TEAM CANADA'S POSSIBLE ROSTER

Now that Team USA's possible roster has been posted, let's look to their rivals to the north. Canada should be favored in the tournament, and has home ice advantage playing in Vancouver.

OFFENSIVE LINES
LW: Jarome Iginla C: Sidney Crosby RW: Vincent Lecavalier
LW: Rick Nash C: Joe Thornton RW: Dany Heatley
LW: Shane Doan C: Eric Staal RW: Mike Richards
LW: Ryan Getzlaf C: Brad Richards RW: Jonathan Toews

Ryan Smyth, Derek Roy

DEFENSE
Dion Phaneuf Jay Bouwmeester
Shea Weber Dan Boyle
Chris Pronger Scott Neidermayer

Brian Campbell, Mike Green

GOALIES
Roberto Luongo
Martin Brodeur

Marty Turco

Captain: Jarome Iginla, Assistant Captains: Scott Neidermayer, Vincent Lecavalier
Head Coach: Mike Babcock

TEAM USA'S POSSIBLE ROSTER

We are about one year from the Vancouver Olympics, possibly the final Olympiad featuring NHL players in the hockey tournament. As an American, I obviously am rooting for Team USA to take home the gold, and here is the roster Brian Burke should put together that gives him the best team, and gives the Americans a great chance to take home the gold.

Note: The italicized names below the lines are scratched players. They are on the roster in case of injury.

OFFENSIVE LINES
LW: Zach Parise C: Chris Drury RW: Patrick Kane
LW: Jaime Langenbrunner C: Paul Statsny RW: Dustin Brown
LW: Phil Kesssel C: Mike Modano RW: Brian Gionta
LW: Erik Cole C: Jason Pominville RW: Blake Wheeler

Scott Gomez, David Backes

DEFENSE
Brian Rafalski Mike Komisarek
Ryan Suter Ryan Whitney
Brooks Orpik Eric Johnson

Paul Martin

GOALIES
Ryan Miller
Tim Thomas
Ty Conklin

Captain: Mike Modano, Assistant Captains: Chris Drury, Jaime Langenbrunner
Head Coach: Ron Wilson

THREE TRADES THAT SHOULD HAPPEN

Since we are just weeks away from the NHL's March 4 trade deadline, and the rumors surrounding various players and teams continue to swirl, let's take a look at three trades that absolutely should happen. These are, for the most part, consisting of players rumored to be switching addresses soon, and would make sense for both teams involved.

Columbus Gets: Jay Bouwmeester Florida Gets: Raffi Torres, Alexander Svitov, 2010 1st Round Pick

It's looking more and more like Bouwmeester isn't going to come to terms with the Panthers, so they will probably deal him rather than risk losing the puck moving D-man to free agency after the season. Columbus, who has a little cap room, picks up Bouwmeester to get them over the hump and into the playoffs, and the Panthers recieve scoring winger Raffi Torres, former third overall pick Alexander Svitov--still only 26--and a first round pick in next year's draft.


Vancouver Gets: Chris Neil Ottawa Gets: Dan Gendur, 2009 3rd Round Pick

Vancouver, currently sitting in the eighth spot in the Western Conference, needs to add some toughness up front. Since Neil's contract expires at the end of the season, and the Sens are out of the playoff picture entirely, he appears to be a likely candidate to be moved. Gendur, a 21-year-old winger, made the WHA second All-Star team in 2008 and had 84 points in 60 games for the Everett Silvertips a year ago.

Pittsburgh Gets: Alexei Ponikarovsky Toronto Gets: Alex Goligoski, Nick Johnson

The Pens needs some scoring help, amazing considering they have the top two scorers in the NHL right now, and Ponikarovsky gives it to them. Giving up two young players isn't the end of the world for Pittsburgh, and Brian Burke sheds Ponikarovsky's $2.5 million salary while picking up prospects for the future.

To see the cap information for each team, including player salaries, exemptions, and team payrolls, click here.

DON'T HATE ON JUMBO JOE

Joe Thornton's return to Boston was perfect...for the Sharks. With four goals in the third period, San Jose rallied to beat the Bruins 5-2 last night at TD Banknorth Garden. And yes, I know that my predictions for the game were hilariously off base. One thing that stuck out--besides the officials seemingly being bullied by Todd McLellan into not calling a high sticking penalty on Dan Boyle--was the crowd's reaction to their former superstar. Thornton was booed every time he touched the puck, which simply should not have happened.

Thornton was the first overall pick by the Bruins in 1997 and played in 55 games with the big club in his first year in professional hockey. His improvement was rapid, and by 2000 he was one of the best players in the entire league. In 2002-03, Thornton put up a 36-65-101 stat line for the East's top seed, but the Bruins couldn't escape the first round of the postseason.

Joe was always the one to blame for the club's playoff failures, and that has never really been fair. It's not always the captain's fault for losses, and the cheap ownership and bad decisions of the front office cost the team more than he did. Thornton's effort was always questioned in Boston, yet in 2005-06, the year he was dealt to San Jose, Jumbo Joe's effort was exemplary, as he put up 33 points in just 23 games for the Bruins.

Blame the front office for not surrounding him with talent. Blame the owner for not giving a damn when he was here. And blame the media for driving unfair criticisms into him when things weren't going well. But don't blame Joe Thornton. He's a superstar, one of the best players in the sport, and a great teammate to boot. I know that whenever he returns to the place he called home for seven and a half seasons, I'll always cheer for Jumbo Joe.

A QUICK LOOK AT SHARKS VS. BRUINS

The San Jose Sharks skate in to Boston tonight to take on the Bruins in what is setting up to be one of the biggest games of the year. When the puck drops at seven (on Versus), here are some things to look out for, as well as some significant stats about each team, and some keys to the game.

Boston: 39-8-7, 85 points, 19-3-4 at home
San Jose: 36-7-7, 79 points, 13-5-4 away

Home Ice Advantage Is Huge
The action taking place at TB Banknorth Garden helps the Bruins significantly in this matchup of President's Trophy contenders. Playing at home on the season, Boston has scored 108 goals in 26 games. Only Calgary and San Jose, which have each played more home games than the Bruins, have scored more. Boston's defense is outstanding on home ice as well, as they have only allowed 62 goals at the Garden this year. On the road, where San Jose has played more games than over half of the teams in the league, they've scored only 64 goals and are 21st in the league in that category.

Boston Has the Edge in the Third Period
San Jose has the most first period goals of any team in the NHL, but are nowhere near as high in the last two frames. In fact, when the third period rolls around, the Sharks 50 goals are fewer than 11 other teams. The Bruins have scored 66 third period goals, which is one behind the Detroit Red Wings for most in the league. Boston also has the stingiest defense in the league in the final twenty minutes, having allowed the puck in their net only 32 times in the third. The Sharks will have to jump out to a quick lead for their best chance to win.

The Sharks Best Hope is on the Power Play
Boston has the best five on five team in hockey. They've scored 118 goals five on five, while San Jose has only netted 93. In five on four, the Sharks are the better team, and in four on four, they are way ahead of the Bruins. San Jose scores at a 24.5% clip during power plays on the road, the second best percentage in the league. For the Sharks to win, they'll need to draw some penalties and convert on the man advantage.

The First Goal of the Game Doesn't Mean All That Much
Announcers like to talk about the importance of getting on the board first during big games. It won't be all that significant in this one though. While, yes, both the Sharks and Bruins have outstanding records when scoring the first goal of the game (SJ: 25-3-3, BOS: 24-4-4), they are also the two best teams in the league when giving up the first goal. The Bruins are 15-5-4 (.682) and the Sharks are 11-4-4 (.579) when their opponent scores first, both tremendous records.

The Joe Thornton Factor
This is one unquantifiable factor that could very well determine the game tonight. Jumbo Joe, former captain of the B's, makes his second return to his old stomping grounds, and first since his very brief comeback in January, 2006. Thornton was ejected just 5:13 into that one for an alleged hit from behind on defenseman Hal Gill. Any hit from behind garners an automatic game misconduct, and Jumbo Joe hasn't been back since. If he's nervous and not playing like himself, or extra amped up and playing out of his mind, it could swing how the game is played, and won. Same goes for the crowd. Playing at home, the Bruins could be energized by the home fans like they were earlier this year against Detroit. That game, played way back in November, was big because it was so early in the season, that nobody knew how the Bruins would respond in an important game against one of the best teams in the league. The crowd was in it early, and Boston rocked Detroit 4-1.

One things for sure: this game is more important than just another regular season affair. Could it be a Stanley Cup Finals preview? Who knows. What we do know is that these teams are 1a and 1b as the best in the NHL right now. Let's drop the puck!

TOP 5 SLOVAKIAN BORN PLAYERS IN THE NHL

We've already looked at the top American players, and top Finnish players currently in the NHL, now let's look to Slovakia. Everybody knows about the success the Czech Republic has had in international play recently, but here are some players that will help their neighbors (and former countrymen) make a run for the gold.

5. Miroslav Satan- Pittsburgh Penguins

Satan, a longtime member of the Buffalo Sabres, has 351 goals and 716 points in his 14 year NHL career. Originally from Topolcany, Czechoslovakia, Satan has 31 points in his first year with the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

4. Marek Svatos- Colorado Avalanche

With 25 points through 46 games this season, Svatos is pretty much on par with the rest of his career numbers. He set a career high with 32 goals in 2006-07, and was a plus-13 for Colorado last year. The Kosice, Czechoslovakia native has 19 career game winning goals in his fifth season with the Avs.

3. Marian Gaborik- Minnesota Wild

If only Gaborik could stay healthy! The third overall pick in 2000 from Trencin, Czechoslovakia, Gaborik is a scoring machine--when he's out on the ice. He's reached the 30 goal plateau five times in his career, including a career best 42 a year ago. If he leaves Minnesota as a free agent this offseason, look for an increase in numbers. Getting out from Jacques Lemaires' offense supressing style should benefit him greatly.

2. Marian Hossa- Detroit Red Wings
Hossa, originally from Stara Lubovna, Czechoslovakia, is one of the most gifted players in the entire NHL. He has 30 goals so far this season, his first in Detroit, and has a career high of 45, set back in 2002-03. The incredibly durable Hossa, who has played in at least 80 games in a season six times, has 329 goals in 12 seasons with Ottawa, Atlanta, Pittsburgh (briefly), and Detroit. So how could he not be number one? Well...

1. Zdeno Chara- Boston Bruins

Big Z, the tallest player to ever play in the National Hockey League (he's 6'9), is the captain of the NHL's best team, and is one of the best defensive players in the league right now. He means more to his team than anyone else on this list (Hossa included), which gives him the top spot. He has the NHL record for hardest slap shot, and is a plus-66 in 741 career games. Chara, originally from Trencin, Czechoslovakia (same as Gaborik), netted a career best 17 goals last season, and is on pace--with 12 through 54 games-- to equal or better that mark.

Other Slovaks to look out for in international play include Richard Zednick, Michael Handzus, Lubomir Visnovsky, Ladislav Nagy, and Andrej Meszaros.

TOP 5 FINNISH BORN PLAYERS IN THE NHL

Usually not as successful as neighboring Sweden, Finland does have some great NHL talent of their own. Past stars like Jari Kurri and Esa Tikanen paved the way for some of today's stars. Stars like...

5. Tuomo Ruutu- Carolina Hurricanes
Ruutu, a left wing from Vantaa, Finland has 16 goals and 16 assists for the Hurricanes so far this season. The ninth overall pick by Chicago back in 2001, Ruutu netted 23 for the Blackhawks in his rookie year of 2003-04. He is a hard worker, and an all-around skilled player. And, he doesn't bite like his brother...

4. Olli Jokinen- Phoenix Coyotes
Jokinen is the Florida Panthers all-time scoring leader and is in his first season in Phoenix. The 30-year-old from Kuopio, Finland has 225 career goals and 270 career assists, including a 17-17-34 line this season. The former Florida captain scored a career high 39 goals in 2006-07, and has played in all 82 regular season games five times in his ten plus years in the NHL.

3. Saku Koivu- Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens captain has been with the club since 1995 and is one of the best Fins of all-time. Known more for his passing than scoring throughout his career, Koivu has 434 career assists, including 172 of them on the power play. Originally from Turku, Finland, Koivu is probably best remembered for beating cancer and returning to the NHL just a few years ago.

2. Teemu Selanne- Anaheim Ducks
By far the oldest in this group, Selanne might just be the best Fin to ever play the game. He has 1189 career points in 18 NHL seasons and is still going strong, with 5 goals and 16 assists for Anaheim in 39 games so far this year. At 38, who knows how long Selanne has left in the NHL? He is though, without a doubt, a sure fire hall of famer.

1. Miikka Kiprusoff- Calgary Flames
The 32-year-old goalie from Turku, Finland is 30-15-3 for Calgary this season, and has 175 wins since joining the Flames in 2003-04. The former Sharks backup set an all-time, modern day NHL record in his first season in Calgary with a 1.69 GAA, and won the 2006 Vezina Trophy as the league's top netminder.

Other elite Fins include Miikko Koivu, Jussi Jokinen, and Jere Lehtinen. Also look out for young goaltender Tuuka Rask in the future.