Canada comes calling; Keith, Seabrook & Toews answer
Jonathan Toews was still in bed at 9 o'clock Wednesday morning following the charter fight home from Dallas when the phone rang.
"My mom was in the kitchen and got the phone and came running into my bedroom jumping up and down," Toews said.
It was Team Canada calling with fabulous news.
Toews had made Canada's 23-man roster for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver along with Blackhawks teammates Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.
The three Hawks still were having trouble digesting the magnitude of their accomplishment hours later.
Seabrook said he accidentally swore when Canada's associate general manager Kevin Lowe phoned him. But it was swearing out of joy.
"I was really nervous this morning, and when I picked up the phone I didn't know what to say," Seabrook said. "I just let him talk. I'm just thrilled. It's a dream come true."
Only Keith was considered a lock to make Canada's roster, but even he wasn't convinced it would happen until he got the phone call.
"I don't think the three of us were 100 percent sure until we got the call," Toews said.
"I'm extremely happy. My whole family is excited," Keith said. "When you realize all the great players who have played for Canada and all the great players who didn't make it, to be one of the guys lucky enough and fortunate enough, I definitely feel honored."
Hockey is religion in Canada, so to make the country's Olympic team is bigger than big.
The Hawks had a media conference call for Keith, Seabrook and Toews following the formal announcement that was dominated by Canadian reporters. One of them spent several minutes grilling Keith and Seabrook about how they planned to defend Russia's potential super line of Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk.
"It all starts playing hockey as kids somewhere in our hometowns," Toews said. "You dream of making the NHL and once you do that you want a Stanley Cup. Eventually as a player the ultimate accomplishment is to represent your country, especially in Canada, at the Olympic level. It's something not too many guys get to do.
"For myself personally, it's still tough to believe they chose me as one of the guys they want to go in there and try to win a gold medal."
Canada GM Steve Yzerman and coach Mike Babcock of the Red Wings have seen enough to Toews over the past two seasons to know he had to make the team.
Toews has 29 points, is a Western Conference best plus-17 and has the top winning percentage on faceoffs of anyone on Canada's roster.
Toews, who has won four gold medals for Canada in international play, might be a fourth-line center or even a winger in the tournament, which is fine with him.
"Everyone has got to check their egos in at the door when they get to Vancouver," Toews said. "I look at myself as one of the guys who has to be ready to play in any situation."
Yzerman hinted weeks ago he planned to take partners Keith and Seabrook because of how well they play together.
Also named to Canada's seven-man defense were Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer, Philadelphia's Chris Pronger, San Jose's Dan Boyle, Nashville's Shea Weber and surprise pick Drew Doughty, the Kings' 20-year-old star.
Keith has 34 points, leads the NHL in minutes per game and since 2007-08 is a plus-72.
"For us, the tandem of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook was important," Yzerman said. "They're a very good pair that plays well together. It's not necessarily that we built (the defense) around those two, but it was important and our decision kind of hinged on that a little bit."
Toews, Boston's Patrice Bergeron, Philadelphia's Mike Richards, Dallas' Brenden Morrow and Carolina's Eric Staal, considered players on the bubble, all made the team.
The other eight forwards selected were Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, San Jose's Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau, Calgary's Jarome Iginla, Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry and Columbus' Rick Nash.
Hawks forward Patrick Sharp did not make Canada's roster, nor did Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, Dallas' Brad Richards or Shane Doan of the Coyotes.
The three goalies named were all considered locks: New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, Vancouver's Roberto Luongo and Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury.
"Some very good hockey players were left off this team," Yzerman said. "But we put great debate and thought into this group."
The U.S. squad will be announced Friday with Patrick Kane a sure thing and Dustin Byfuglien in the mix at forward.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=347646">Keith keeps everything in perspective<span class="date"> [12/30/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>