Vancouver 2010: My Team Canada

Forwards
Sidney Crosby - Jordan Staal - Eric Staal
Vincent Lecavalier - Martin St. Louis - Jarome Iginla
Jason Spezza - Dany Heatley - Daniel Briere
Joe Thornton - Ryan Smyth - Jonathan Toews

Defencemen
Chris Pronger - Wade Redden
Dion Phaneuf - Robyn Regehr
Jay Bouwmeester - Ed Jovanovski

Goaltenders
Roberto Luongo
Martin Brodeur

FAQ
Which forwards will actually backcheck and kill penalties?
Staal and Toews should be ready for top penalty killing duties three-and-a-half years from now. Staal's already ready. Eric Staal and Ryan Smyth are also sounds defensively and could be a good second pair. I can see an argument for a responsible defensive fourth line centre like Shane Doan, but how can Crosby/Lecavalier/Spezza/Thornton NOT be your four centres? Note: Thornton's role as a "fourth liner" is a bit deceiving as he should log serious minutes on the powerplay.

What about all the forwards you missed?
Rick Nash, Brad Richards, Simon Gagne, and Patrick Marleau are great players but do not belong in Canada's top nine forwards and won't be as effective as Smyth or Toews in a fourth line role. Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perrey, and Patrice Bergeron are still a little more than three-and-a-half years away from making that top-nine scoring group and still have alot to prove...

What about the young goaltenders?
Carey Price, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Jonathan Bernier will be great...but not as great as Brodeur three years from now (he'll be 37). Chris Chelios i 45 and still contributing...

What's the philosophy of this team?
Speed at both forward and D to compete with the New-NHL style of play and the typically offensive European clubs.
Familiarity of players to gel quickly and to already know their linemate's tendencies: Crosby and Jordan Staal (and brother Eric Staal); Spezza and Heatley; Lecavalier and St. Louis; Phaneuf and Regehr
A mixture of youth and experience - You have to give fairly important roles to your legitimate top young stars like Jordan Staal and Dion Phaneuf. If an elite player is in his early 20s, he's still an elite player. Sakic and Niedermayer won't be back but Pronger, Thornton, Iginla, Smyth, and Brodeur will provide much-needed veteran leadership to a group of players who are somewhat new to the Olympic game.

Who will the captains be?
Jarome Iginla (C) was a standout in Canada's gold in '02 and is a natural born leader; a warrior who played well on the biggest stages. Assistant captains Crosby and Pronger are more suited for assistant roles and are more of the "lead by example" type than the "command a room" type Iginla is.