Team Canada names Olympic roster to defend gold medal

Can Canada repeat as hockey champions in Sochi?

Steve Yzerman was faced with an unenviable task when he was named executive director of the 2014 Canadian Olympic hockey team.

No matter what he did, people were going to be upset. With a large talent pool from which to choose, there were going to be deserving players left off the national roster.

Remember a couple of days ago when Bobby Ryan and Keith Yandle, amongst others, were left off the American Olympic team? Well, the backlash after that announcement will pale in comparison to the scrutiny by which the Canadian media will analyze this team.

And I guess I'm going to be one of those people.

Let's start off by saying this: the American announcement far surpassed the Canadian press conference. Granted, the U.S. had the advantage of the Winter Classic back drop. But it felt like more of a celebration of the team. Maybe it was my attitude of looking to see who didn't make the cut, but the Canadian announcement felt too formal. I know they tried to get a "Go Canada Go" chant going prior to naming the team, but there were too many speeches from people unrelated to the matter. Next time, just get the decision makers up to the podium and name the team.

Now, to the team. In net, it was a widely believed Carey Price, Roberto Luongo and Mike Smith would be named. Luongo's recent injury threw some doubt on the process, but it was never a question he'd be healthy for the tournament.

Who will start? It's probably between Price and Luongo. Based on experience, Luongo gets the nod. Both players have comparable résumés this season, separated by only fractions in GAA and save percentage. However, Luongo has been through this tournament before and proved he can deliver a gold medal. Canadian head coach Mike Babcock said in an interview with TSN following the announcement he will probably ride one guy during the Olympics. It will be Luongo's job to lose.

Subban and Tavares celebrate after winning gold at the WJC.

Canada selected Jay Bouwmeester, Drew Doughty, Dan Hamhuis, Duncan Keith, Alex Pietrangelo, PK Subban, Marc-Édouard Vlasic and Shea Weber as the defensive unit.

The big question on the blue line was whether or not reigning Norris trophy winner Subban would be selected. He has had national experience before, representing Canada at the World Juniors. Subban is second in points amongst defenceman behind fellow Olympian Keith. The major concern about Subban is he can sometimes take big risks and, in a small tournament, could cost Canada a game. However, his offensive upside is too much to leave at home.

One of the biggest snubs, although it is hard to call someone a snub with talent of this level, is Brent Seabrook. An Olympian in 2010, Seabrook is third amongst defenceman in points with 33. He already has instant chemistry with Duncan Keith and was able to calm Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews down during Game 4 of the Blackhawks/Red Wings series in last year's playoffs. Seabrook also went on to score in overtime to end the series. He would be my first call if one of the defencemen were injured.

For the forwards, Canada picked Jamie Benn, Patrice Bergeron, Jeff Carter, Sidney Crosby, Matt Duchene, Ryan Getzlaf, Chris Kunitz, Patrick Marleau, Rick Nash, Corey Perry, Patrick Sharp, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares and Toews.

Honestly, I'm perfectly fine with these forwards except for Patrick Marleau. If I'm taking another San Jose Shark, Joe Thornton makes the squad. He leads the league in assists and can be big body in front of the net. But, if I'm just picking on talent and line pairings, Eric Staal would be on this team. He fits nicely in the bottom six on this team or can play in the top six if called upon due to injury.

Claude Giroux is also an interesting name left of the roster, but media speculation is he will be the first forward called if there is an injury. With every fan in Canada focused on Stamkos' healing leg, there is still a chance he will be needed.

Jonathan Toews was named the Best Forward at the 2010 Olympics. Will Jamie Benn replace Mike Richards in this picture?

Some chatter is Rick Nash shouldn't be on the team. But, he proved at the last Olympics he can play on either side of the ice and pick up the slack defensively. A line of him, Toews and Benn would be a fantastic third line capable of playing world class defence with some offensive punch.

The hopes of a nation rest on the shoulders of these 25 men. It is arguably the most important sport in the Olympics to Canada. As shown in the World Juniors, the rest of the hockey world is keeping up. The Canadian squad will have a lot to prove come February.

Why John Tavares Should Win the NHL's Hart Trophy

The NHL released the nominees for the Hart Memorial Trophy, given each season to the "player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team", this past Friday. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin - two former winners of the award - were both nominated this year. The third player? Fourth year forward and New York Islanders alternate captain John Tavares. While the easy choice is to give the award to Crosby or Ovechkin, the right choice is Tavares.

John Tavares (Photo from lastwordonsports.com)

It's very easy to make a case for either Crosby or Ovechkin, and both are deserving candidates. When Crosby had his jaw broken by a Brooks Orpik slapshot at the end of March, he led the league with 56 points. After missing the rest of the season, he still finished tied for third in the league. While those were impressive numbers, it helped negate his campaign for the Hart. With Crosby out of the lineup for April, the Penguins won eight of their final 12 games. His absence showed the depth Pittsburgh has in their organization. So, while he is arguably the best player in the world and valuable to his team, he isn't the MOST valuable.

A similar case can be made for Ovechkin, except he has a stronger claim for the Hart. Washington was floundering during the first half of the lockout-shortened season. The same could be said for Ovechkin, who many thought he wasn't the same player that won two previous Hart trophies. Then, he caught fire and quickly closed the gap in the race for the Maurice Richard Trophy, awarded to the player with the most goals in the league. As he closed that gap, the Capitals closed the gap on the Winnipeg Jets for the division crown. Both eventually overtaking the leader, with Ovechkin leading the league in goals (32 - the only player in the league to reach 30 goals) and the Capitals winning the Southeast Division title.

So, if I make a case like that for Ovechkin, how can I say that Tavares deserves the Hart?

To start, most  preseason predictions found the Islanders in the bottom third of the NHL. There were questions whether they could compete with the rest of the powers in the Atlantic Division. John Tavares made the team relevant this season, leading to their first playoff appearance in six years.

In terms of numbers, the Mississauga-native put some up. Tavares lit the lamp 28 times this season. During his three 82 game seasons, he scored 24, 29, and 31 respectively. While he only had 19 assists this year, he made his line mates better. He assisted on 8 of Matt Moulson's 15 goals. That's not counting all of the goals that Tavares scored assisted by Moulson or other winger Brad Boyes. Taking his offense off of the Islanders would mean they miss the playoffs. Not taking away anything from Moulson or Boyes, but they wouldn't have come close to their numbers without Tavares either setting them up for finishing off their pass.

Now, you might make a similar argument about Ovechkin. But, he has legitimate help on the team. With  Mike Riberio, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green to name a few, the Capitals can still make the playoffs with the roster they have. The Islanders would be in the bottom five without Tavares.

So, when the 2013 NHL Awards take place, John Tavares deserves the Hart Trophy. Whether he wins it or not, that's another matter all together.