This is a hockey fan's dream. Not only are the 2006 NHL playoffs in full swing, but the 2006 IIHF world hockey championships are about to get under way in less than a week.
Yesterday, Hockey Canada officially announced its preliminary roster. Here are the 9 players that have confirmed their presence:
- Alex Auld
- Patrice Bergeron
- Brad Boyes
- Kyle Calder
- Mike Comrie
- Sidney Crosby
- Marc Denis
- Nick Schultz
- Brad Stuart
Now, as is the case very year, Hockey Canada waits until the last minute to announce the full roster as they wait for some teams to be eliminated from the playoffs. That's understandable. What I don't understand is the absence of some top notch players whose teams did not make the playoffs. No, not Eric "Soft Mellon" Lindros. The three players that immediately come to mind are Rick Nash, Marc Savard and Roberto Luongo.
I know that there are many reasons for players to opt out of this tournament, but it would still be nice to know if they said no or if they were simply not invited. That would let armchair coaches/GMs like me the chance to properly direct our frustrations if the team tanks.
The final part of the process for someone like me is speculating who will be added to the team from Tampa Bay and Dallas. There aren't many blue chip players from Dallas that could be added from Dallas (aka Team Finland), but there are a few in TB. Lecavalier, St-Louis, Richards and Boyle would give Team Canada a serious lift. I wonder how many of them will agree to play?
Ballzov says 3 out of 4.
We'll find out soon enough.
