I would feel left out if I didn't do a little second-guessing of my own, but I strongly believe that this version of Team Canada had more than enough skill to win the gold, if they wanted it badly enough. And though it's been said dozens of times already, it bears repeating that claiming Wayne Gretzky & Co. picked the wrong players just lets the guys who were on the ice off the hook.

The point has been made by one of the talking heads - I forget which one - that Canada has more than enough scoring talent in the NHL; 12 of the 25 top scorers are Canadian, but some didn't even make the team. Let's look at those players, shall we?

2. Joe Thornton: 55 GP, 21 G - 60 A- 81 PTS
-Scored a goal and two assists in Italy, with a -1 rating. Looked lost on the larger ice surface.

3. Eric Staal: 57 GP, 36-39-75
-Made the taxi squad; his youth and speed would have been appreciated. Many believe he should have made the club ahead of Todd Bertuzzi, and I'm inclined to agree.

6. Marc Savard: 58 GP, 24-48-72
-Plays with some stellar talent in Atlanta, including Ilya Kovalchuk, Marian Hossa and Peter Bondra. One can't help but rack up points with that crew. Has solid playmaking skills, but the guys who made the national team were supposed to be better.

7. Dany Heatley: 56 GP, 34-37-71
-Was supposed to be one of Team Canada's major point producers, but scored only two goals and one assist. Another big disappointment.

10. Alex Tanguay: 58 GP, 24-42-68
-Might have worked well on a line with Joe Sakic, his teammate with the Avalanche. Never really seemed to be considered seriously.

12. Sidney Crosby: 58 GP, 28-37-65
-The brightest light by far on a dismal Pittsburgh team, his playmaking skills and raw hunger could have been a boon to Team Canada. More importantly, he would have gained valuable experience, looking ahead to 2010, a squad that he should make easily, barring the unforeseen.

13. Patrick Marleau: 56 GP, 25-39-64
-Plays in San Jose with Joe Thornton; is big, fast, and a natural scorer. Wouldn't a Nash-Thornton-Marleau line have been something, if all three played like they can?

14. Simon Gagne: 51 GP, 37-26-63
-One goal and two assists in Torino; a big letdown from a player who was supposed to be one of the team's leaders. His conscientious play in the back end helped a lot, but when he was hurt in the game against Russia, it really seemed to take the wind out of everyone's sails.

20. Brad Richards: 58 GP, 18-42-60
-Led Team Canada in scoring with two goals and two assists. When four points in six games leads the team, that hurts. Still, he played well, at both ends of the ice.

23. Jason Spezza: 43 GP, 14-45-59
-Made the taxi squad in Italy. Solid playmaker, but not great on defence. With a little more work and experience, should be a lock in 2010.

24. Paul Kariya: 58 GP, 19-39-58
-Notched the opening goal in the gold medal game in Salt Lake City (remember, when Mario let the Pronger pass go between his feet?), and is blessed with speed and scoring ability. Still only 31 years old, though it seems like he's been around forever, and his experience at the Olympic level - as well as his wheels - would have come in handy.

25. Shawn Horcoff: 56 GP, 16-42-58
-Can make plays or hold his own in front of the net, and is good on defence. Comes to play with his heart on his sleeve every game, and it's a big heart. He has some World Championship experience which would have served him well, and while Horcoff was far from a lock to make this team, the role he would have played would have been comparable with Kris Draper's. But should he have made the team? Probably not.

No matter whether these guys were in Italy or not, everyone had to produce a much better effort than they did. In reality, the big issue wasn't who didn't make the team, but what went wrong with the ones who did.