2004 World Cup of Hockey: Team Canada Looks To A New Generation

Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Rob Blake and Joe Sakic will likely need a program to recognize all the new faces when the 2004 World Cup of Hockey begins in September. Wayne Gretzky and the Team Canada management group are going with a roster that leans on a new generation of Canadian stars.

Nine of 15 forwards have never before represented Canada at an Olympic or World Cup competition. They include Joe Thornton, Martin St. Louis, Shane Doan, Dany Heatley, Brad Richards, Brenden Morrow, Patrick Marleau, Kirk Maltby and Kris Draper.

Forwards returning from Canada's 2002 Olympic gold medal lineup include Lemieux, Yzerman, Sakic, Simon Gagne, Jarome Iginla and Ryan Smyth.

In all, Canada will have just five forwards over the age of 30, including newcomers Maltby and Draper, who are renowned for their speed and checking ability.

There is much less turnover on defense, where Robin Regehr and Wade Redden join six gold medalists from Salt Lake City. After winning two straight World Championships and posting an excellent season for the Florida Panthers, Roberto Luongo was the obvious choice to join Martin Brodeur and Ed Belfour in net.

Todd Bertuzzi and Paul Kariya are among the elite players who did not receive World Cup invitations. Kariya had just 11 goals in 51 games this season. As for Bertuzzi, his remains suspended indefinitely by the NHL.

"Everyone felt very strongly, from a personnel point of view, that he (Bertuzzi) deserves to be on the team," Gretzky told the Toronto Globe and Mail. "The other side of it is, this was a situation between Todd and the NHL. It wasn't our fight to handle, or a debate to get into. If he is cleared to play hockey by Aug. 29 and we have an injury, things could change. But at this point in time, this is our team. We like our team."

Teams are permitted to make substitutions for injured players up until August 29.

In all, nine players from the 2002 Olympic team were not invited back. They include forwards Joe Nieuwendyk, Mike Peca, Owen Nolan, Theoren Fleury, Eric Lindros, Brendan Shanahan and Kariya, defenceman Al MacInnis and goaltender Curtis Joseph. Kariya, at 29, is the only player from that group under the age of 30. Shanahan, Nieuwendyk, MacInnis and Joseph are all 35 or older.

Other notable omissions:

Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who tied for the 2003-04 NHL goal-scoring lead with 41 goals as a 19-year-old.

Goaltender Jose Theodore of the Montreal Canadiens, the former league MVP who had a strong comeback year.

Keith Primeau of the Philadelphia Flyers, one of the league's dominant physical forwards.

Alex Tanguay of the Colorado Avalanche, who was among the NHL's leading scorers early in the 2003-04 season.

Update, July 11/04: Steve Yzerman has withdrawn from the team due to injury. He is replaced by Vincent Lecavalier.
July 29/04: Rob Blake has withdrawn due to injury. He is replaced by Scott Hannan.
August 9/04: Ed Belfour has withdrawn due to injury. He is replaced by Jose Theodore.
August 15/04: Chris Pronger has withdrawn due to injury. He is replaced by Jay Buowmeester.

2004 World Cup of Hockey: Team Canada Roster

Goaltenders:
Ed Belfour, Toronto Maple Leafs (withdrawn)
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
Roberto Luongo, Florida Panthers
Jose Theodore, Montreal Canadiens

Defensemen:
Rob Blake, Colorado Avalanche (withdrawn)
Eric Brewer, Edmonton Oilers
Adam Foote, Colorado Avalanche
Ed Jovanovski, Vancouver Canucks
Scott Niedermayer, New Jersey Devils
Chris Pronger, St. Louis Blues (withdrawn)
Wade Redden, Ottawa Senators
Robyn Regehr, Calgary Flames
Scott Hannan, San Jose Sharks
Jay Buowmeester, Florida Panthers

Forwards:
Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes
Kris Draper, Detroit Red Wings
Simon Gagné, Philadelphia Flyers
Dany Heatley, Atlanta Thrashers
Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Kirk Maltby, Detroit Red Wings
Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
Brenden Morrow, Dallas Stars
Brad Richards, Tampa Bay Lightning
Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
Ryan Smyth, Edmonton Oilers
Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning
Joe Thornton, Boston Bruins
Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings (withdrawn)
Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning