Video: The executives behind our national hockey team ended months of speculation on Tuesday, announcing the final roster for the Sochi Olympics. Mike Drolet reports.
TORONTO – The roster for Canada’s men’s Olympic hockey team has been announced.
Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, John Tavares and fan-favourite P.K. Subban will lead the team looking to defend Canada’s 2010 gold medal win at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games in Russia.
WATCH: Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz react to being named to Team Canada
The team selected to represent Canada in Sochi is a mix of veterans and newcomers. Olympic vets Crosby, Toews, Drew Doughty and Roberto Luongo will be joined by first-timers Patrick Sharp, Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene and Marc-Édouard Vlasic.
Despite a handful of locks on the 25-player roster, there were a number of notable snubs.
“We recognize the difficult decisions we had to make,” the team’s executive director Steve Yzerman said Tuesday, highlighting the depth of talent his management team had to choose from for the Olympic roster.
Players not making the cut for Sochi include: Martin St. Louis, Claude Giroux, Milan Lucic, Dan Boyle, Logan Couture, Brent Seabrook, Eric Staal, Joe Thornton, and veteran goalie Martin Brodeur.
WATCH: Full roster announcement Tuesday morning
Canada’s 2014 men’s Olympic hockey team roster:
FORWARDS
- Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
- John Tavares (New York Islanders)
- Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks)
- Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars)
- Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins)
- Jeff Carter (L.A. Kings)
- Matt Duchene (Colorado Avalanche)
- Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim Ducks)
- Chris Kunitz (Pittsburgh Penguins)
- Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks)
- Rick Nash (New York Rangers)
- Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks)
- Patrick Sharp (Chicago Blackhawks)
- Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)
DEFENCEMEN
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- Jay Bouwmeester (St. Louis Blues)
- Drew Doughty (L.A. Kings)
- Dan Hamhuis (Vancouver Canucks)
- Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks)
- Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis Blues)
- P.K. Subban (Montreal Canadiens)
- Marc-Édouard Vlasic (San Jose Sharks)
- Shea Weber (Nashville Predators)
GOALTENDERS
- Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks)
- Carey Price (Montreal Canadians)
- Mike Smith (Phoenix Coyotes)
Representatives from the Canadian Olympic Committee and Hockey Canada were at the Toronto Maple Leafs practice centre on Tuesday to announce the team that will compete for Canada at Sochi.
Quoting a passage from The Game, a book by former NHL goalie Ken Dryden, Aubut said, “We don’t quit because it doesn’t feel right when we do. We dream, we imagine, we hope…we are players.”
WATCH: Montreal Canadiens defender P.K. Subban hopes being selected for the Olympic team WON’T silence his critics
Tuesday marks the one-month countdown to the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. All eyes are on Russia and its President Vladimir Putin, as the lead-up to the games has been less than flattering.
The Sochi Games are already among the most contentious in Olympic history. Controversies have run the gamut of terrorist threats, human rights, gay rights, cost overruns, corruption and environmental damage.
VIDEO: Roberto Luongo, Dan Hamhuis, Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo react to being named to Canada’s roster
But hockey continues to be a bright spot in the Sochi Games. Russia is looking for redemption after being knocked out of the quarterfinals by Canada in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
The men’s tournament begins on Feb. 12. Canada’s men’s team will play its first game on Feb. 13 against Norway. The tournament’s gold medal game will be held on Feb. 23.
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