Brian Burke, Team USA’s GM, is planning on making the announcement of USA’s final roster on January 1st, 2010, during the Winter Classic. Burke will name his 23 man roster at Fenway Park, during the Flyers vs. Bruins game.

Below you will find the three groupings for the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament:

GROUP A: Canada, United States, Norway, Switzerland

GROUP B: Russia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovakia

GROUP C: Finland, Sweden, Germany, Belarus

The countries in bold are the four tournament favorites, without disrespect to the other eight countries.

Tournament format:
Each team will play the round robin portion of the tournament, facing the other three teams of their respective group and the best four records will advance to the quarter-finals.

Then the remaining eight teams will move on to play a qualifying playoff round to decide the other four quarter-final spots. The final eight teams will face each other in the quarter-finals until the Gold Medal Winner is decided.

USA’s schedule will be fairly easy, except they end up their round-robin by facing a powerhouse in Canada. They will play their first game on February 16th against Switzerland, a very underrated opponent that gave problem to the Americans in the past few tournaments.

After that game USA has a day off, before they take on a weak Norwegian team that should be fairly easy to beat. Finally, Team USA will conclude the round-robin portion of their tournament with an emotional match-up against their North American foe, Canada. This game will be a very good test for Sean Burke to assess his line-up and his team’s chances of earning a medal in Vancouver.

Who would you select as Team USA’s captain?
Jamie Langenbrunner?
Brian Rafalski?
Ryan Malone?

I would personnally give the C to Langenbrunner as he is a proven winner with Stanley Cups with the Devils and plenty of experience in the NHL and on the international level. There is a change of guard for the Americans as perennial selections like Bill Guerin, Keith Tkachuk, Doug Weight and Chris Chelios are no longer in the plans.

Potential final line-up for Team USA:
Forwards:
Patrick Kane - Zach Parise - Phil Kessel
Ryan Malone - Paul Stastny - Dustin Brown
Bobby Ryan - Ryan Kesler - Jamie Langenbrunner
Ryan Callahan - Joe Pavelski - Mike Knuble
Jason Pominville as the 13th forward.

Defensemen:
Brian Rafalski - Ryan Suter
Paul Martin - Ryan Whitney
Erik Johnson - Brooks Orpik
Zach Bogosian as the 7th defensemen.

Goalies:
Ryan Miller
Tim Thomas
Craig Anderson

Noteworthy considerations:
Forwards:
Scott Gomez, T.J. Oshie, Mike Modano, Tim Connolly, James van Riemsdyk, Brian Gionta, David Backes, Kyle Okposo, Chris Drury, Dustin Byfuglien, David Booth

Defensemen:
Ron Hainsey, Mike Komisarek, John-Michael Liles, Alex Goligoski, Matt Carle, Andy Greene, Jack Johnson

Goaltenders:
Jonathan Quick

Who would you pick on your team as of December 23rd, 2009?

Source: http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=8366

Steve Yzerman, Team Canada’s GM, is planning on making the announcement of Canada’s final roster on December 30, 2009, a little more than a week from now. Yzerman will name his 23 man roster during the World Junior tournament in Saskatoon, Canada.

Below you will find the three groupings for the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament:

GROUP A: Canada, United States, Norway, Switzerland

GROUP B: Russia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovakia

GROUP C: Finland, Sweden, Germany, Belarus

The countries in bold are the four tournament favorites, without disrespect to the other eight countries.

Tournament format:
Each team will play the round robin portion of the tournament, facing the other three teams of their respective group and the best four records will advance to the quarter-finals.

Then the remaining eight teams will move on to play a qualifying playoff round to decide the other four quarter-final spots. The final eight teams will face each other in the quarter-finals until the Gold Medal Winner is decided.

Canada’s schedule will be fairly easy as they will play their first game on February 16th against a weak Norwegian team. Norway is most likely the tournament’s weakest team and should give Canada an opportunity to find some chemistry and chase those olympic butterflies.

After that game Canada has a day off, before they take on the Swiss on the 18th. Finally, Team Canada will conclude the round-robin portion of their tournament with a emotional match-up against their North American foe, the United States.

Who would you select as Team Canada’s captain?
Scott Niedermayer?
Jarome Iginla?
Sidney Crosby?

I would personnally give the C to Niedermayer as he is a proven winner with plenty of experience in the NHL and on the international level. Iginla and Crosby are great leaders too, but Niedermayer is the most experienced.

Potential final line-up for Team Canada:
Forwards:

R. Nash-S. Crosby-J. Iginla

B. Richards-R. Getzlaf-C. Perry
P. Marleau-J.Thornton-D.Heatley
R.Smyth-M. Richards-E. Staal
Jonathan Toews as the 13th forward.

Defensemen:
C. Pronger-S. Niedermayer
D. Keith-M. Green
D. Boyle-S. Weber
Drew Doughty as the 7th defensemen.

Goalies:
M. Brodeur
R. Luongo
M-A Fleury

Noteworthy considerations:
Forwards:
Shane Doan, Patrice Bergeron, Mike Fisher, Michael Cammalleri, Brendan Morrow, Martin St-Louis, Dustin Penner, Vincent Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos, Jeff Carter, Jordan Staal

Defensemen:
Brent Seabrook, Jay Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf, Stephane Robidas, Robyn Regehr, Brent Burns

Goaltenders:
Cam Ward, Carey Price, Steve Mason

Who would you pick on your team as of December 21st, 2009?

Source: http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=8289

Most of the Montreal Canadiens' direct rivals made a move to improve their team at this 2009 trade deadline.

The Boston Bruins have acquired Mark Recchi and pick from Tampa Bay for two prospects (Lashoff and Karsums), and Steve Montador from Anaheim for Petteri Nokaleinen.

The New Jersey Devils have acquired Nicklas Havelid from Atlanta for prospect Anssi Salmela.

The Florida Panthers have acquired Steve Eminger from Tampa Bay for youngster Noah Welch and a pick.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired Bill Guerin from the NYIslanders for a conditional draft pick, they also picked up Craig Adams off waivers from Chicago. A few days ago they acquired Chris Kunitz from Anaheim for Ryan Whitney.

The Buffalo Sabres have traded for Dominic Moore of Toronto in exchange for a second-round draft pick. They also acquired goalie Mikael Tellqvist from Phoenix for a fourth-rounder.

The Philadelphia Flyers have traded for super pest Daniel Carcillo from Phoenix for Scottie Upshall and a pick. They also acquired veteran defenseman Kyle McLaren from San Jose for a mid-round pick.

The Carolina Hurricanes have traded Justin Williams to the Los Angeles Kings for Patrick O'Sullivan; they then traded Patrick O'Sullivan to Edmonton for Erik Cole. The Habs killer is back in the East!

Finally, the New York Rangers have claimed Sean Avery on waivers from Dallas, have acquired Nik Antropov from Toronto for a second-round pick, and Derek Morris from Phoenix in exchange for Dmitri Kalinin, Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha.

Gainey could not even get rid of Mathieu Dandenault who asked to be traded. The Canadiens could really have used a big forward, especially a centre for their playoff run (if they make it) and a gritty defenseman.

Don't forget that even though they won their last four games, the Canadiens allowed 167 shots (about 42 shots/game) during that span; without's Halak marvelous performances, the Habs would be sitting out of the playoffs at the moment.

As a Habs' fan, I am very disappointed once again in Bob Gainey...Are you?

After the Canadiens' fourth consecutive loss against the Oilers yesterday, it is clear that the Canadiens players don't want to play for their coach anymore. They have lost nine of their past 11 games, during which they scored only 25 goals (2.27 GF per game) and surrendered an astounding 48 goals (4.36 GA per game).

The Habs have lost their last seven road games and have still four road games to go before returning home on Feb. 21 against Ottawa.

Carbonneau keeps juggling his lines like a Cirque du Soleil juggler, trying to find some chemistry among his players, but since they don't play together for more than a few shifts, it's hard to build chemistry.

Carbonneau doesn't have a game plan. The Canadiens don't fore-check, can't make a good first pass, are unable to clear the front of the net, don't finish their checks, and don't win one-on-one battles. They clearly need to go back to basics; however, they don't practice. Carbonneau prefers sending them to a bowling alley to hone their shooting skills.

The Canadiens are lucky to have registered that many points this season, because they've been sloppy most of the season, but they have been able to win some games because of their talent. The problem is that the farther we get into the season, the harder it is to win games without working, and the Canadiens don't work. As soon as they get scored on, they stop hustling and playing hard; they simply give up.

When you give up, it means you don't care, and that's the job of the coach to make the players care, which is not happening right now.

I know that Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau are close friends, but it's time to put an end to their working relationship, especially since Gainey can't find a trading partner just yet because of the salary cap. We are still three weeks away from the deadline, and the Canadiens can't afford to wait that long to make changes.

The Senators waited way too long before canning Craig Hartsburg, as I had predicted on Jan. 7, 2009 here > Hartsburg to be fired (Hartsburg was fired at the beginning of February).

GM Bob Gainey must make his move NOW! Time to put a veteran coach behind the bench—someone with extensive experience like Larry Robinson, Bob Hartley, or John Tortorella.

Stay tuned!

On February 25 2007, the Montreal Canadiens veteran defenseman Craig Rivet and a 5th round selection in 2008 to the San Jose Sharks for young defenseman Josh Gorges and a 1st round selection in 2007 (Max Pacioretty).

Now a member of the Buffalo Sabres, Rivet helped the Sharks go deep in the playoffs the past two seasons even tough they weren't able to make it to the finals. In 91 games with the Sharks, Rivet scored six goals and 37 assists for 43 points.

He was later traded this summer along with San Jose's 7th round selection in 2010 to the Buffalo Sabres for a 2nd round choice in 2009 and a 2nd round choice in 2010.

Meanwhile, Josh Gorges blossomed into a very reliable defenseman over his two years in Montreal. At first, things were not quite easy for Gorges as he was a frequent healthy scratch for most of the 2007 season.

However, last season he finally made it as a regular rearguard and played 62 games, notching nine assists besides his partner Francis Bouillon.

Gorges, 24, has seen an increase of ice-time this season being used in every situation (even on the powerplay) and his statistics have improved accordingly. Gorges already has one goal and seven assists for eight points in 40 games. He has a team-best +18 plus/minus differential good for the tenth rank league-wide.

But the key element of that trade is Max Pacioretty who finally made it to the NHL this season thanks to numerous injuries to key Habs players.

After a great season with Michigan University last season where he registered 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points in 37 games, Pacioretty signed his first NHL contract, a three-year entry-level pact, this summer with the Canadiens.

Recalled from Hamilton on January 1st, 2009, Pacioretty scored his first NHL-goal on his first shot in a 4-1 loss against New Jersey. Now playing on a line with veterans Alex Kovalev and Tomas Plekanec, Max Pax has tallied two goals and 1 assist for three points after only four games.

Pacioretty is a good power forward with above average skills. A good skater with quick feet. He handles the puck very well, and he has a good wrist shot with quick release. His size and tenacity allow him to drive to the net consistently.

Max Pacioretty will likely be this year's Sergei Kostitsyn even when Koivu, Higgins and Tanguay come back from their injuries.

From: www.nhl-northeast.com

Reunited for yesterday's match-up against the Florida Panthers, the Kostitsyn brothers, Andrei and Sergei, sparked the Habs' offense to a close 6-5 OT win over Peter DeBoer's team.

Lining up on a line with veteran Robert Land, the "Mullet line" produced three of the Canadiens' goals. Lang finished the afternoon with one goal and one assist (+2), while Andrei notched two goals (+2) and Sergei added two assists (+4).

With Alex Tanguay out for an extended period of time, the Canadiens desperately need to find secondary scoring to help ease the pressure on Kovalev's line.

Ever since they were kids, the Kostitsyns played hockey together at every level. That is why they play so well when reunited.

Sergei, who is more of a passer, has a great vision, solid skating abilities and a great hockey sense. Sergei also kills penalties with Robert Lang because of his great defensive awareness. He can also man the point on the power play.

Andrei, who is more of a shooter, is blessed with a quick release and a heavy shot. His has excellent puck-handling abilities and his strong on the puck.

As you can see the brothers compliment each other perfectly because of their different sets of skills, that is why they should stick together for a while, whether it is with Robert Lang, Saku Koivu and Tomas Plekanec.

As Carbonneau said, "Andrei shoots more when he plays with Sergei instead of Alex Kovalev, when he plays with Kovy he tries to give him the puck too much". Andrei added that he's more confortable playing with his brother.

I believe Carbo has finally understood that the brothers should stick together for a while now...

From: www.nhl-northeast.com

The Bruins' first pick in the second round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft (63rd overall), David Krecji, 22, has climbed fast on the Bruins depth chart.

Currently the Bruins' third centre behind point-producer Marc Savard and proven youngster Patrice Bergeron, Krejci is quickly making his mark in the NHL. His new line-mates Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder have perfectly clicked together. Through 30 games this season with the Bruins, Krejci has eight goals and 21 assists for 29 points, currently on pace for 79 points. He also ranks 10th in the league with a +15 plus/minus differential.

The Sternberk, Czech Republic native, has already surpassed last year's career-best, 27 points in 56 games, thanks to his plethora of skills. Krejci's strongest assets are his soft hands and smooth puck-handling abilities. He is good on face-offs and possesses good defensive instincts for a second-year player. Krejci also has a highly accurate wrist shot, and he can make smart, crisp passes to him teammates. He isn't afraid of playing in heavy traffic and drive the net.

After playing two years in the QMJHL with Gatineau where he recorded 144 points in only 117 games, he smoothly made the transition to the AHL with the Providence Bruins where he notched 74 points in 69 games in 2006-2007. Krejci adjusted very well everywhere he played, and there is no reason he can't continue with the Bruins this season...

Expect big things from Krejci in the next few years, as Bruins's coach Claude Julien is not afraid to use him in every situation. Krejci is currently on fire, having notched five goals and fifteen assists for 20 points in the past twelve games!

Coming out a phenomenal 2006-2007 hockey season, during which the Anahim Lake, B.C., native won the gold at the IIHF World Junior (U20) Ice Hockey Championship in Sweden (he was named the Tournament MVP) and the Calder Cup with the Hamilton Bulldogs (he was named playoffs MVP), expectations were very high at the beginning of last season in Montreal.

The 6-3, 212 lbs, butterfly goaltender made the team out of training camp. He shared duties with French goaltender Cristobal Huet for the first few months, before being sent down to the AHL in January 2008 to regain his form after a lackluster start. After a one-month stint with the Bulldogs, the Canadiens called him up and gave him plenty of action before trading Huet to the Capitals at the trade deadline. Price responded very well, leading the Canadiens to a strong finish atop the Eastern Conference. Price finished the 2007-2008 season with a 24-12-3 record, a 2.56 GAA and a sparkling .920 save percentage.

The red-hot Canadiens were to face the 8th seed Boston Bruins which they beat 8 times out of 8 during the regular season. After taking a comfortable 3-1 series lead, during which Price allowed only 5 goals, things changed drastically. The Bruins were able to tie the series 3-3 before seeing the Habs blank them in a decisive 7th game 5-0.

Price showed signs of tiredness and inconsistency throughout the whole series. He now had to face a surprising physical Flyers team that had just eliminated the red-hot Washington Capitals in a long 7-game series.

Price would have to be very sharp to help the Canadiens prevail and reach the Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. That would not happen. Price was shaky in each of the Canadiens loss, surrendering at least one soft goal each game, leading to a short 5-game series during which the Habs were out-muscled, outworked and outwitted. The Price was not so right after all, as Carey finished the playoffs with a5-6 record, 2.78 GAA and a very ordinary .901 save percentage.

Now tagged as the Canadiens no 1 goalie of the future, Price had the whole summer to get some rest and get his mental focus back. He even managed to lose the 28 lbs that he had gained during the 2007-2008 season. Lighter, sharper and faster, Price is off to a strong start this season with the Canadiens. After 20 games, he has a 12-4-4, a 2.37 GAA and a great .920 save percentage. He has kept the Canadiens in most of the games with key saves while being more consistent.

Currently day-to-day with a bad cold and a lower body injury, Price will have some time to rest until Christmas. This forced hiatus will keep him fresh through the end of the season and the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Price's inactivity will allow backup Jaroslav Halak to see more action. Seldom used during the first two months, Halak has now started three consecutive games in Price's absence. The 23-year-old Czech goaltender is boasting a 3-4-1 record, to go with a 2.37 GAA and a solid .918 save percentage. The Canadiens' lack of offensive support to Halak has led to a few 2-1 losses. In Halak's nine starts, he has only allowed more than three goals once...

When Price returns, Halak will likely want to see plenty of action as well and battle for the Habs' no 1 goalie spot. However, since Price is the Canadiens' goaltender of the future, Halak's chances of being a true no 1 is more likely with another team. Don't be surprised if Gainey trades Halak at the trade deadline to get a top-6 forward or a steady veteran defenseman to help his team contend for the Stanley Cup for the Habs Centennial. My bet is that the Price will be right at the end of the season.

From: www.nhl-northeast.com

Coming out of a 24-goal and 53-point season, Antoine Vermette had improved his scoring numbers in each of his four NHL seasons. With the departure of Cory Stillman via free agency, Vermette was supposed to get plenty of power play time this season, even on the Senators' top unit.

However, after 26 games this season, Vermette, 26, only has 2 goals and 5 points, to go with a-8 differential. He has only one assist in the Senators' last 15 games. He can no longer play on a third line with Chris Kelly and face the opponents' 5th and 6th defensemen now that the Senators are thin upfront without Cory Stillman and Mike Comrie.

Even though he's having a tough year, the St-Agapit, Quebec, native ranks third in the league in face-off winning percentage at 61.8%. Vermette worked very hard to improve this aspect and it is finally paying off. The problem is he ranks fourth in the team face-off taken behind Kelly Fisher and Spezza. Maybe if Hartsburg was letting Vermette take more face-offs, his line would get the puck more often and therefore, control the puck longer and create more scoring chances.

The Senators re-signed Vermette on July 31, 2008, to a two-year $2.525 million contract, hoping he would put the same numbers as last year. However, Vermette is having problems putting the puck into the net. Despite poor offensive numbers, he is having plenty of scoring chances and he is shooting at the net more often than not; he is on pace for more than 200 shots this season.

Vermette currently plays on a line with Mike Fisher and Sean Donovan, not exactly great offensive players. Fisher is also having a rough year and Donovan is more of a grinder than a finisher.

Hartsburg must really try other line combinations as the current lines are not working anymore. Give quality linemates to Vermette and it's a matter of time before he starts producing as he's having excellent offensive instincts, on-ice vision and soft hands.

Maybe the best thing that could happen to Antoine Vermette would be a change of scenery, whether Bryan Murray trades him to another team, or replaces Hartsburg with a more suitable coach for Vermette... From: www.nhl-northeast.com

Leafs' defencemen Mike Van Ryn and Jonas Frogren both practised yesterday and both have been telling everyone they are ready to play, but that doesn't mean they will automatically be in the Toronto lineup at Buffalo tomorrow night.

There's a good chance call-up Jaime Sifers will get another game after a steady performance in his NHL debut Monday. Frogren's injury was supposed to keep him out of the game for about four weeks and it's been only two weeks, so the Leafs will make him undergo another MRI before he is officially cleared to play. His injury is easy to quantify compared to Van Ryn's injuries.

For Van Ryn, it's a little more complicated. He suffered facial injuries, a broken hand and a concussion when Montreal's Tom Kostopoulos slammed him into the glass from behind five weeks ago. Kostopoulos was suspended 3 games for this incident.

The stitches have come out and his cast is off, but the injury that can't be X-rayed, the concussion, must still be checked. Before playing, he has to undergo a test to see if his brain function compares favourably to the baseline test he did at the start of training camp.

Van Ryn was playing very well before he got injured and his return would prove to be a big boost for the Maple Leafs' depleted defense.

More to come tomorrow. From: www.nhl-northeast.com

Some excerpts are from Paul Hunter's article.