Another shot at gold for Blackhawks’ Kane
Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane, as expected, was named to the U.S. Olympic team on Wednesday.
But Brandon Saad and Nick Leddy did not make it and will have to wait their turn.
Kane was one of the 14 forwards named to the squad that will be going to Sochi, Russia, looking to avenge its overtime loss to Canada in the 2010 gold-medal game in Vancouver.
“Anytime you get to wear a jersey that says USA across it, it’s pretty exciting,” said Kane, second in the NHL in scoring with 53 points. “You feel like you are representing the best country in the world and have 300 million people at your back.
“It’s an exciting time when the Olympics roll around. I know in 2010 I was fortunate to be on the team, and it was a great tournament up in Vancouver.”
The 2010 gold-medal game saw the Americans tie it in the last minute of regulation only to lose to Canada on Sidney Crosby’s goal in overtime.
“You look back four years ago and you kind of let it go now,” Kane told blackhawks.com. “It would have been nice to win the gold medal, obviously, but just being part of that game and seeing how that game helped grow hockey and how popular it was in the ratings and different things like that, it was amazing to be a part of.”
The two biggest omissions for the Americans on Wednesday were Phoenix defenseman Keith Yandle and Ottawa winger Bobby Ryan. Speed on the bigger ice surface apparently was high on the criteria of selection committee.
“We did not pick the 25 best players,” said U.S. general manager David Poile. “We picked the 25 players we thought gave us the best chance to win the gold medal.”
The team features 13 players who were on the 2010 squad that lost in overtime to Canada.
In addition to the high-scoring Ryan being left off the team, Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson also failed to make the cut. Both Ryan and Johnson were on the Vancouver team.
Jonathan Quick and Ryan Miller, the MVP of the 2010 tournament, will battle for the starting goaltender role in Sochi, while Jimmy Howard will be the third netminder. The selection committee took Howard over Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop.
The selection committee was made up of Poile, Ray Shero, Brian Burke, Stan Bowman, Dean Lombardi, Paul Holmgren, Dale Tallon, Jim Johannson and Don Waddell.
The eight-man defense consists of Brooks Orpik, Ryan Suter, Ryan McDonagh, Paul Martin, Justin Faulk, Cam Fowler, Kevin Shattenkirk and John Carlson. Fowler’s impressive play in Anaheim and Carlson’s rise in Washington were thought to be contributing factors in Johnson and Yandle being left off the team.
Joining Kane at forward will be Dustin Brown, Ryan Callahan, Ryan Kesler, David Backes, Phil Kessel, Zach Parise, Paul Stastny and Joe Pavelski, all of whom return from the 2010 silver-medal team.
Newcomers include James van Riemsdyk, Max Pacioretty, T.J. Oshie, Derek Stepan and Blake Wheeler. Some believe Wheeler and Oshie narrowly nudged aside Saad, who likely would be the next forward named if there is an injury.
The health of the Americans will continue to be a story as the Olympics approach. Among those recovering from injury are Quick, Howard and Orpik, while Martin, Callahan and Parise all are currently out of their respective lineups.
Crawford to start:Goalie Corey Crawford, out since Dec. 8 with a groin injury, will start Thursday when the Hawks face the Islanders on Long Island. Hawks coach Joel Quenneville named Crawford his starter after practice Wednesday.#147;He#146;s ready to go,#148; Quenneville said. #147;Looking forward to seeing him play. He#146;s excited about it.#148;Antti Raanta will back up Crawford. Jason LaBarbera remained with the team and traveled to New York as insurance.#147;I feel great,#148; Crawford said. #147;I#146;m excited to start playing again. It#146;s been a little too long. It#146;ll be nice to get back into a game.#148;ŸFollow Tim#146;s hockey reports on Twitter @TimSassone and check out his Between the Circles blog at dailyherald.com.