Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo will play for Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics, it was announced this morning.

And Cranbrook native Scott Niedermayer of the Anaheim Ducks is the team’s captain. He is one of four B.C.-based blueliners on Team Canada, the others being Shea Weber (Sicamous), Brent Seabrook (Tsawwassen) and Duncan Keith (Penticton).

New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur and Pttsburgh Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury are the other two goalies selected by executive director Steve Yzerman and his staff.

“We feel we have a team that will make Canadians proud,” Yzerman said at a news conference for the team’s unveiling.

Source ↑ www.vancouversun.com/…

V.c » Oh yeah, bring on the Olympic Ice Hockey. As Luongo is our local representative on the Canadian team they better play him in more than one token game against some lesser opponent or worse make him the third stringer as some of our eastern media have suggested. Guess they don’t ever stay up late enough to watch the western games. Sure he isn’t always perfect, but when he is on, he is seriously on. And need we remind  you of Luongo beating Brodeur 5-2 in New Jersey at the beginning of December.

Of course we will be cheering for the Canadian team the loudest, but it will also be great to see some of the other Canuck representatives; the Sedins who should have a prominent role with the Swedes, the pesky Kesler with the Americans, Salo and Erhoff with the Finns and Germans and of course Demitra, remember him, with the Slovaks. I wonder if Hansen will play for the Danes, do they even have a team at the Olympics?

The Stanley Cup Champion Vancouver Millionaires - 1915

It has been a long, long time since a team in Vancouver has hoisted the Stanley Cup. Of course my bias is to always predict that the Canucks will win the Cup, but this time, the first in how many years, since 2003, or maybe 1995 or maybe never, the Canucks are a legitimate contender and predicting them to win is not just an unrealistic pipe dream.

There is an awful lot of hockey to be played between now and June when the Cup is hoisted, but with Luongo in goal, a healthy, committed defense and two, possibly even three lines that can score, the potential is there in a big way for us long-suffering Canucks fans.

Here is how I see it breaking down:

Western Conference Round 1
1.San Jose loses to 8.Anaheim
2.Detroit beats 7.Columbus
3.Vancouver beats 6.St Louis
4.Chicago beats 5.Calgary

Eastern Conference Round 1
1.Boston beats 8.Montreal
2.Washington beats 7.New York
3.New Jersey loses to 6.Carolina
4.Pittsburgh beats 5.Philadelphia

Western Conference Round 2
2.Detroit loses to 8.Anaheim
3.Vancouver beats 4.Chicago

Eastern Conference Round 2
1.Boston beats 6.Carolina
2.Washington beats 4.Pittsburgh

Western Conference Final
3.Vancouver beats 8.Anaheim

Eastern Conference Final
1.Boston loses to 2.Washington

Stanley Cup
Washington loses to Vancouver in 6 games.

The Twins Switcheroo

#33 Henrik Sedin, who plays centre has usually been heavier on the assists and lighter on the goals while #22 Daniel Sedin, who plays wing has usually been heavier on the goals and lighter on the assists, but lately Henrik has been lighting the red lamp much more frequently than he has historically, including the first 60 games of this season. Since February, Henrik has 11 goals so previous to that he had 8. Since February, Daniel has 8 goals so previous to that he had 22. Henrik has even been scoring with shots from the slot which seemed to be something he used to be incapable of, he shot like a granny, unlike Daniel who had a pretty decent shot. I think the twins have pulled the old switcheroo and Henrik is pretending to be Daniel and wearing #22 and Daniel is pretending to be Henrik and wearing #33. Even their wives probably can’t tell them apart so how could their opponents?

Burrows may well be our favourite Canuck this year, but dude what’s with the hair pull during your tussle with Duncan Keith, what did he say to you?