Wayne Gretzky - Executive Director Pat Quinn (Tor) - Head Coach Ken Hitchcock (Phil) - associate coach Jacques Martin (Ott) associate coach Wayne Fleming (Phil) associate coach
(Thanks to the Calgary Sun for info... Name, age, current team, *Not on 2002 Olympic squad)
GOALTENDERS
Martin Brodeur, 32, New Jersey Devils Roberto Luongo*, 25, Florida Panthers Ed Belfour, 39, Toronto Maple Leafs
DEFENCEMEN
Scott Niedermayer, 30, New Jersey Rob Blake, 34, Colorado Avalanche Adam Foote, 32, Colorado Avalanche Ed Jovanovski, 27, Vancouver Canucks Chris Pronger, 29, St. Louis Blues Eric Brewer, 25, Edmonton Oilers Wade Redden*, 26, Ottawa Senators Robyn Regehr*, 24, Calgary Flames
CENTRES
Mario Lemieux, 38, Pittsburgh Penguins Joe Sakic, 34, Colorado Avalanche Joe Thornton*, 25, Boston Bruins Steve Yzerman, 39, Detroit Red Wings Brad Richards*, 24, Tampa Bay Lightning Patrick Marleau*, 24, San Jose Sharks Kris Draper*, 32, Detroit Red Wings
WINGERS
Martin St. Louis*, 28, Tampa Bay Lightning Jarome Iginla, 26, Calgary Flames Dany Heatley*, 23, Atlanta Thrashers Ryan Smyth, 28, Edmonton Oilers Shane Doan*, 27, Phoenix Coyotes Simon Gagne, 24, Philadelphia Flyers Kirk Maltby*, 32, Detroit Red Wings Brenden Morrow*, 25, Dallas Stars
********* My opinion:
Goalies: I'm happy with the choice, you bring back Olympic hero Brodeur, a veteran in Belfour just in case and a youngster in Louogo.
Defense: Maybe it's a home town bias but I thought McCabe had a great year all around (ignore the playoff game from hell). He's a good in his own end and good on the Powerplay... I'd put McCabe in and remove Redden who was not impressive in the first round, Chara was better!
Forward: There's a lot of strange choice. I'd put in Bertuzzi, I would put him on the team and throw the ball to the NHL court to make a decision. I'd want Keith Premieu in there as well, he can dominate... On the other side, I'm a little worried of the two vets. Can Lemieux hold up and how is Yzerman going to react after such a serious injury. Is Richards really legit to be on this team.
Of course it's difficult to question Gretzky especially considering what he did in the Olympics but even the Great One isn't perfect
smark/net attack wienerville advisory stays at BLUE alert - Guarded (With Benoit & Eddie being World & WWE champions you'd expect all's be right but couldn't do it due to Trish/Y2J character switches & whats the deal with JBL PPV main event)- 5/6
Keep in mind that they had to pick people who probably aren't going to play but have to be fine with that and be ready to play. That's where guys like Brad Richards fit in. There's no fuss if he's not in the lineup like there would be if Keith Primeau was in the press box.
Also, I'd expect Richards or Gagne to withdraw if Todd Bertuzzi gets re-instated before August 29th. If Bertuzzi's available, you bet they'll get him in there somehow.
I might have put Lecavalier in there instead of Patrick Marleau but they've certainly got enough firepower and Marleau's a better two way player. They're playing on NHL rinks so you gotta go with more grit then speed.
I've heard some people say that Theodore should have got Luongo's spot but Theodore's been shaky at times the past two years. Luongo was brilliant in back-to-back World Championships when the pressure was on. He earned his spot with those two gold medals. Hopefully Brodeur can return to form after a subpar Playoffs.
It's really hard to argue with that lineup at all. There's some GREAT players on the outside looking in but that just speaks volumes for Hockey Canada. Remember in 1998 after Nagano, how everyone in the country was in a panic about our future? The future looks bright, very bright for Canadian hockey. Especially when you've got guys like Rick Nash and Vinnie Lecavalier waiitng for their opportunity.
"Each race determines for itself what indecencies are. Nature knows no indecencies; man invents them." - Mark Twain
Bertuzzi doesn't deserve a spot on this roster. I'm sure that Sakic isn't crying too many tears over Bertuzzi's omission.
THE QUEST FOR LORD STANLEY'S CUP
Tied for 9th: St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Ottawa Senators Tied for 5th:Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche Tied for 3rd: Second: The Champion:
Originally posted by Big BadBertuzzi doesn't deserve a spot on this roster. I'm sure that Sakic isn't crying too many tears over Bertuzzi's omission.
If he's eligible, he sure does because he's one of the Top 5 Canadians playing the game. If you paid attention to Sakic's comments post-incident, he was forgiving. Actually almost all the players were understanding and forgiving, you know, his peers, the ones who know him, and the ones who matter.
If the NHL has declared him eligible to play, they've determined he's paid his price for his action and then he should be on the team. If anything, he'll be motivated to play better then ever and make people forget about the incident and remember why he's one of the NHL's most dominant players.
"Each race determines for itself what indecencies are. Nature knows no indecencies; man invents them." - Mark Twain
I don't know if Bertuzzi's one of the top 5 players from Canada...or even the top 50. But there's no denying he's a hell of a player. Gary Bettman's ruling was that Bertuzzi would have to apply for reinstatement at the beginning of next season...which could be in 2005. He ain't playin'.
I am amped about the inclusion of Flame D Robyn Regehr, who's been a force during the playoffs.
THE NHL'S FINAL FOUR: Western Conference Final: Calgary Flames lead San Jose Sharks 2-1 [Game 4: Sunday] Eastern Conference Final: Tampa Bay Lightning & Philadelphia Flyers are tied 2-2 [Game 5: Tuesday]
Originally posted by Net Hack SlasherOf course it's difficult to question Gretzky especially considering what he did in the Olympics but even the Great One isn't perfect
Yeah...he RIGGED THE ICE in Salt Lake City!
Seriously...it was a Canadian company that made the ice for the Olympic hockey rink...and Gretzky confessed at the post-gold-medal-game presser that he convinced 'em to slip a looney into the ice for luck.
Cheating BASTARD! On American soil...er, concrete!
Or maybe their NHL All-Stars were just better than ours that day.
Star wipe, and...we're out. Thrillin' ain't easy.
THE THRILL ACW-NWA Wisconsin Home Video Technical Director...& A2NWO 4 Life! (Click the big G or here to hear the Packers Fight Song in RealAudio...or try .AU, .WAV or .MIDI!)
You're kidding about McCabe right? He is just an average defensemen on a really crappy defensive team.
He has no place on that team....EVER!
Don't know how crappy a defense the Leafs have when they have the most offensive production from the blue line then any team in the league... Maybe the thought of Redden horrible playoffs is still fresh in my mind he does look like he had a good regular season. If that's the case maybe it should be Jovanovski the one that should be off the list in favor of McCabe. I guess McCabe Game 5 horrible performance against the Flyers was held against him.
McCabe 2003/04 Regular Season GP G A P +/- PM PP SH GW GT Shots 75 16 37 53 22 86 8 0 2 1 168
Jovanovski 2003/04 Regular Season GP G A P +/- PM PP SH GW GT Shots 56 7 16 23 2 64 2 0 1 1 143
I see Jovanovski has had some injury time so I'll project his numbers up to 75 games he'll have... 9-Goals, 21-Assists, 29-points, 3-Powerplay. All other numbers stay the same (except PIM which isn't important & would be even with McCabe). All production numbers are way lower then McCabe.
smark/net attack wienerville advisory stays at BLUE alert - Guarded (With Benoit & Eddie being World & WWE champions you'd expect all's be right but couldn't do it due to Trish/Y2J character switches & whats the deal with JBL PPV main event)- 5/6
If you think Ed Jovanovski is on the team to score goals you are sadly mistaken. Jovanovski is there to be the big man on the blue line, to clear the front of the net and to deal with the other teams' big (in terms of size, not just scoring ability) guys. McCabe can't do that; never has, never will. McCabe had a nice season, but there's not a guy on that roster that should be bumped in his favour.
The one that really irks me is the fact that Keith Primeau is not on this team. Anyone who has watched the Flyers at all in the playoffs should be able to clearly see why this is. The inclusion of Kirk Maltby and Brenden Morrow over Primeau is absurd. A converted Primeau brings much more to the table than either of those guys, especially Maltby who is largely an intangibles type player.
I also take issue with the inclusion of Steve Yzerman. I respect the hell out of Yzerman and what he has accomplished, but not only is his production way down he's also injury prone - he's even got an eye problem now if I'm not mistaken. If you wanna take a guy on name recognition and reputation, why not take Mark Messier? Messier had only eight fewer points on a much weaker team this past season. With so many young bright spots on the team and who could have been included (Tanguay and Lecavalier just to name a few) I just don't see the reason to bring in a guy like Yzerman when you've already got Mario, Sakic, Niedermayer, and Pronger - and shoulda been Primeau - filling leadership roles. A mistake if you ask me, and much more potential for controversy than they probably want.
The Toronto Maple Leafs: Hockey's equivalent of the Chicago Cubs, but easier to hate.
Yeah, I've been irked at the Yzerman on the team/Primeau off the team thing, too. I do think that there are going to be injury substitutions, though, and wouldn't be at all surprised if Yzerman isn't totally ready to go in Sept. That would open up a slot for Big Primeau, as Harry and Bob call him.
That's what I'm hoping, anyway.
-MHM, winner of the 2000 Throwdown in Christmastown.