Canada Slips Back to the Pack
With two defensemen lost to injury and another pair playing lame, the Team Canada blueline is looking vulnerable. Several other Canadian Olympians are in the midst of forgettable NHL seasons. So is the defending champ still the gold medal favorite going into Torino?
Arguably the country's best all-around defenseman, Scott Niedermayer (knee surgery) is virtually irreplaceable. Many fans aren't quite so fond of Ed Jovanovski (groin/abdominal injury). But there is no doubt that the two substitutes - Jay Bouwmeester and Bryan McCabe - represent a significant downgrade.
Among the remaining defenders: Chris Pronger will play through a broken bone in his foot; Rob Blake has a groin problem and his point production has disappeared.
Others on the Canadian team are hardly looking like world-beaters these days:
This roster closely resembles the one that won the 2004 World Cup, and that leaves many of today's best Canadians on the shelf: of the top 25 scorers in the National Hockey League, 12 are from Canada, but only four of them made the Olympic team. (Two others, Jason Spezza and Eric Staal, are eligible to play only if a forward is injured during the tournament.)
A gold medal favorite, or a team two years past its best-before date? Let's just say it will be interesting to see who can rise to the occasion when the playoff games begin in Torino.
2006 Canadian Olympic Roster
Olympic Hockey Schedules and Essential Info
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