Hockey

The good news about last month's orientation camp for the 2010 Olympic men's hockey team was it helped clarify some of the outstanding issues relating to player selection and deployment.

Example: Even though Sidney Crosby can play wing because of his versatility, the coaching staff pencilled him in as the team's No. 1 centre. Auditions for the openings on either side of Crosby, the top Canadian-born NHL scorer last season, will continue once the regular season begins.

On the other hand, Ryan Getzlaf's absence as a result of off-season sports hernia surgery left many questions unanswered on the putative second line.

Getzlaf, projected as the team's No. 2 centre, has previous international history with a variety of potential linemates - Rick Nash and Dany Heatley from world championships; and Jeff Carter from the world juniors. Moreover, Getzlaf's regular winger with the Anaheim Ducks, Corey Perry, may also be in the mix for a spot on the roster of 13 forwards because of their chemistry and familiarity.

TSN analyst Darren Pang likes Perry's chances, provided he can demonstrate the necessary discipline to Canada's hierarchy between now and the December deadline for selecting the 2010 team.

"I like Nash and Getzlaf together because of what they bring - real big powerful bodies - and I like Corey Perry on their right side," said Pang, who will work as an Olympic analyst for TSN on James Duthie's hockey panel. "Obviously, there's chemistry, but [Getzlaf and Perry] are also playoff-hardened players. Perry's got an edge to him, and you can't afford to take penalties at a bad time, but if he can avoid that, maybe he can provide a spark the way Theo Fleury did in 2002."

Pang thought Canada's top line should feature Eric Staal, with Crosby and Jarome Iginla, with Staal playing out of position on the left side.

"Personally, I don't see Staal as a centre on this team because he's a shooter, not a puck distributor," said Pang, who would then fill out the third line with three of the league's most complete two-way players: Mike Richards, Brenden Morrow and Shane Doan. "That's the kind of line where they all bring something to the table, but they can also provide offence. At worst, they're all 30-goal guys in the NHL."

Both Pang and Rogers Sportsnet hockey analyst John Garrett believe centre Joe Thornton is on the bubble on the basis of last year's play, but believe if he and Heatley can get off to a fast start, it will be difficult for Team Canada executive director Steve Yzerman to leave them off the squad.

Defensively, Pang believes the competition is fairly wide open beyond the first two pairs on display in Calgary last month: Scott Niedermayer with Shea Weber and Chris Pronger with Dan Boyle. Pang projects Robyn Regehr as a shutdown defenceman on the third pairing, but Garrett figures Regehr would be the odd-man out, just because of Canada's overall depth.

Both had a couple of dark-horse candidates that they'll be watching closely these next two months. Pang is a supporter of young Drew Doughty, while Garrett went the other way and said don't overlook veteran Rob Blake, a two-time Olympian that wasn't at the August camp.

"I saw Blake the other day and he just played great," Garrett said. "They're picking the team in December. What if the [San Jose] Sharks are off to a good start and he's playing really well?"

For Pang, Doughty's strong rookie season, coupled with a good outing for Canada at last year's world championships, puts him on the team's radar screen, even though at 19, he would be their youngest player - and Yzerman has repeatedly stressed the value of experience in a pressure-cooker hometown Olympics.

"I know at the world championships, Hockey Canada was impressed that when the game was on the line, he wanted the puck," Pang said. "He didn't shy away from any of it - the physical part, or his composure and confidence."

Naturally, goaltenders love nothing better than to talk goaltending, and while Garrett is based in Vancouver and sees Roberto Luongo all the time, he warns that Martin Brodeur isn't going to surrender the starting job without a fight.

"Playing in New Jersey under Jacques Lemaire, you know Marty's average is going to be great; his save percentage will be great; and his win/loss record will be good," Garrett said. "It's a Jacques Lemaire team; the goalies always look good. And Marty's won before - Stanley Cups and Olympics - and Roberto doesn't have that."

The ex-goalies both believe that despite the push that will come from three young goalies - Cam Ward, Marc-André Fleury and Steve Mason - Canada will rely on experience between the pipes.

"You have to take the three best guys that give you an opportunity to win a gold medal," Pang said. "As solid as Brodeur and Luongo are in the 1-A and 1-B spot, that third guy has to be able to go in and win you a gold medal if necessary.

"Right now, I'd be comfortable with Cam Ward, because he's been there before to win big games and he's got a calmness and a maturity about him. As a goaltender, he's rock-solid fundamentally."

A projection of how the Canadian men's 2010 Olympic hockey team could line up:

Forwards (LW-C-RW)

Eric Staal-Sidney Crosby-Jarome Iginla
Rick Nash-Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry
Dany Heatley-Joe Thornton-Jeff Carter
Brenden Morrow-Mike Richards-Shane Doan
Jonathan Toews

Defence

Scott Niedermayer-Shea Weber
Chris Pronger-Dan Boyle
Jay Bouwmeester-Robyn Regehr
Duncan Keith

Goalies

Martin Brodeur
Roberto Luongo
Cam Ward