel much better knowing I have Doan and Draper out there to kill it.

Plus if you look at the centres on the roster, you have Thornton, Sakic, Richards, Draper and Lecavalier. Thornton has a more physical presence than Spezza has. Sakic and Richards are much better defensively and Draper is one of the best penalty killers in the world. With the high level of players and the large open ice, you need strong defence from your centres. Spezza's defence is his weakness and in the Olympics, that would be a liability. Lecavalier is the closest comparable to Spezza, but he's a much better skater. And how can you not pick the World Cup MVP over Spezza?

And even if you take one of those centres off, I'd still put Staal in ahead of Spezza. As good as Spezza is, he isn't leading the league in goals. Staal is also better defensively.