Your Olympians...

With the United States and Canada announcing their Olympic rosters for 2018 in PyeongChang, North Korea, it's time to size up each team's chance at Olympic gold. Given that the rosters from all the teams will be players not currently under NHL contract, this will be slightly harder to project.

First, the United States, their roster will consist of four college players not yet signed by their NHL teams (Ryan Donato, Will Borgen, Jordan Greenway, and Troy Terry), players that could never crack an NHL roster, and players that once had significant careers in the NHL. Among the most notable names on the roster include Brian Gionta, who had previously been a part of the US team in 2006, James Wisniewski, and Jim Slater. The United States opted to go with a more diverse team in terms of experience, as the aforementioned college players had also logged time with the US' U-20 squad in recent years. While not the most star-studded in terms of NHL experience, there is decent depth, and many of the players are eager to show what they can do on the international stage. One  player to watch is goaltender Ryan Zapolski, who has been playing well in the KHL for Jokerit.

Canada announced their roster a few days ago, and unlike the US, they opted to go with more experienced players. The most notable players on the team include Derek Roy, Mason Raymond, Chris Kelly, Rene Bourque, and Ben Scrivens. Christian Thomas and Quinton Howden are the youngest players on the roster, with both being 1992 birthdays. The collective goaltending unit might be better for Canada than the United States, but none on the Canadian squad scare anyone individually while up front, it is curious to see Maxim Lapierre on the roster, since his time in the NHL had largely been known as a pest. Similarly, the blue line unit may be better as the sum of the whole than the sum of the parts, as none are too great. Up front, there are former first-round picks that didn't pan out that are obviously looking to prove themselves on the international stage, with Howden, Gilbert Brule, and Wojtek Wolski making up that group.

With the rest of the Olympic rosters yet to be named, there is uncertainty as to how each country will fare. What is known is that the odds of Canada making a three-peat on the medal stand are not great, with the United States having the slight edge in terms of overall talent, particularly on the blue line and in goal. However, Canada does have the experience edge, and that may be enough to medal once again. Whether that is gold, that is where the rest of the roster announcements will have a hand in deciding that fate.

The US Olympian Squad

At the conclusion of the NHL Winter Classic (Toronto won in a shootout 3-2), the U.S. Men's Hockey team was announced.  With that in mind, I will run down the roster by position and talk about those that were left off the roster, with the idea that the roster can change due to injury up until the Olympics start in Sochi, Russia.

GOALTENDERS

Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings; Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres; Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings

Had the roster been announced prior to the season, only Miller would have been seen as questionable due to his not-so sterling play in recent seasons.  However, both Quick and Howard are coming off of recent injuries and while Miller did indeed struggle early in the season, his play recently may have saved him a spot.  Currently, the starting goaltender's job is Quick's to lose, but don't discount Miller here, especially if he keeps playing well heading into Olympic break.

FORWARDS

David Backes, St. Louis Blues; Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings; Ryan Callahan, New York Rangers; Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks; Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks; Phil Kessel, Toronto Maple Leafs; T.J. Oshie, St. Louis Blues; Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens; Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild; Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks; Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche; Derek Stepan, New York Rangers; James van Riemsdyk, Toronto Maple Leafs; Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets

No surprise that the "leadership group" of Backes, Brown, Callahan, and Parise were all named to the team.  Kane and Kessel are the surest options for scoring on the wings, and solid two-way play is the order of the day for the likes of Oshie, Kesler, van Riemsdyk, and Pacioretty.  Pavelski is a player to watch, as he has put up solid offensive numbers despite being the third line center for San Jose.  I wouldn't be surprised if he emerges as a top option after Kane and Kessel.  Stepan is the youth option here, and Stastny's career revival this season proved to be enough to make the team.  Wheeler is a bit of a head scratcher, as he is a streaky player that doesn't always go for the dirty goals.

DEFENSEMEN

John Carlson, Washington Capitals; Justin Faulk, Carolina Hurricanes; Cam Fowler, Anaheim Ducks; Paul Martin, Pittsburgh Penguins; Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers; Brooks Orpik, Pittsburgh Penguins; Kevin Shattenkirk, St. Louis Blues; Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild

Other than Suter, there is no true sure thing on the blue line.  Both Martin and Orpik could be paired together, since they are teammates and coach Dan Bylsma is familiar with both, having seen them on a daily basis.  That's the potential shutdown pair, with McDonagh and Carlson providing the best two-way options outside of Suter.  Shattenkirk, Faulk, and Fowler are offensive options who are also new to the Olympic experience.

SNUBS

Goaltending, Ben Bishop provided decidedly better numbers this season, but was left off due to the numbers game and the U.S. squad going with experience in pressure games in that category.  Craig Anderson's injury and splitting of time with Robin Lehner likely doomed his chances of making the team.

Forwards, Bobby Ryan is the most notable name left off the roster.  Despite being on the team in 2010 and the ability to provide offense, his speed and defense were seen as liabilities.  Jason Pominville and Kyle Okposo are two way solid players, but neither are known for speed, something that will matter on the larger ice surface in Sochi.  Also, they provide a similar skill set to the "leadership group," and having both would lessen the team's ability to play different styles as needed.

Defensively, the biggest snub was Jack Johnson.  Somewhat of a defensive liability, he played well in the 2010 Olympics and would have provided an element of offense and speed from the blue line.  He was most likely a victim of the team's commitment to go younger on the blue line.  Seth Jones, while he would have fit the youth profile, also hasn't had the rookie season he would have liked.  Dustin Byfuglien would have provided size and offense, but he also happens to be a liability in his own zone.  Ditto for Keith Yandle, minus the size.

2010 in Review: Hockey Version

It's only a few more days until 2010 walks away, so this week will be dedicated to some of the year's bests in different categories.  Today, the "best of" will cover hockey (Is there anything else that would begin a "best of" segment for this hockey loving heart?).  The first few months of the year were moving towards the 2010 Olympic Games, one that saw an improbable run by the United States hockey team that many thought wouldn't even finish in the top four, yet were a Sidney Crosby goal away from a gold medal.  Superstars were born that in that Olympics, as the likes of Ryan Miller, Drew Doughty, and Jaroslav Halak made names for themselves while guys like Crosby and Roberto Luongo only made their stars brighter than before.  The playoffs would follow in the Spring, as Halak announced his arrival in leading Montreal to the Conference Finals, upsetting Washington and Pittsburgh along the way.  The improbable Chicago-Philadelphia Finals matchup happened thanks to an even more improbable comeback by Philadelphia in the Conference Semifinals, winning the series against Boston 4-3 after losing the first three games.  I can tell you that it felt good seeing Boston fans in disbelief after the game 7 loss, and after all, they should know first hand this kind of feeling, as their baseball team did this, only they were on the right side of the ledger.  The NHL draft welcomed a potential superstar in Taylor Hall (emphasis on the word "potential") and the free agency period saw a prolonged drama named the Ilya Kovalchuk contract drag on for two months.

Once the season began, the Devils, the biggest loser in the free agency market, hit rock bottom, but not before the New York Islanders, as the Isles had a monumental losing streak that rubbed salt in their wounds (Can these guys ever catch a break?) and the Maple Leafs fans throwing waffles as the on-ice product once again, stinks up the joint.  Maybe it's time the Leafs follow the Isles and Devils' examples and start over in the coaching position.  The Blackhawks have shown some resilience in the wake of trading half of their team away due to salary cap issues while the Canucks are still looking to live up to the lofty expectations set upon them before the season (and believe me, those expectations include a big, silver Cup, and nothing short of that will do).

2011 will see the All-Star game, another great playoff run by some team, and perhaps, Crosby carrying his point streak into the new year.  Time will tell on all of these, but two games sure to generate interest will be the Caps-Pens on New Year's Day at Heinz Field and the Habs/Flames playing in McMahon Stadium in Calgary, and if you couldn't figure out from the above statement, both are outdoor games.

Thoughts From Last Night's Game

So, last night was the big rivalry game between the United States and Canada in Olympic hockey. Sure, there weren't any medals on the line, or for that matter, a spot in the gold medal game, but it doesn't matter much when these two countries go head to head. The victory by the United States last night meant more than just a bye when the medal round begins, meaning that the United States can finish no worse than eighth (not likely, since I think they can make the semifinals easily). Bragging rights, for at least the next few days, belong to the United States, as well as a winless streak against Canada in the Olympic Games that went all the way back to the 1960 games was snapped. Yes, the victory was nowhere near the level of the Miracle on Ice of 1980, nor was it near the level of the 1996 World Cup, when the United States beat Canada for that title, thanks to the likes of Mike Modano, Mike Richter, Brian Leetch, and Chris Chelios. The victory means no less to the United States though, as it will give them some much needed momentum going into the medal round. Is the gold medal a possibility? I think it will be answered positively if the United States can get the goaltending that Mike Richter gave them in 1996, which means Ryan Miller (or whoever should step in should Miller get hurt) will have to do his best Mike Richter impersonation and play lights out.