One night in 2002, I was one of the hundred thousand or more Torontonians dancing up and down Yonge Street after the Canadian Men's Hockey Team beat the U.S.A. and took the gold medal at the Salt Lake City Olympics. Such cheering and collective triumph was the defining moment of my five years on Bay Street.

Shortly thereafter, I moved to Europe and became isolated from hockey. When I came back it was the strike, and I haven't been able to catch up yet. But now I need your help because it is four years later, another shot for gold is upon us, I find I am anxious about the Canadian Men's Hockey Team, and I don't know anything. My worry is simply this: the people who aren't playing.

It could be said about our team that won in Salt Lake City that it was the best Olympic hockey team ever assembled. It was made out of legends of the game including Mario Lemieux, Paul Kariya, Theoren Fleury, Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Eric Lindros, Joe Nieuwendyk, Al MacInnis and Curtis Joseph.

The problem is that none of those players are returning to this Olympics. Some have returned: Iginla, Sakic, Foote, Blake, Ryan Smyth, Chris Pronger, Simon Gagné. Jovanowski and Niedermeyer are on the roster but are injured. They're great: no problems here. But who is replacing the part of the pantheon that retired to Olympus after Salt Lake City?

Have a look at the CBC's coverage of the roster announcement from a few weeks back and compare the two rosters from 2002 and 2006 below:
cbc.ca - Canada's Olympic men's hockey team unveiled
Canada 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Men's Hockey Team
Canada 2006 Torino Olympic Men's Hockey Team

My question is, are these guys good enough? Can Todd Bertuzzi skate like Theo? Can Shane Doan measure up to Kariya, Nieuwendyk, or Lindros? Is Wade Redden capable of stepping into MacInnis's shoes? When you say it like that, doesn't it worry you too?

In other words, please explain to me what makes this team as good as the last, and why they are going to win. Thank you.

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