Canada's 2010 Men's Olympic Hockey Roster Announced

The home team at the 201o Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament has been determined.

Steve Yzerman, Executive Director of Team Canada announced the line up for Canada's Men hockey team for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic games during the World Junior Hockey Championships in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on Dec 30.

Among Canada shoe-ins Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby, Calgary Flames' Jarome Iginla, Anehiem Ducks' Scott Niedermayer, and Philadelphia Flyers' Chris Pronger , some surprises include LA Kings' sophmore defenceman Drew Doughty and Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron.

Much of the talk following the announcement were of the notable omissions - Tampa Bay Lightning's Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Sstamkos; Calgary's defense corps Jay Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr; and Mike Green of the Washington Capitals.

The 2010 Winter Olympic men's hockey tournament will take place February 11 - March 1.

Read the CTV Olympics story for the complete line up.

Minnesota Wild Equipment Catches Fire

A van carrying equipment for the Minnesota Wild caught fire on December 18. The accident left the team scrambling ahead of its Saturday game against the Ottawa Senators.

The fire started when the cube van carrying the equipment to Scotiabank Place, the Senator's home arena at about 2:30 p.m. The Wild had practised at a community complex about a five-minute drive from the arena, as the building was booked for a concert that night. No one was hurt and the cause has yet to be determined.

It was initially thought that all the equipment was destroyed but the gear of nine players were recovered intact.

The Wild chartered in new equipment, including skates, pads and sticks , however some of the players decided to take matters into their own hands. Defenceman Nick Schultz spent $200 on a pair of shoulder pads at a local sports store. Left winger Andrew Brunette had to re-call a gift. A stick he had given to a friend's son after practice was retrieved and replaced with a new one.

Many NHLers are superstitious and some have used the same equipment since their days in junior. And although the Wild players had to adjustto the new gear for their 4-1 loss on December 19, they did not want to use it as an excuse.


Watch the TSN clip

The Sweater

In honour of opening week of the 2008-09 NHL regular season, here is the timeless National Film Board of Canada (NFB) animated short The Sweater, or Le Chandail.

This classic story, which is based on the 1979 short story Le chandail de hockey by Quebec author Roch Carrier has been said to be a parallel to the cultural and linguistic tensions between Canada's anglophone and francophone communities.

I just say this is a classic piece of Canadiana .

CTV saves the Hockey Theme

CTV Inc., together with Copyright Music & Visuals, today announced that CTV Inc. has acquired all rights to 'The Hockey Theme' in perpetuity, preserving the song's legacy and ensuring it will be heard on national television for years to come. 'The Hockey Theme' song will now live on CTV Inc. properties TSN, RDS and across Canada on CTV during coverage of the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympics

Read the TSN story.

Hockey Night in Canada Theme dropped

The theme song of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada has been dropped by the network.

The song's composer Dolores Claman and the CBC could not come to a rights agreement and ends 40 years of the popular piece of music, which has been become the nation's unofficial second national anthem.

The CBC, in conjunction with leading music producers Nettwerk Music Group, will conduct a nationwide search, inviting Canadians to write and record an original song for Hockey Night in Canada. Fans and a jury of experts will choose the best new composition and CBC will offer $100,000 for the winning song

Read the Fox Business story.
Read the National Post story.

Stanley Cup U.S ratings up

Compared to last year, the television coverage of the Stanley Cup finals was better received in the United States, and were not as high in Canada.

This year's finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings was televised in the U.S on NBC and in Canada on the CBC.

Read the Jam Canoe story.

Bertuzzi Files Suit Against Crawford

Former Vancouver Canuck Todd Bertuzzi has filed legal court papers claiming his former coach, Marc Crawford, should be held personally liable for any legal damages a court might award to former Colorado Avalanche player Steve Moore, whose career ended after Bertuzzi broke his neck during a March 2004 NHL hockey game.

Bertuzzi, now with the Anaheim Ducks, contends Crawford, who now coaches the Los Angeles Kings, "failed to exercise control over and caution his players against physical aggression toward Moore when he knew or ought to have known that this was likely to result in injury to Moore."

Talk about not taking responsibility for his own actions! Granted, it's probably lawyers mostly at play here, Bertuzzi not only committed a cowardly act on the ice, but has committed a huge act of cowardice off the ice as well.

Read the Globe and Mail story.