Team captains, Stanley Cup champions, scoring leaders and former league MVPs round out the roster of arguably the most talented Olympic squad to travel to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Defenseman Scott Niedermayer (pictured) will captain the Canadian national team as they seek redemption after winning gold in Salt Lake City in 2002 and then failing to capture a medal in the 2006 winter games in Turin. Canada will open the 2010 games against Norway on Feb. 16.

Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton very well could anchor the top line for Canada as all three play together on the top line for the San Jose Sharks. Thornton currently leads the league in assists (44) and points (54) while Marleau and Heatley are both in the top five in goals with 25 and 23 respectively.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was also selected to the team as an alternate captain. Crosby, who won his first Stanley Cup back in June, is on pace to set a career high in goals (currently with 23) and is 5th in the NHL in points with 48. Ryan Getzlaf, Jerome Iginla, Rick Nash, Patrice Bergeron, Brendan Morrow, Mike Richards, Corey Perry, Eric Staal and Jonathan Toews round out the rest of the forwards.

Canada added some grit on defense with Chris Pronger and Shea Weber patrolling the blue line. Captain Scott Niedermayer will be a great asset as a veteran leader and will help mentor young newcomers like 20-year-old Drew Doughty, whose style of play is often compared to Niedermayer himself. Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith, who play together on the Chicago Blackhawks, will undoubtedly be paired together for chemistry purposes during the tournament. Dan Boyle rounds out the defense as the fourth San Jose Shark to be named to the roster. Boyle currently has seven goals and 24 assists and is a plus-6 for San Jose.

In goal, Canada will once again look to Martin Brodeur to carry much of the load. Brodeur leads the league with 24 wins and recently broke the career shutout record when he posted shutout number 104. Roberto Luongo and Pittsburgh netminder Marc-Andre Fleury will also be in net. Fluery, a former number one overall draft pick, is having a good season but has shown he can really step up his play when it matters, like when he helped Pittsburgh clinch the Stanley Cup this past June with aggressive play and timely saves.

With so many gifted players, it will be coach Mike Babcock’s job to curb the egos in the locker room and on the ice. After failing to register a medal at the last winter olympics, expectations are high for this group and Babcock is the best man for the job. Since the lockout, Babcock has arguably been the best coach in the NHL. He has gone to the Stanley Cup Finals three times since 2002 and won the Stanley Cup once with Detroit in 2008.

More curious than who made the roster is who was excluded from this year’s roster – which speaks volumes to the depth that Canadian GM Steve Yzerman had to choose from. Martin St. Louis, who is third in the NHL in assists with 35, was left off this year’s list as was teammate Vincent Lecavelier, who has struggled in recent years with injuries. Mike Green, who leads all defenseman in scoring and harbors a plus-15 rating, was also left off of the list. Jay Bouwmeester and Dion Phaneuf were also excluded. Shane Doan, Ryan Smyth and Steve Stamkos, who is enjoying a breakout sophomore season, are other notable names left off of the roster.

With all of the talent present on this roster, expectations are high for GM Steve Yzerman and head coach Mike Babcock to produce a winning team. For all intensive purposes, there is no reason why this team should come home with anything less than gold. But similar statements have been made in the past about good teams only to have them fall short due to a lack of chemistry or a lack of big name players stepping up to lead the way. If this team plans on winning, then the best players need to be the best players night in and night out. Crosby, Iginla and the San Jose line need to be the top contributors on a nightly basis. Despite being so young, Crosby has a ton of experience in big-game situations and in international tournaments, so it will be interesting to see how he steps up as an alternate captain in tough situations – both on and off the ice.

Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik and Zdeno Chara highlight the twelve current NHL players selected to play for Team Slovakia at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

Gaborik and Hossa will lead the offensive rush for Slovakia and provide most of their scoring power. Gaborik (pictured) currently leads all NHL players with 26 goals and is third in points with 49. Although Gaborik is enjoying one of his best seasons in terms of offensive production, injuries are always a concern for the 27-year-old right wing. Over the past five seasons, Gaborik has played in 70 or more games just once while only skating in 17 games with Minnesota last season. However, in those 17 games Gaborik managed to compile 23 points. Obviously, when he is healthy, Gaborik is an offensive threat on any given night.

Hossa himself just returned to the Chicago Blackhawks’ lineup last month after off-season shoulder surgery. In 16 games with Chicago, Hossa has six goals and seven assists. In 74 games last season with the Detroit Red Wings, Hossa tallied 40 goals and added 31 helpers. In fact, Hossa has chipped in 30 or more goals seven times in his NHL career and twice hit the 29 goal mark. In addition to his offensive prowess, his work ethic and veteran presence will certainly help Team Slovakia.

Other notable forwards on the Slovakian roster include  Pavol Demitra, Tomas Kopecky, Richard Zednik, Michal Handzus and Marcel Hossa, Marian’s brother.

Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara headlines a strong group of defenseman that also includes Tampa Bay blue liner Andrej Meszaros and Edmonton defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky. Chara has twice contributed 50 or more points over the past three seasons and 40 or more points in each of his past five NHL seasons. The 6-foot-9-inch Boston defenseman is tough and gritty and knows how to throw his weight around making him a vital asset to the Slovakian roster.

Two NHL backups highlight the goaltending situation for Slovakia, one of which is Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak, who has been fighting teammate Carey Price for the starting job in Montreal for the better part of two seasons now. Halak currently has 10 wins in 16 games started with a 2.56 goals against average and a .924 save percentage. Peter Budaj, of the Colorado Avalanche, was the second NHL goaltender to be named to the roster. Budaj played for Slovakia in the 2006 Winter Olympics and posted a 2-1-0 record with a 2.01 goals against average during the tournament. Since then, his professional career in the NHL has been somewhat of a roller coaster. After a few rocky seasons as the starter in Colorado, Budaj found himself with the short straw this season playing backup to Craig Anderson. Regardless, Budaj has four wins in seven starts this season along with a 2.22 goals against average.

On an interesting note, forward Miroslav Satan was named to the Olympic roster despite not playing for a professional team this season. Satan, who played intermittedly for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, also played for Team Slovakia in the 2006 Winter Olympics. The 35-year-old winger has twice scored 70 or more points in a season throughout his NHL career.

Even though Hossa and Gaborik are huge assets up front and Chara is an intimidating monster on the blue line, Slovakia might still have a tough time matching up to teams such as Russia, Sweden and Canada – all of whom will certainly foster more depth at all positions than Slovakia. The X-Factor here could be the 11 Slovakian players on the roster who play for other professional leagues. It might only take a hot hand from Halak or Budaj or some quick line chemistry and team synergy for Slovakia to break through to the medal rounds.

Mikael Samuelsson issued some choice words for Team Sweden officials for excluding him from the Olympic roster after helping the team win gold at the Turin Olympics in 2006.

“I’m probably going to get in trouble for this, but (Team Sweden officials) can go (explitive) themselves,” Samuelsson told Vancouver reporters.

Samuelsson signed with Vancouver as a free agent during the offseason after playing four seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. In 39 games with the Canucks, Samuelsson currently has 10 goals and 14 assists and could be on pace for a career season in points.

Obviously Samuelsson’s snub wouldn’t be a big deal if other players named to the roster were having better seasons. The inclusion of players such as Samuel Pahlsson and Fredrick Modin, both of the Columbus Blue Jackets, raised some eyebrows in wake of Samuelsson’s snub. Neither player can match Samuelsson’s offensive numbers this season and both players have experienced injury-shortened seasons in recent years.

Modin, specifically, became an immediate question mark when the roster was unveiled several days ago. While he might be capable of producing 50-60 points in a full season, health certainly remains an issue.  Modin has only played in 73 games over the last two seasons combined and has only appeared in nine games for Columbus this season, whereas Samuelsson has appeared in all 39 games for Vancouver. In fact, since becoming an NHL regular with Detroit in 2005-06, Samuelsson only played less than 70 games in one season once when he played in 53 games in 2006-07. However, Samuelsson also registered one of his best point-per-game seasons when he had 34 points in those 53 games.

Samuelsson also has experience on his side. Not only did he help Sweden win the gold at the 2006 Turin Olympics, but he made it to the Stanley Cup Finals twice with Detroit, winning the Stanley Cup once in 2008. He knows the work ethic involved in winning. Samuelsson is also a good two-way player – something that Sweden will need when they face offensive powerhouses such as Russia and Canada. Twice in his career Samuelsson has finished the season with a plus-20 or better. Only once in his career has he fallen into the minus category.

Good friend and former Red Wings teammate Andreas Lilja stuck up for Samuelsson’s outburst and said it’s good for players to share what they’re thinking.

“I think it’s kind of nice when someone says what they really think instead of saying, ‘OK, it was their decision, nothing I can do about it,’ ” Lilja said. “Nice that people show emotions because he’s (ticked off). I don’t blame him. When I look at our Swedish team, he’s one of the guys I would put in there first. He felt obviously mistreated.”

Team Sweden captain Nicklas Lidstrom was surpised by Samuelsson’s snub.

“I was a little bit surprised he didn’t get picked,” Lidstrom said. “He’s a competitive player. It really shows on the ice, even though he’s not a fighter, he gets his nose in there and he’s not afraid to get dirty.”

With a little less than two months to go until the puck drops for the 2010 Olympics, there still might be a chance that Samuelsson comes on board as an alternate if a player gets injured or to replace a currently injured player who doesn’t recover in time, such as Daniel Alfredsson who will be out for the next few weeks with a separated shoulder. Although Alfredsson is expected to be back before the Olympic break, if he suffers a set-back and is unable to go, Samuelsson may now be on the radar as a possible replacement.

Sweden decided to stick with familiar names and a veteran squad as 13 players from the team that won gold in Turin four years ago again grace the roster for Team Sweden as they attempt to defend their gold in Vancouver next year.

The dynamic Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, head up the offense on a roster that also includes  former NHL All-Star Peter Forsberg (pictured), who currently plays in the Swedish Elite League. Forsberg has dealt with foot problems in recent years but decided to make a comeback attempt earlier this year in Swedin.

Detroit Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg brings a strong two-way presence to the team. Known for strong offensive play, Zetterberg plays a strong defensive game as well and is often called upon to shut down the oppositions top talent. Teammate Tomas Holmstrom will work his magic in front of the net for Sweden as well.

Rounding out the offensive threat are set-up man Nicklas Backstrom, who currently has 15 goals and 30 assists for the Washington Capitals, and Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, who currently sits on the IR with a separated shoulder but should be fine in time for the Olympic break.

Veteran defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and Mattius Ohlund highlight the defensive selections in addition to the always-dangerous Niklas Kronwall and up-and-comer Tobias Enstrom, who has tallied 26 assists and a plus-7 rating this season with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Henrik Lundqvist will most likely carry much of the load in goal. He will be backed up by Stefan Liv, who also played on the 2006 team, and by first-time Olympian Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson, one of the most sought-after free agents from this past summer due to an uncanny mixture of size and agility.

Nineteen of the 23 selections for Team Sweden currently play in the NHL. The Sedin Twins will certainly play together, and Tomas Holmstrom would be a perfect fit to play in front of the net on a line with Henrik and Daniel. If healthy, Zetterberg and Alfredsson should both provide strong on-ice play on both ends of the rink. Forsberg could be a gamble, but he stated that his past foot problems are currently not an issue. If that is true, Forsberg could be one of the most dangerous players on the ice night in and night out. Lundqvist is a solid goaltender, but he has played a majority of the games for for Rangers this season, and for past seasons, and fatigue may become an issue if he is relied upon too heavily to carry the load.

Veteran leadership and players who work hard at both ends of the rink stock Sweden’s roster and will give them a great chance to grab gold again in Vancouver.

The 23-man Olympic roster for Team Russia was officially announced today. Russia became one of the first countries in serious contention for gold to unveil their squad. Team Canada is expected to release their roster next week and Team USA will unveil their group during the Winter Classic on January 1.

Alexander Ovechkin (pictured) headlines a team that includes two of Ovechkin’s teammates on the Washington Capitals and a total of eight players who helped Russia nab back-to-back World Hockey Championships. The team features a total of 14 NHL players.

The Russians haven’t won gold in Olympic hockey since 1992. Team Russia came in fourth place during the 2006 Winter Olympics.

In addition to Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Alexander Semin and Ilya Kovalchuk will help lead the way on offense. Veteran forward Sergei Federov, who currently plays in the KHL, was also named to the roster and will help provide leadership and depth at forward. One questionable move is the addition of current Atlanta Thrasher’s forward Maxim Afinogenov, whose career seems to have rejuvinated alongside Kovalchuk in Atlanta. Afinogenov currently has 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points in 36 games. That’s almost as many goals as he scored in the previous two seasons combined. This recent surge certainly paved the way for his Olympic roster spot.

Sergei Gonchar, Andre Markov and Fedor Tutin lead the way on defense. Gonchar, making his fourth appearance as part of the Russian Olympic squad, will be a huge asset alongside Markov on the power play.

The Russians will also have a huge amount of depth in goal this year. Evgeni Nabokov, who will most likely get the starting job, currently has 19 wins and 5 losses with the San Jose Sharks. He also has two shutouts and a goals against average 2.33. Ilya Bryzgalov is also enjoying a rejuvinated season with the Phoenix Coyotes. Bryzgalov has a 2.02 goals against average and has 5 shutouts throughout his 21 wins in Phoenix. Semyan Varlomov, the young Capitals goaltender who broke through with a stellar post-season performance last spring but has struggled this year, rounds out the goaltender list for Russia.

Notably absent from the roster is Alexie Kovalev, the enigmatic winger who has struggled this season since leaving Montreal to sign with Ottawa in the offseason. Not including Kovalev but including Afinogenov is a curious decision. Although Kovalev is struggling, he is a proven player who could provide more veteran presence for this squad. Also absent from the roster is Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, who currently sits in the IR with back issues. Khabibulin has not played for the national team since 2002.

Obviously the biggest strength of this team will be offense – and plenty of it. Ovechkin can score at will it seems, and will have plenty of opportunities if he plays alongside Red Wings playmaker Pavel Datsyuk. And Afinogenov should thrive if he gets time with Thrashers teammate Kovalchuk, whom he has played with for the better part of the season. The two of them already have chemistry together and it would be tough to split them up. Kovalchuk will score regardless, but Afinogenov might suffer if a split occurs.

The key to stopping Russia will be a strong defense that can bog down their scoring threat. Regardless, with that type of fire power under your belt, Russia could light the lamp often and make a serious run at Olympic gold.

So things have been hectic for a couple of weeks, but finals are now complete and school is over for the semester and my stellar GPA is still in tact. Okay, so that part is no more true than my prediction that Norway will win hockey gold at the Olympics in February, but we can all dream big, right? Anyway, its time to get back to business and start doing what I do best – mediocre reporting on semi-critical issues for a sport that I love more than breathing air. It’s good to be back.

First up? Injury round-up across the NHL. Henrik Zetterberg became the latest Red Wing to make his way onto the injured reserve after a huge hit from Tampa Bay defenseman Mattias Ohlund last week. The hit resulted in a slightly separated shoulder for Zetterberg, who will be out for approximately two weeks. He joins a growing list of Red Wings regulars who have hit the IR including Jason Williams, Dan Cleary, Johan Franzen and Valterri Fippula, who is probably closest to returning to the lineup for the Wings.

The Ottawa Senators lost a key player as center Jason Spezza went down with a partially torn knee ligament and will be out approximately 6-8 weeks. Spezza has had a trying season thus far with only five goals and 19 points in 30 games this season. His subpar play has been attributed to nagging shoulder issues, so the time off to heal his knee could certainly give his shoulder extra time to heal as well. However, his injuries paired with his subpar play may all but guarentee that Spezza will not be named to the starting roster of the Canadian Olympic team.

Good news for the Montreal Canadiens came this past Saturday as defenseman Andrei Markov returned well ahead of schedule from a severed tendon in his foot. Markov was injured in the first game of the season and missed the next 35 games. Markov, who had 64 points in 78 games last season. immediately went to work on the  power play where he posted two goals in Montreal’s 3-0 win over the New York Islanders.

The floundering Philidelphia Flyers also got some help on the wing as Simon Gagne suited up for just his tenth game after missing the better part of the season with a hernia. Gagne opted to have surgery to repair the two small hernias at the end of October and missed 24 games as a result. After a red-hot start, the Flyers have cooled off considerably and have struggled to score goals recently. Gagne, who posted 74 points in 79 games last season, could help jump-start the Flyers’ offense.

Speaking on jump-starting offense, The Los Angeles Kings should also get a boost later this week when Ryan Smyth (pictured) returns to the lineup after missing several weeks. The Kings’s top line has suffered considerable in his absense. Anze Kopitar, who centers Smyth and Justin Williams on the Kings’s top line and was on pace for over 140 points this season, only has two goals and four assists in the past month.