Choosing the troops

Team Canada has named the squad that will try for the three-peat at the IIHF World Championship in Innsbruck, Austria. Check out the roster, posted on Hockey Canada's website. They haven't named captains yet, but expect Ryan Smyth to get the "C" (he isn't nicknamed "Captain Canada" for nothing, folks). The "A"s could be a little bit tricker, since 19 of the 22 players have played for the nats in the past. Dany Heatley was the tournament MVP last year, but can't match the level of experience some of these guys have in leading a winning team from the dressing room out, most notably Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby. Joe Thornton and Ed Jovanovski will be prime candidates as well, on a team where leadership shouldn't be an issue at all. In short, they're well-prepared for a 2005 gold medal.