Olympics-minded Hawks have incentive for fast start

There's more than one Chicago Olympic bid out there twisting in the wind.

Six Blackhawks are under consideration to play for either Canada or the United States in the Vancouver Winter Olympics in February after participating last month in their respective orientation camps.

The 23-man Olympic rosters will be announced on or about Jan. 1, which basically means an extended tryout for those players under consideration over the first three months of the NHL season.

As if Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien needed any more incentive to get off to a good start, the Olympic subplot figures to only benefit the Hawks in their quest to pile up the points early.

"From a coaching perspective, I think the incentive should be real," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Whether you went to their camps or are still on their radars should be motivation for all those guys. It's a great opportunity. It's in Canada and the exposure is great. I think everybody should be proud for the opportunity and I think it's a healthy thing for us to have."

Kane and Byfuglien were among the 34 players at the U.S. Olympic camp last month at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge.

While Kane appears to be a sure thing to represent the U.S., Byfuglien knows he must have a good three months to catch the attention of Team USA general manager Brian Burke and his staff and earn one of the coveted spots.

"We have more than a few guys capable of going to the Olympics, and I think it's going to set the tone for us," Byfuglien said. "Guys are going to want to have a great start and it's going to carry on.

"I'm up for the challenge and I think it's only going to help me have a better start. I know what kind of player I am and what they want me to be, so it's just a matter of going out and doing it."

The pressure to make Team Canada is immense because of the Games being in Vancouver.

Keith, Toews, Sharp and Seabrook were at Canada's orientation camp last month in Calgary, and when it was over the names of Keith and Toews were included on nearly every projected roster.

"It was just an awesome experience," Keith said. "I came away with a good feeling, but it's not going to be an easy team to make. There are a lot of good defensemen."

There were 14 defensemen at Canada's camp with the general consensus being Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger were locks to make the roster. After that many see Keith right in the mix with Seabrook, Dan Boyle, Shea Weber, Jay Bouwmeester, Robin Regehr and Dion Phaneuf.

What Keith, Seabrook, Toews and Sharp should have working in their favor is how well Canadian GM Steve Yzerman and coach Mike Babcock know them from the Hawks-Detroit rivalry.

Keith sees it as nothing but a positive that so many Hawks are Olympic candidates, including Marian Hossa with Slovakia.

"It's no secret we all want to be on that team," Keith said. "I think our focus should be with the Blackhawks and playing well for them, but obviously in the back of everybody's minds is the better you play for the Blackhawks, obviously it's going to increase your chances with Team Canada, Team USA, Team Sweden or whoever.

"They're going to be watching everyone closely. There's going to be a lot of tough decisions, but hopefully the better we play the easier the decisions will be for them."

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