Winning gold on home ice was expected. Now is the time to show how dominant the Team Canada hockey program can be. Even with their 2010 gold, Hockey Canada has failed to medal in two of the previous four Winter Olympics. For pretty much any other team, that is acceptable. For Canada? An embarrassment.
The Canadian talent pool is by far the deepest in the world. As Canada’s sport, the team up north could easily play two teams in the Olympics and win medals with both squads. The list of “snubs” is deeper than the rosters for the bottom feeder teams in the round-robin tournament.
Forwards
Team Canada hockey is so deep at center that wingers were left off the roster to accommodate the likes of Jonathan Toews and Steven Stamkos. Canada can mix and match any of their lines to win a game. The forwards are led by Toews, Stamkos, Sidney Crosby, and John Taveras. There is a very good chance that Stamkos will miss the Olympics since he is still rehabbing after breaking his leg earlier in the season. The fact that he is even a consideration at this point with the severity of his injury is commendable and astounding.
Defense
Again, the rich keep getting richer. Drew Doughty, Duncan Keith, and Shea Weber lead a deep and talented corps. Throw in Alex Pietrangelo and P.K. Subban and the blueline is more than safe. Doughty, Keith, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Weber will play a lot of two way situations, with Pietrangelo and Subban sparking the offensive push from the back end.
Canada has the best group of defensemen in the tournament, and it will show in a weak Group B.
Goaltending
If you want to beat Team Canada, pepper the net with shots. Penetrating the defense will be a large task, but the trio of Roberto Luongo, Carey Price, and Mike Smith is their kryptonite. Luongo won gold in 2010, but has seems to be missing the clutch gene as a whole. Price and Smith have zero experience in the Olympics, with Price being the heir to the goalie throne.
A meltdown by Luongo as the starter could make things very interesting in the medal round.
Group B opponents
Finland, Norway, Austria
Projected group finish
1st– 9 points
Final position
1st– Gold medal
Follow Jeff on Twitter @sckih_ffej for more sports and entertainment ramblings. Jeff also contributes fantasy advice for The Fantasy Fix.