Olympic selections give new meaning to “stay-at-home” defenseman

“I’m very excited about it and looking forward to it, but also I definitely feel for our D-men who are very capable. I get to see them every day and see how good they are and know that they easily could have been there too.” – Jarome Iginla

Steve Yzerman and the Team Canada brass have spoken and while there are a couple of eyebrow-raising additions, most of the selections were expected, projected and accepted.

In goal, there wasn’t really any wiggle room. Brodeur, Luongo and Fleury were the top trio available between the pipes, largely because injury and poor play eliminated any and all pretenders to the throne.

Cam Ward, whose International success and Stanley Cup-winning pedigree made him a candidate to unseat one of the Big-3, has been dismal both before and after suffering the leg laceration that forced him to the sidelines for a month.

Steve Mason, also invited to the Team Canada summer camp, has been dreadful in the first half of the season – he ranks 46th in save percentage (.874) and 44th in goals-against-average (3.18).

However, in all honesty, there was really no way any member of the trio weren’t going to get the nod. The starting job will go to Brodeur – and not because of past performance. It’s due to current causes. No player, skater or goaltender, stepped up to the plate in the opening months of the 2009-10 season like Brodeur, who played like his Olympic life was on the line.

Skeptics constantly scream about his numbers being inflated because he plays behind one of the league’s elite defenses. Hey, that’s no his fault. And what about those numbers? Well, his save percentage (.929), GAA (2.15) and victories (24) sit on the top rung of the statistical ladder among Canadian goaltenders.

There’s an angry sentiment brewing in Calgary where all three of the Flames top defensive trio of Dion Phaneuf, Jay Bouwmeester and Robyn Regehr were viewed as being solid candidates for the Team Canada roster but all three were rejected by the Team Canada committee. The most surprising deletion has to be Bouwmeester, who was considered a lock for the team in a National Post survey and was included on almost every pundit’s poll.

In many of my posts on this site, I have vehemently stressed that the Big-3 on the Calgary blueline were playing far below their capabilities. Whether it’s the Sutter system or a lack of purpose, neither member of the trio have looked comfortable, making glaring errors in the simplest of situations.

Defensive deficiencies like these are unforgivable and unacceptable on both the NHL and Olympic level. On my personal list of Olympic hopefuls, I gave Bouwmeester the benefit of the doubt using the usual excuses – first year in a new system, new town, new teammates and his first time playing in front of fans who know the difference between puck and a similar sounding profanity.

I immediately rejected Phaneuf (too calamitous) and Regehr (too tentative) but gave Bouwmeester the nod over Drew Doughty, who was on my list until I hit the publish button. I rationalized the addition of Bouwmeester because of his size, speed and experience in International competition. Adding Doughty would have put five rearguards on the squad without Olympic experience, a liability I felt was avoidable.

The dismissal of Bouwmeester will certainly raise the most debate, but should one of the seven blueliners succumb to injury, one would expect he would receive the first call.

On the forward unit, Jarome Iginla was the only Flame forward with any chance of making the team and was a no-brainer addition. The only question was whether Iggy would wear the “C”, an honor eventually accorded to Scott Niedermayer. So, Iginla is the only member of the Stampede City crew who will be wearing the Maple Leaf in February.

On my list, I included the names Shane Doan and Ryan Smyth – decisions made from the heart not the head. Realistically, I knew neither player had much of a chance, despite their revitalized on-ice reemergence. At the same time, wouldn’t it have been refreshing to see these two men – who have answered the call every time they been asked – rewarded for that allegiance? And based on their performance so far this season, the addition of either man wouldn’t have been a token gesture.

Instead, Yzerman and crew went with two players with similar abilities who have relative youth and energy on their asset ledger. Brenden Morrow and Patrice Bergeron probably would have been locks if injuries hadn’t slowed their progress over the past 18 months.

When healthy, Bergeron brings a gritty determination and a defensive understanding to the table. He’s also one of the league’s top face-off performers. Morrow doesn’t know the meaning of quit and is adaptable. Since both men have missed so much time (Morrow played only 18 games last season while Bergeron has missed 90 games since 2007-08) their performance will be heavily scrutinized.

Eric Staal got the nod over Brad Richards, a move that will pay dividends. Staal brings an intangible to the table that the Sutter family can appreciate – desire, determination and defiance. I chose Richards for his pedigree and experience, but this version of the Team Canada trust hasn’t made that a priority. Only nine of the 23 men selected have played previously in the Olympics. Remember – Sidney Crosby didn’t make the team in 2006; Doan, Smyth and Bouwmeester did. We finished 7th.

Let the debate begin!