Former Flyer and NHL great Peter Forsberg will bring Team Sweden to Vancouver looking to upset another stacked Canadian team for his third gold medal.
There’s a lot at stake for Team Canada this year. Coming in as the heavy favorites, the Canadian team, complete with Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Chris Pronger, is possibly one of the most talented and balanced teams to ever take the ice during the Olympic games.
Sweden, however, has plenty of talent and a roster filled with Olympic veteran leadership while Canada has a healthy group of newcomers to the Olympic games.
Then there is Russia with more offensive firepower than perhaps the world has ever witnessed.
That’s not to count out USA, the Czech Republic, Finland, and Slovakia which all have very talented rosters capable of upsetting any of the big three. Switzerland, Norway, Latvia, Belarus, and Germany close out the field of 12 as long-shots for a medal.
139 current NHL players will be competing in the games making up just over 1/2 of the entire 276 player field at the Olympics. Canada and the United States are the only two teams bringing a roster made completely up of NHL members. (Full Roster Guide)
This will be the 21st Olympic Winter Games and only the 2nd time Canada has hosted the event. The only time before these current games when Canada held the Winter Olympics was in 1988 in Calgary, Alberta. That year was a complete disaster as the Canadians failed to medal.
Even so, Canada leads the medal (and Gold medal) count with 16 total (9 Gold, 5 Silver, and 2 Bronze). The United States are 2nd overall in the medal count with 13 total (3 Gold, 8 Silver, and 2 Bronze. Sweden has 10 total medals (2 Gold, 3 Silver, and 5 Bronze), and Russia actually has 10 total as well when counting the Gold they won at the 1992 games in Albertville, France as the Unified Team (8 Gold, 1 Silver, and 1 Bronze).
Jeff Carter to Play?
With Ryan Getzlaf’s injury more severe than previously suspected, there’s a good chance that Jeff Carter, as the alternate for Getzlaf, will be suiting up for Team Canada. The Anaheim Ducks have a game tonight against the Edmonton Oilers, and according to many sources, if Getzlaf does not play then Carter will be the Olympian.
Flyers, Former and Current, At The Games
Former Flyer Peter Forsberg carrying the Swedish flag yesterday night after the first Montreal game signaled one thing: the Olympics are back. Forsberg, as the leader for Sweden, is definitely one of the most important hockey players to watch. He will obviously be wearing #21. If he performs well, the Flyers could look into him for next season.
Former Flyers at the Games:
- Peter Forsberg will be wearing #21 for Sweden.
- Luca Sbisa will be wearing #91 for Switzerland.
- Joni Pitkanen will be wearing #25 for Finland.
- Lasse Kukkonen will be wearing #5 for Finland.
- Antero Niittymaki will be wearing #30 for Finland.
- Patrick Thoresen will be playing for Norway. (#TBD)
- Ole-Kristian Tollefsen will be playing for Norway. (#TBD)
Current Flyers at the Games:
- Chris Pronger will be wearing #20 for Canada.
- Mike Richards will be wearing #18 for Canada.
- Jeff Carter will be playing for Canada pending news on Ryan Getzlaf’s injury. (#TBD)
- Kimmo Timonen will be wearing #44 for Finland.
- Oskars Bartulis will be playing for Latvia. (#TBD)
Need a reason to cheer for Team USA?
There are some that believe defenseman Matt Carle was a snub. It’s very possible with his play this season that Carle deserved to be on the roster more than 1 or 2 of the defensemen that Toronto Maple Leaf’s GM Brian Burke selected for the team. James vanRiemsdyk, with his outstanding rookie season, also could have made a case for himself, but in the end, he was likely a little too young to compete at the Olympics against the best competition in the world. There are enough Flyers on Canada’s team (Richards, Pronger, and Carter will likely play due to Getzlaf’s injury being more severe than previously thought) to make a case to cheer for Canada as a back-up.
Even so, this is America. You can pick Sweden as a back-up (as I am) or Finland for Timonen, but the reality is that as an American you should keep Team USA at the front. Well, I have your reason.
His name is Bobby Ryan, and he will be sporting #54.
He was born and raised a Flyers fan right across the river from Philly in Cherry Hill, NJ. He grew up working out at Bobby Clarke’s own facilities, and it is widely known that the Flyers desperately tried to move up to the 2nd overall position in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft to take Ryan right behind Sidney Crosby. He is a good, young powerforward currently playing out in Anaheim if you’ve never heard of him. I will be cheering for him and Team USA to capture gold this winter in Vancouver with Sweden and Canada as my fall-backs.
I will also be providing updates on games here at Phinally Philly and through my twitter account.
Full Television Schedule In EST
*Must-watch preliminary and USA matches are italicized.
