Canadian Olympic orientation camp roster announced

[Kin]

I don't know why but I'm not overly thrilled with the choice. St. Louis is obviously a good player but I've never really been impressed with him internationally. I think, despite the point totals, there's been a reason he's been passed over the last two Olympics.

I'm okay with the choice but it feels like there was so much attention put on the fact he wasn't chosen the first time, plus the talk hasn't really subsided at all ever since, that Yzerman almost had no choice. It seemed to almost get political, like the most offensive thing Y could have done was to snub him again.

I'm ok with it too, especially since I think that whoever it was that got named was probably going to be a 4th line/13th forward kind of guy on this team but like I said there's just something where when the people who put together these teams, who are really familiar with a guy like St. Louis and can see his point totals, take a pass I have to wonder if there's something I'm not seeing.

 

[Redleaf]

I don't know why but I'm not overly thrilled with the choice. St. Louis is obviously a good player but I've never really been impressed with him internationally. I think, despite the point totals, there's been a reason he's been passed over the last two Olympics.

I'm okay with the choice but it feels like there was so much attention put on the fact he wasn't chosen the first time, plus the talk hasn't really subsided at all ever since, that Yzerman almost had no choice. It seemed to almost get political, like the most offensive thing Y could have done was to snub him again.

I'm ok with it too, especially since I think that whoever it was that got named was probably going to be a 4th line/13th forward kind of guy on this team but like I said there's just something where when the people who put together these teams, who are really familiar with a guy like St. Louis and can see his point totals, take a pass I have to wonder if there's something I'm not seeing.

I think for the most part, what they're seeing are better players to choose from. I mean, Canada has such a deep pool of talented hockey players, it really doesn't reflect poorly on the guys that just miss the cut or the ones that barely make it. It's more about the players they absolutely cannot leave off the list.

Canada has so many great players, it has no alternative to leave some of the best guys in the world off their Olympic roster. Guys like St. Louis, are just on the border of the upper echelon and the upper, upper echelon of Canadian hockey talent.

 

[Kin]

I think for the most part, what they're seeing are better players to choose from. I mean, Canada has such a deep pool of talented hockey players, it really doesn't reflect poorly on the guys that just miss the cut or the ones that barely make it.

I think that's true in the broad strokes but with St. Louis we're talking about a guy who won his second Art Ross last year. In 09-10 he finished 6th in the league in scoring, above anyone on the Olympic team not named Crosby.

So when a bunch of the most respected hockey guys in the business are looking at guys who've never scored on any sort of level approaching what St. Louis does regularly and decide that he isn't as good as they are I think it does say something significant.

 

[Redleaf]

I think for the most part, what they're seeing are better players to choose from. I mean, Canada has such a deep pool of talented hockey players, it really doesn't reflect poorly on the guys that just miss the cut or the ones that barely make it.

I think that's true in the broad strokes but with St. Louis we're talking about a guy who won his second Art Ross last year. In 09-10 he finished 6th in the league in scoring, above anyone on the Olympic team not named Crosby.

So when a bunch of the most respected hockey guys in the business are looking at guys who've never scored on any sort of level approaching what St. Louis does regularly and decide that he isn't as good as they are I think it does say something significant.

I get what your saying. I'm guessing that, along with his diminutive size, his age is probably a factor when these guys ran through the names of players for the Olympic roster. He was also never drafted, which shouldn't make a lick of difference, but it may play a part in the minds of these GMs who are used to ranking prospects during their draft ages.

My guess is its a combined factor of all these things that put him a little lower on the totem pole when comparing him to his peers. Either way, he's been proving them wrong his whole career, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he is a stand-out on this team in Sochi.

 

[Peter D.]

Glad St. Louis made it.  Now if they could replace Hamhuis with Seabrook and Kunitz with Giroux, things would be even better.

 

[Jalili]

Glad St. Louis made it.  Now if they could replace Hamhuis with Seabrook and Kunitz with Giroux, things would be even better.

They made the right call on Seabrook, he should not be on that team.

 

[hockeyfan1]

I don't know why but I'm not overly thrilled with the choice. St. Louis is obviously a good player but I've never really been impressed with him internationally. I think, despite the point totals, there's been a reason he's been passed over the last two Olympics.

I'm okay with the choice but it feels like there was so much attention put on the fact he wasn't chosen the first time, plus the talk hasn't really subsided at all ever since, that Yzerman almost had no choice. It seemed to almost get political, like the most offensive thing Y could have done was to snub him again.

This is the problem, fans tend to think with their hearts rather than using logic.

The way people were saying how dare Yzerman leave him off, almost got a bit annoying.

I disagree.  First of all, all of the four possible replacements would have filled a niche -- Neal the sniper that he is; Giroux the sure-fire scorer; St.Louis the speedy & fancy playmaker; Staal good all-round.  But, the reality is that political decisions aside, many fans know their hockey and right off the bat wouid have named St.Louis or Giroux (yes, in that order).

I, too, thought Giroux would have made an excellent choice on the right wing alongside Crosby & Kunitz.  For obvious reasons, possibly because he(Giroux) is a Flyer & on account of past on-ice encounters with Crosby (& the Pens), there was some hesitation right there.

Neal should then have been the most fitting choice, (since he's Crosby & Kunitz's teammate), thus an entire line comprised of the same players who play together.

Staal?  He was probably anyone's furthest choice.

That leaves Martin St.Louis.  A veteran, currently enjoying one of his best seasons, leading the Lightning in every way on ice (in Stamkos absence one can say), and he has what Team Canada needs. He's also agile enough to fit in with just about any line and also his speed will serve in good stead.

So, between St.Louis & Giroux is what many believe it came down to.  The nod effectively went to #26 of the Lightning.

 

[Jalili]

I disagree.  First of all, all of the four possible replacements would have filled a niche -- Neal the sniper that he is; Giroux the sure-fire scorer; St.Louis the speedy & fancy playmaker; Staal good all-round.  But, the reality is that political decisions aside, many fans know their hockey and right off the bat wouid have named St.Louis or Giroux (yes, in that order).

I, too, thought Giroux would have made an excellent choice on the right wing alongside Crosby & Kunitz.  For obvious reasons, possibly because he(Giroux) is a Flyer & on account of past on-ice encounters with Crosby (& the Pens), there was some hesitation right there.

Neal should then have been the most fitting choice, (since he's Crosby & Kunitz's teammate), thus an entire line comprised of the same players who play together.

Staal?  He was probably anyone's furthest choice.

That leaves Martin St.Louis.  A veteran, currently enjoying one of his best seasons, leading the Lightning in every way on ice (in Stamkos absence one can say), and he has what Team Canada needs. He's also agile enough to fit in with just about any line and also his speed will serve in good stead.

So, between St.Louis & Giroux is what many believe it came down to.  The nod effectively went to #26 of the Lightning.

You've brought up valid points, but just to be clear, I'm not against bringing St. Louis at all.

I just think some fans were blinded by sentimentality when it came to St. Louis specifically being on the team - because he's nearing the end of his career, he was left off last time, and he's been the diminutive and perpetual underdog throughout his hockey career - which led to the belief that he was a lock to make the team when in actuality he was always a bubble pick.

Giroux is one of my favourite players and I really wanted to see him there, although I'm not sure that I would classify him as a scorer. He's very much a playmaker and puck distributor who should be the offensive pivot of his line to be most effective, which is what I think worked against him.

As much as I think he would have slot in nicely at RW on the Toews line, I don't think he was what Hockey Canada had in mind as one of their wingers.