Kris Letang will be one of many talented Penguins on Team Canada (Flickr.com/Dan4th Nicholas)
Team Canada is stacked with superstars at every position. However, if all goes well for Penguins invitees and Marc Andre Fleury has a great first half, team Canada could be, Pens 2.0. Fleury was not initially invited to camp for team Canada, however that doesn’t mean he still doesn’t have a chance of going. If he has an outstanding first half to the regular season for the Penguins and as we know, injuries happen in professional sports, it’s not completely out of the question for the Penguins’ netminder to get his number called for his native country.
Sidney Crosby continues to be the player every coach salivates over. Crosby is at best 5’11 and 185 lbs soaking wet, yet he has the heart of a lion and should be the lock for Captain for team Canada. Crosby showed true perseverance and leadership this year for the Pens coming back after shattering his jaw from a errant slap shot.
Former Penguins power forward Rick Tocchet, broke his jaw late in 91-92 regular season and knows what its like to play with a broken jaw. The Pens won Lord Stanley that year and Tocchet missed only one game. Tocchet praised Crosby saying,
““I marvel at Sid because, unlike a lot of stars, he always is around contact. He’s always the first in the corners with players of Chara’s stature, and he’s not afraid to mix it up. I love that about his game, but he might need to change it up a little.”
As we saw in the playoffs, Crosby marveled us once again.
Chris Kunitz is coming off a stellar season and as we learned from Herb Brooks “I’m not looking for the best players, I’m looking for the best team.” Kunitz and Crosby have great chemistry on the ice together which should propel Kunitz to the final roster. James Neal also is in the prime of his career and also has played extensively with Kunitz and Crosby. Don’t be surprised if your first line for team Canada is, Kunitz, Crosby, and Neal. Are there more talented players on team Canada than Kunitz and Neal? No question. However, any coach would much rather have chemistry and vision for his lines.
Kris Letang is without question one of the best pure skaters in the NHL today, you could vault him to a forward position tomorrow and he would easily tally 20 plus goals in a season. Letang will be quarterbacking a power play for team Canada and his defensive pairing should be Shea Weber.
The 2014 Men’s Hockey Tournament should be exhilarating end to end action. Every team from Russia, Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, United States, and Canada are loaded with talent. This has the making of being a sequel to 2010 as I see the United States facing Canada in the finals.
Prediction? No thank you…
