The Sports Corner

The rest of the world

So the norm now seems to be naming Team Canada for the Olympics, but what about everyone else? What about the other elite teams that will be taking on the host?

Instead of naming a potential Canadian roster, here’s the possible lineups for the other three top nations:

Russia

Alex Ovechkin - Evgeni Malkin - Alexander Semin

Ilya Kovalchuk - Pavel Datsyuk - Alex Kovalev

Slava Kozlov - Sergei Federov - Alexander Frolov

Sergei Mozyakin - Alexei Yashin - Nikita Filatov

Maxim Afinogenov

Other names: Victor Kozlov, Alex Morozov, Sergei Samsonov, Alex Korolyuk

Defense:

Andrei Markov - Fedor Tyutin

Denis Grebeshkov - Dmitri Kalinin

Danny Markov - Sergei Zubov

Sergei Gonchar

Goaltenders:

Ilja Bryzgalov

Evgeni Nabokov

Nikolai Khabibulin

Note: I would probably include Alex Radulov but I believe he is not allowed to play internationally since he violated that NHL contract with the Nashville Predators. Mozyakin currently leads KHL in points, and I see Yashin there for leadership, as he was the alternate captain last time around. I like Filatov on the team, but they might replace him with more experience with someone like Samsonov or V. Kozlov. Biggest knock on this team has to be their defense.

Sweden

Henrik Zetterberg - Mats Sundin - Daniel Alfredsson

Patrik Berglund - Nicklas Backstrom - Johan Franzen

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Tomas Holmstrom

Loui Eriksson - Samuel Pahlsson - Mikael Samuelsson

Markus Naslund

Other names: Michael Nylander, Kristian Huselius, Fredrik Modin, P.J. Axelsson, 

Defense:

Nicklas Lidstrom - Niklas Kronwall

Victor Hedman - Mattias Ohlund

Tobias Enstrom - Niclas Wallin

Andrew Lilja

Other names: Kim Johnsson, David Oduya, Alex Edler, Niclas Havelid, Christian Backman

Goaltenders:

Henrik Lundqvist

Mikael Tellqvist

Erik Ersberg

Note: If Peter Forsberg is healthy, he just might make the team but I highly doubt it. Berglund and Eriksson are two young guns that are rising and Sweden will be smart to include them. Of the “other names” on the forward list, I think Nylander has the best chance to crack the lineup, possibly replacing Pahlsson. There’s a big Detroit Red Wings presence on defense, but I think Enstrom will be the difference maker on the blueline.

USA

Zach Parise - Scott Gomez - Patrick Kane

David Booth - Paul Statsny - Jamie Langenbrunner

Mike Modano - Chris Drury - Ryan Kesler

Dustin Brown - Phil Kessel - Bobby Ryan

Brian Gionta

Other names: Mike Knuble, Joe Pavelski, Keith Tkachuk, Blake Wheeler, Peter Mueller

Defense:

Brian Rafalski - Ryan Suter

Ryan Whitney - Mike Komisarek

Paul Martin - John-Michael Liles

Erik Johnson

Other names: Tom Gilbert, Brooks Orpik, Keith Ballard, Jordan Leopold, Ron Hainsey

Goaltenders:

Tim Thomas

Ryan Miller

Rick DiPietro

Note: I really feel like I’m missing some players that should be on, but USA has plenty of players, especially younger ones, to choose from. With Brian Burke as GM, look for a tougher, bigger team. That’s why Orpik might be able to sneak in, instead of Johnson, while Mueller or Knuble could also crack the lineup. USA’s weakest area will probably be goaltender as Thomas and Miller won’t be able to stop the onslaught of Sweden’s, Russia’s, and Canada’s offense.