The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Let's recap the 23 man roster Hockey Canada has elected to go with at the 2006 Olympics:

Goalies: Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Marty Turco

I thought Curtis Joseph would be the #3 especially with Wayne Gretzky's endorsement, but that didn't work in 2002 when he tried to have Sean Burke play in Salt Lake, either. I have no beefs with these selections.

SBP score: 2 for 3 correct

Defense: Rob Blake, Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Robyn Regehr, Adam Foote, Wade Redden, Ed Jovanovski

The big ice surface and a lousy -1 for a #1 D on an NHL squad outweighed Bryan McCabe's power play production, and team brass opted instead to go with tried & true Adam Foote. I think Foote has seen better days and Dan Boyle or Dion Phaneuf would have been a better pick, but not a big issue for me.

SBP score: 6 for 7 correct

Forwards: Joe Thornton, Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Sakic, Kris Draper, Shane Doan, Brad Richards, Martin St-Louis, Ryan Smyth, Simon Gagne, Rick Nash, Todd Bertuzzi, Jarome Iginla, Dany Heatley

This team is lacking the "youth injection" Jacques Martin thought was important in the 2002 Olympic team selection when he vouched for Simon Gagne. Rick Nash is a young kid, but I still contend Martin St-Louis and Shane Doan have no business being included with their sub-par seasons. Martin St-Louis was also brutal in the 2004 World Cup, but because he won the Hart Trophy that same year he is given carte blanche. I'm also not too crazy about the inevitable selection of Kris Draper. Apparently he had a strong summer camp, but check out his stats for this season: 1 goal, 6 assists and a MINUS 6. Dreadful stats for a supposed top checking centre on the #1 Western Conference team. But, he's been good when called upon for Canada, so obviously it is felt his season is a bump in the road and he's good to go for Turin.

SBP score: 12 for 13 correct

"Taxi Squad": Eric Staal, Jason Spezza, Bryan McCabe

At least Wayne Gretzky picked up the phone to call Spezza to explain his rationale on leaving him off the team. This "squad" also helps ease criticism for not allowing the youth to give it a shot. And it also allows lots of Leafs fans to purchase Team Canada jerseys with McCabe on the back.

If Canada wins gold, no one will care about who was and wasn't left off the team, but for now, I hope Doan and St-Louis trip over their luggage at the airport, allowing Staal and Spezza to play with Heatley to light things up in Italy.