Now that the Olympics are finally upon us, I guess it's time to do a little Olympic blog post. I actually thought of writing an assessment of the Leafs up to this point in the season, but with the blue & white sitting in the basement of the Eastern Conference, it doesn't seem all that interesting. The future is beginning to look very bright for the Maple Leafs but as for this season, the hole is dug much too deep. Instead I'll take a look at the Olympic tournament starting next week, which some Buds will be a part of.
No Leaf is part of the Canadian Olympic powerhouse. The only player to make a case for that type of honor is Dion Phaneuf, who in my own opinion, should be on the roster ahead of Drew Doughty. The LA Kings young star is an amazing talent for sure, but I really think Dion , along with Jay Bouwmeester should have been included on the roster over Seabrook, Keith, or double D. With possible games against Russia and other hockey powers like the States and Sweden looming in the next couple of weeks, it will be interesting to see if Canada's picks are exposed. I sure hope they're not.
The United States actually have a better team than most are giving credit for early on. With Leafs all-star sniper Phil Kessel and more elite talent from around the NHL, the USA could turn some heads in the next couple of weeks. Parise, Brown, Backes, Kane and many others can play at the highest level and succeed no doubt. Goaltending will be in the hands of Ryan Miller, who has cooled off recently but should still be able to carry the States through the tournament. Buds d-man Mike Komisarek was originally picked to represent our southern neighbors, but unfortunately season ending shoulder surgery ended his Olympic hopes.
Nik Kulemin has been added to the Russian squad, but will not likely see much ice. The obvious pick from the Buds was Tomas Kaberle, who will be an integral part of the Czechs bid for a medal. I would almost go as far as to say Kaberle is as good, if not better than most defensemen on the Canadian or Russian squad.
Right now I'm picking Canada to take down the gold, it's the thing to do. My prediction is Canada on top, with Russia in 2nd and the USA with the bronze. I really think that Canada could be better on the back end but at such a high level of talent, it's tough to take one guy over another. Up front, no team outside of Russia competes with Canada. The forward position is simply too deep for the Canadian club. When you have Toews, Marleau, Thornton, Heatley, Morrow and Richards populating your 3rd and 4th lines... well, that's depth.
First game for Canada is Tuesday at 4:30 Pacific. They'll be taking on Norway in the tourney opener. This is a weak team that will be routed by Canada, with only one current NHL player in Ole-Kristian Tollefsen. Former NHL'er and current KHL'er Patrick Thoreson will also suit up for Norway. Prediction? 9-0 Canada
Another blog coming before the Leafs vs. Blues on Friday.
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-MSU
