Say “the golden goal” around almost any Canadian and they will know you are referring to Sidney Crosby’s gold-clinching goal at the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver. The event was so immense that it had Canadians across the country jumping and screaming in excitement. There is no bigger sporting event on a Canadian’s calendar than Olympic hockey, and thus there is no bigger task than selecting that team.
Some of the greatest hockey minds out there today – Steve Yzerman, Peter Chiarelli, Doug Armstrong, Ken Holland and Kevin Lowe – scoured the continent for over a year to decide who would make the cut. After the decisions were announced on Tuesday, there were extreme reactions both positive and negative from analysts and fans on twitter. The task is one of the hardest any Canadian could face: choose 25 of the country’s top hockey players to compete in a tournament where anything less than gold is considered a failure.
With the amount of talent at Canada’s disposal, it is hard to make a bad decision. A compelling case can be made for almost any of Canada’s top 50 players. There are of course locks such as Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and company. But many of these players had to be seriously considered for a multitude of reasons. Be it age, experience levels, compatibility with the big European ice surface, chemistry or playing history, Yzerman and company had their work cut out for them. If Canada repeats as gold medalists, hockey fans will claim to have backed the selection committee from the minute the team was announced. However, if they cannot achieve what everyone expects of them, all fingers will be pointed at Yzerman, and the players he left out.
The most notable omissions from the team this year are wingers Claude Giroux and Martin St. Louis. Logan Couture could also be considered surprising, however a last minute injury cost him a spot many analysts believe. One of those three may still make the team if Steven Stamkos is unable to recover from his injury in time, or if another Olympian injures himself before February 13. Yet as of right now, Giroux and St. Louis have to sit and wonder why they were passed up. Their places were taken by the likes of Jeff Carter, Jamie Benn, Chris Kunitz, Patrick Sharp, Rick Nash and Patrick Marleau.
What didn’t ring true is the selection process as explained by Yzerman and head coach Mike Babcock. Yzerman explained that playing history, current form and attitude were all critical in the selection process. Babcock expressed that they believed pace was an element they desperately wanted in their team. Yet Giroux and St. Louis, two great skaters – certainly better than Benn, Nash or Carter – were left off the team.
Furthermore Giroux and St. Louis have proved their worth time and time again. Giroux is the captain of the Flyers, has finished top 15 in scoring the past three seasons, and has led the resurgence of the Flyers this year, who currently sit in fifth place after a terrible start to the year. St. Louis led the league in scoring last season, has averaged over a point-per-game since 2006, and has led the Tampa Bay Lighting to third place in the Eastern Conference despite missing their franchise player Stamkos for the majority of the season. Both have played for Canada in the past – which is a major reason why Rick Nash made the team.
Benn, Nash, Marleau and Carter are all great players and fully deserve their coveted spot on Canada’s 25-man dream team. But the omission of Giroux and St. Louis are baffling because of what they have accomplished, what they would add to Team Canada, and what Yzerman and Babcock explained were important during the selection process.
If Canada wins gold in the end, none of this banter will matter at all. But the Olympics are great because they fuel speculation for weeks before the selection, debate for months prior to the tournament, and celebration or lamentation for another four years. Canada will have stiff competition in Sochi, but Canadians should have the same faith Yzerman has that his team will repay him in gold.
photo credit: MattBritt00 via photopin cc
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