\

2006 Turin Olympic Coverage
From the author of Legends of Team Canada and creator of 1972 Summit Series.com

Canada names Olympic hockey invitees Canadian Press 7/1/2005 12:04:16 AM Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman will both be 40 when the 2006 Olympic Winter Games begin and if all goes well, they'll both be playing hockey for Canada. Lemieux and Yzerman were on a list released Thursday by Hockey Canada of 36 NHL players invited to a training and orientation camp in Vancouver and Kelowna, B.C., from Aug. 15-20. It's the first stage in preparation for the Winter Games in Turin, Italy, in February, when Canada will try to defend the gold medal it won in 2002 in Salt Lake City with a team that included Lemieux and Yzerman. Neither played during the lockout that erased the 2004-05 season and going to Turin would entail travelling six time zones to play on the larger international ice surface. But team executive director Wayne Gretzky wants both in camp. "I had conversations with both those guys," Gretzky said on a conference call. "The greatest thing about two of the best players in the game is that they're extremely honest about their situation. "We feel that they bring many intangibles to a hockey team. The pressure on the players is so enormous. The pressure guys like Stevie Yzerman and Mario Lemieux take off the other players, not only from their talent but from standing up under pressure and knowing what it means to win, is just something you can't measure." Lemieux, the player/owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins who is one of the most gifted players of his generation, turns 40 on Oct. 5. Yzerman, one of the league's all-time scoring leaders who has played 21 NHL seasons, turned 40 on May 9. "They both missed a year and they are older, but as I told both of them: come to the camp, have some fun, work out and see where you're at from September to December," added Gretzky. Gretzky insisted it is not a tryout camp and that decisions on the final 23-man Olympic roster will be based on how players perform in the first three months of the NHL season, assuming the lockout has ended. And it depends on whether the NHL and the NHL Players' Association agree to participate in the Olympics. If not, Canada will send a younger, non-NHL squad. Gretzky said that players not on the list, such as Paul Kariya and suspended Vancouver Canucks winger Todd Bertuzzi, could still play their way onto the team. Bertuzzi is awaiting reinstatement by the league after he was slapped with an indefinite suspension for his savage attack on Steve Moore of the Colorado Avalanche during the 2004 playoffs. Gretzky said that if commissioner Gary Bettman reinstates Bertuzzi, one of the NHL's best power wingers, the Olympic team is interested. "If he's playing from September to December, I don't think there's any question about his ability as a hockey player and you can go from there and say that if he's playing well, he'll be part of this team. It's as simple as that," Gretzky said. As for Kariya, Gretzky said: "We know Paul is a great player. I hope he proves us wrong (for not selecting him) over the next few months. We want to take the best 23 players to Italy and at this time, these were the best 36 names we came up with." The list included four goaltenders, 12 defencemen and 20 forwards and had no major surprises.  There are 26 players from the team that won the World Cup of Hockey last September, 19 from the team that won silver at the IIHF world championship in May and 14 from Canada's gold-medal team at Salt Lake City. The goaltenders are Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Jose Theodore and Marty Turco. On defence are Rob Blake, Jay Bouwmeester, Dan Boyle, Eric Brewer, Adam Foote, Scott Hannan, Ed Jovanovski, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Phillips, Chris Pronger, Wade Redden and Robyn Regehr. Other forwards are Joe Sakic, Shane Doan, Kris Draper, Simon Gagne, Dany Heatley, Jarome Iginla, Vincent Lecavalier, Kirk Maltby, Patrick Marleau, Brenden Morrow, Rick Nash, Michael Peca, Keith Primeau, Brad Richards, Ryan Smyth, Martin St. Louis, Alex Tanguay and Joe Thornton. "We get a little bit of a break because there's not as much controversy this time because there wasn't any hockey last year," Gretzky said of the list. "It's out of sight, out of mind. "This camp is more of a celebration. The actual team will be chosen between September and December and that's when the controversy will arise. There'll be guys that step up and some who won't play as well and will be criticized more. "We'll have the next few months to really detail which guys are playing well and deserving to go." The coaching staff from the last Olympics and World Cup remains the same, with head coach Pat Quinn and assistants Ken Hitchcock, Jacques Martin and Wayne Fleming, except that national team coach Marc Habscheid has been added as an assistant. Habscheid was head coach of the world championship team and will be head coach in Turin if the NHL doesn't participate. Quinn said the camp is similar to one held in the summer of 2001 ahead of the Salt Lake City Games. "We'll introduce a plan of play and some system work and basically try to create a chemistry," the Toronto Maple Leafs coach said. "Winning teams have a chemistry that allows every player to feel involved. "This will be an exciting time, particularly since there's been a year away from hockey. I know the players are excited about it." Edmonton Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe is back as assistant executive director, Steve Tambellini remains director of player personnel and Blair MacKasey is director of player development. Gretzky was executive director of the 2002 Olympic and 2004 World Cup teams. The start of the camp in Vancouver will coincide with a camp for the national junior team and allow the young players to mingle with the pros. The NHL players move to Kelowna on Aug. 17. All they need now is the nod from the league that NHL players can go to Turin. Some owners may not want to take a break in the middle of the season to go to the Olympics when the league will have just returned from a one-year lockout. "I can't answer for 30 owners," said Gretzky, a part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes. "There's no question that after missing an whole year of hockey, there's probably some concern from some owners. "I'd be lying if I said all 30 guys are going to vote for this. But on the other side, there's a lot of people who understand that this is great for the game of hockey." Gretzky said Canada will be prepared in any scenario. "We're preparing every way we can to be ready when we go to Italy. If the owners and the players association vote that it's not going to happen, then it's out of our hands."

GO CANADA GO!

Comments? Submissions? Corrections? Send them to 
Joe Pelletier

© www.1972summitseries.com