2014 Olympic Hockey Roster Will Be Highly Debated

With the 2014 Olympics in Sochi less than a calendar year away now there have been a lot of projections recently about what the Canadian hockey roster will look like.  We have compiled our own list with the understanding that such a debatable topic leaves much room for discussion.

Selecting from a group of superstars to represent Canada seems to the average hockey fan like a rather easy task, such assumptions couldn’t be further from the truth.  General Manager of the 2014 edition of the Canadian Mens Olympic team Steve Yzerman has a tall task ahead of him.  Keeping in consideration that many things may change in the year to come (like injuries and player production), here is our list.

Forwards

With such a stacked group of talented players, the forward group was actually much harder than initially anticipated to select.  These line pairings are by no means a final projection but we believe a good starting point.

Jonathan Toews – Sidney Crosby – Steven Stamkos

John Tavares – Claude Giroux –  Rick Nash

Eric Staal – Joe Thornton – Corey Perry

Taylor Hall – Ryan Getzlaf – Jarome Iginla

 Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin

We are confident that this line-up provides a great mix of youth, veteran leadership,scoring, and defensive responsibility capable of taking on anything the rest of the world can throw our way.

Defence

The loss of the veteran leadership of both Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger can’t be understated when discussing the group selected in 2014. Both were great left side defenceman who are not easily replaceable.  The next generation of star Canadian defenceman is by no means lacking in talent.  Again these selected pairings are just a starting point for discussion.

Drew Doughty – Shea Weber

Duncan Keith –Marc Staal

Kris Letang – Alex Pietrangelo

Mike Del Zotto

This group may be younger than recent Olympic teams but there is a lost of experience (both Olympic and NHL) packed into this talented crew.

Goaltender

This proves to be the most highly debated position in this conversation.  The 2010 Vancouver Olympics saw a passing of the torch if you will, from incumbant Martin Brodeur to Roberto Luongo.  Recent play has a lot to do with our following selections.

Roberto Luongo

Carey Price

Martin Brodeur

This will undoubtedly be Brodeur’s final Olympics, his years of service have earned him the right to be included as the third goaltending option who can also provide leadership for the entire team.  If Luongo can maintain his recent play Canada will be pleasantly surprised with the results, his 2010 experience also plays into his selection as the starter.  Carey Price provides a solid second option who can be turned to at any point in the tournament without any fear of a drop in talent between the pipes.
Regardless of what the final roster Steve Yzerman and his team select for the 2014 Olympic Hockey team there will be very talented and deserving players left at home.  Still being a year away this is merely an early projection of what your Canadian hockey team may look like in Sochi.  This is a roster we believe would have a great chance at bringing a gold medal home and making Canada proud.