Bruins well represented in Sochi; Five heading to RUS for Winter Games
Team Canada finally released their roster for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, wrapping up the reveal process for the 12 nations involved in the upcoming 22nd Winter Olympics.
And to no one's surprise, Bruins alternate-soon-to-be-captain-once-Zdeno-Chara-hangs-up-the-skates-captain Patrice Bergeron made the cut.
And Milan Lucic did not. More on that in a second...
The addition of Bergeron to his national team brings the total number of Bruins participating in the Winter Games to five, with Zdeno Chara (Slovakia), Loui Eriksson (Sweden), David Krejci (Czech Republic), and Tuukka Rask (Finland) being the other four.
Zdeno Chara will be skating in his third Winter Games for Slovakia, and in all likelihood his last. Chara will captain his nation's team, the second time he's done so. Chara captained Slovakia in 2010, where they posted their best-ever result with a fourth-place finish.
Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Loui Eriksson will all be participating in their second Olympic Games, and all three have a chance to win a medal for their country.
Bergeron on Team Canada is obvious, as is Eriksson on Swedes. We all know the quality roster Team Canada sends out, but the Swedes aren't nothing to sneeze at, either. The the likes of Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Backstrom, Gabriel Landeskog, and the Sedin Twins, as well has Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes will all suit up for Sweden, as they are favorites behind Canada and host-nation Russia.
Krejci and the Czech's will be sort of a dark-horse in the tournament, but the nation has won three international medals since 2010 (one Gold and two Bronzes in the World Ice Hockey Championships). The Czech's finished in 7th place in Vancouver, and they'll hope to improve on that place in Sochi.
The 2014 Games will be the first Olympic action for Tuukka Rask, and chances are he won't be spending much time on the bench. Many project Rask to be the #1 goalie for Finland in the tournament, and he will be trying to win his second career medal for his country, the other being a Bronze in the 2006 World Junior Championships.
But we cannot have discussions of who made their respective national rosters without mentioning who did not. Milan Lucic did not make the cut for Team Canada.
Was it a snub? Did Lucic deserve a spot on the roster over New York Rangers' Rick Nash? Lucic does not have the goal-scoring track record that Nash does, but Lucic's size and speed is greater than Nash's, and Lucic has definitely played better in the last year plus, as Nash has under-performed since joining the Rangers.
Players that missed the cut are more often debated than those that made it. Looch will fall into that debate, as will fellow Canadians that were left off the roster such as Claude Giroux, Logan Couture and Martin St. Louis.
So with all of the international rosters set, the only thing left to do is wait until February 13 when the tournament kicks off with Russia vs Slovenia.
And to no one's surprise, Bruins alternate-soon-to-be-captain-once-Zdeno-Chara-hangs-up-the-skates-captain Patrice Bergeron made the cut.
And Milan Lucic did not. More on that in a second...
The addition of Bergeron to his national team brings the total number of Bruins participating in the Winter Games to five, with Zdeno Chara (Slovakia), Loui Eriksson (Sweden), David Krejci (Czech Republic), and Tuukka Rask (Finland) being the other four.
photo via goironpigs.com |
Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Loui Eriksson will all be participating in their second Olympic Games, and all three have a chance to win a medal for their country.
Bergeron on Team Canada is obvious, as is Eriksson on Swedes. We all know the quality roster Team Canada sends out, but the Swedes aren't nothing to sneeze at, either. The the likes of Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Backstrom, Gabriel Landeskog, and the Sedin Twins, as well has Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes will all suit up for Sweden, as they are favorites behind Canada and host-nation Russia.
photo via goironpigs.com |
The 2014 Games will be the first Olympic action for Tuukka Rask, and chances are he won't be spending much time on the bench. Many project Rask to be the #1 goalie for Finland in the tournament, and he will be trying to win his second career medal for his country, the other being a Bronze in the 2006 World Junior Championships.
But we cannot have discussions of who made their respective national rosters without mentioning who did not. Milan Lucic did not make the cut for Team Canada.
Was it a snub? Did Lucic deserve a spot on the roster over New York Rangers' Rick Nash? Lucic does not have the goal-scoring track record that Nash does, but Lucic's size and speed is greater than Nash's, and Lucic has definitely played better in the last year plus, as Nash has under-performed since joining the Rangers.
Players that missed the cut are more often debated than those that made it. Looch will fall into that debate, as will fellow Canadians that were left off the roster such as Claude Giroux, Logan Couture and Martin St. Louis.
So with all of the international rosters set, the only thing left to do is wait until February 13 when the tournament kicks off with Russia vs Slovenia.