Sharp thrilled to join 10 Hawks in Sochi

                                                                                                                                                                                                   
  • Teammates Patrick Sharp (10) and Jonathan Toews will play for Team Canada in next month's Olympic Games in Sochi along with Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith. While Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford didn't make the Canada's roster, a total of 10 Blackhawks will be heading to Sochi for Olympic duty.

    Teammates Patrick Sharp (10) and Jonathan Toews will play for Team Canada in next month's Olympic Games in Sochi along with Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith. While Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford didn't make the Canada's roster, a total of 10 Blackhawks will be heading to Sochi for Olympic duty. Associated Press

 
Tim Sassone
 
 
Updated 1/7/2014 7:03 PM

Patrick Sharp is going to Sochi, but Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford are not.

Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith were among the 25 players named to the Canadian Olympic team on Tuesday.

 

It will be the first Olympics for Sharp, who has 25 goals and 46 points for the Blackhawks.

"The past couple of days it's been tough to go to sleep," Sharp said. "It's a special day for my family and for myself. I'm proud to represent my country, my parents, my family and of course the Blackhawks. I'm thrilled to have gotten the call.

"I really wanted to be a part of it this time around."

Seabrook was snubbed after being on the 2010 Canadian team that won the gold medal in Vancouver.

"It was a tough call (Tuesday) morning when I got the phone call, but you know Canada's got a lot of great players," Seabrook said. "You saw the team they're putting out there. It's going to be a good team. I'm looking forward to watching, maybe having a few beers and relaxing over the break."

Crawford wasn't among the three goalies picked as Team Canada went with Vancouver's Roberto Luongo, Montreal's Carey Price and Mike Smith of the Coyotes.

"It's pretty disappointing," Crawford said. "It definitely was a goal of mine. I didn't make it, so move on, focus on our team and winning hockey games here."

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In all, 10 Hawks are going to the Olympics, an increase from six in 2010.

Defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya and center Marcus Kruger were selected for Team Sweden on Tuesday.

Oduya played in the Olympics in 2010. Kruger and Hjalmarsson have not previously played in the Olympics.

"Olympics is something you've always seen on TV and stuff and you always wonder how that's going to be," Kruger said. "For me, being the first time going there is going to be exciting. And seeing the other athletes and everything else is going to be a lot of fun.

"It was great to see my name there."

Marian Hossa and Michal Handzus made the Slovakian team. Both have played in the Olympics in the past.

"It's a lot of fun playing for your country in the best tournament in the world," Handzus said. "You cannot ask for any better. Just enjoy it. I had a lot of fun in Vancouver. We had a good team. We had a lot of fun in the locker room, a lot of fun in the games, just enjoyed it. … For me probably the last one, for a lot of guys maybe they get in a couple more, just enjoy it when you get back there."

Patrick Kane made the U.S. team last week and defenseman Michal Rozsival was added to the Czech Republic squad on Monday.

Hawks coach Joel Quenneville isn't concerned about the risk of injuries.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
 

"I think it's a good experience for guys," Quenneville said. "It can make them a better player, playing against top guys in that type of setting can make you a better player as well. I hope they get a chance to win a medal."

Team Canada was the big announcement on Tuesday and there were plenty of key omissions. In addition to Seabrook, San Jose's Joe Thornton, Logan Couture and Dan Boyle were bypassed along with Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis and Philadelphia's Claude Giroux.

"Obviously, it's a huge honor," Keith said. "That gets said a lot, but it really is. You look at all the people who play hockey in Canada, to represent the country is very special."

Keith and Toews were part of the 2010 Canadian team that won the gold medal.

"Most of all it's great to see how many world-class players we have in our room," Toews said. "You even look at some of the guys that won't be going to the Olympics that definitely deserved to be and do have that type of talent.

"You can think of guys like (Seabrook) and (Crawford) and a few other guys as well. To have 10 guys in our room, I think is pretty special. It goes to show why we're such a good team."

Seabrook apparently lost his spot to Montreal's P.K. Subban because coach Mike Babcock wanted a balance of left-handed and right-handed shooters on defense.

Keith, Dan Hamhuis, Jay Bouwmeester and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are left-handed. Drew Doughty, Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Weber and Subban are righties.

The Canadian forwards to make the team were Toews, Sharp, Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, Jamie Benn, Patrice Bergeron, Jeff Carter, Chris Kunitz, Patrick Marleau, Rick Nash, Corey Perry, Steven Stamkos, John Taveras and Matt Duchene.

"In the end, we've put together the best group of players we possibly can," Babcock said. "Now we have to become the best team we possibly can."

• Follow Tim's hockey reports on Twitter @TimSassone.

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