An updated look at Team Canada in 2010

Now that another NFL Draft has come and gone, every major American newspaper and sports website can now take a break from their obsession with making mostly inaccurate predictions.

The hiatus will last until the end of the college football season and then the process starts all over again.

In Canada, our zest for predicting our roster for our Olympic hockey team never takes a break because the selection of this team happens only every four years.

The potential players for Team Canada have already been whittled down by the evaluators who choose the team, but names are added and subtracted at every possible interval.

Eric Duhatschek from The Globe and Mail chose his version of Team Canada following Round 1 of the NHL playoffs with some helpful advice from Pat Quinn and Craig Button.

His latest squad looks like this:

Forwards (LW-C-RW)

Crosby-Staal-Iginla
Heatley-Getzlaf-Nash
Richards-Toews-Carter
Doan-Lecavalier-St. Louis
Sakic

Defence

Pronger-Niedermayer
Regehr-Weber
Green-Bouwmeester
Keith

Goaltender

Luongo
Brodeur
Ward

It's tough to argue with any of his selections (especially on defense), but I do have one question: where's the sandpaper?

Which of the forwards other than Mike Richards and Shane Doan is going to throw his body in front of a shot on the penalty kill? Which line is going to go up against Ovechkin and Malkin when we play the Russians?

Canada is not going to win a Gold medal by going skill for skill with the opposition. We are going to have to do it like we've always done it. Beat them with hard work combined with skill. That's why there is a need for at least one more player like Richards or Doan on the roster.

The lack of these types of players (or players who can play that role) is what this Team Canada is missing and is the reason why Joe Sakic can't make this team.

Everyone loves Burnaby Joe. The guy has always handled himself with class and led by example. But right now he is Jake Taylor from Major League. Great to have in the room, but way past his prime.

They need that extra player to be someone like Brendan Morrow or Alex Burrows. I'm not talking about Rob Zamuner or Kirk Maltby. I'm talking about a guy who can play a role for the team and also add some juice to a struggling scoring line if they need it.

The playoffs are going to go on and they will focus on more and more guys that will throw their names into the conversation with their strong play.

The team that is going to be put out on the ice in 2010 has to win with hard work and skill. Pardon the cliche, but that's the Canadian way. Duhatschek's team has plenty of skill, but it wouldn't hurt if he added a little bit more hard work.