Canada ranks seventh all-time in medals won at the Winter Olympics with 119 (38 gold, 38 silver,43 bronze). Ranking ahead of Canada are Norway (280), the United States (217), the Soviet Union (217), Austria (185), Germany (179) and Finland (151).
OLY BITS AND PIECES
Comedian RJ Currie came up with a Beatles Top 5 curling hits during last week's Roar of the Rings in Edmonton. Counting down: 5. Paperback Slider; 4. A Guard Day's Night; 3. Hack in the U.S.S.R.; 2.
You're Going to Lose That Curl; 1. I Should Have Thrown Better... Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke, who is also the GM for the American hockey team, is to carry the Olympic torch today in downtown Toronto and his leg comes between former CFLer Tom Hipsz and John Craig, a member of the 1980 Canadian Olympic track and field team that did not go to the boycotted Moscow Olympics. "People have been very cute about it," Burke told The New York Times. "A guy on the subway the other day came up to me and said, 'Mr. Burke, I'd like to congratulate you on your silver medal.'"... Russian Oly wannabes in the KHL will have one more shot at impressing head coach Vyacheslav Bykov this weekend at the Channel 1 Cup in Moscow. The four-team event also features Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic.
The Moscow News reports the Russian coaching staff wants to construct two lines from NHL stars,w with the two other lines likely to be drawn from an NHL-KHL combination.
TEAM CANADA WATCH
Hockey Canada will announce its 23-man roster for the Olympic team on Dec. 30. ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun said the brain trust is now down to watching nine defenceman and 16 forwards, with a handful of others still on the radar screen. Here's our take on some candidates who have seen their stock rise or plummet of late:
RISING
Mike Cammalleri, LW, Montreal Canadiens
Entered Friday's action just 17th among Canadianborn players in scoring (18 goals, 12 assists), but highest among left-wingers. He has a superb touch around the net -- his 39 goals last year was fourth-best among Canadians and more than Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla and Evgeni Malkin. As well, he has a very respectable +10 plus-minus this season.
Dustin Penner, RW, Edmonton Oilers
Why is it that so many continue to snicker when Penner's name is mentioned as an Oly candidate? Last week, Kevin Lowe suggested the big Manitoban was one of six players who were not originally invited to the summer camp but are now being considered.
He has seven points in his last five games and has played well with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, two former Anaheim teammates who will likely wear Canada's colours in February.
Duncan Keith, D, Chicago Blackhawks
Went through a bad spell at the beginning of December where he was a minus 6 over four games, but has found his game again. Smooth-skating puck handler (born in Winnipeg) who is third among Canadian defencemen in scoring with 25 points (5G, 20A), behind Mike Green (32 points) and Dan Boyle (29 pts).
FALLING
Marc Savard, C, Boston Bruins Some observers wailed when Savard wasn't invited to the orientation camp this summer and with good reason -- his 88 points last year put him among the NHL's top 10 scorers. But he broke his foot in October and, aside from a three-point night against the Leafs last week, has struggled of late with no points in four of his last five games.
Dion Phaneuf, D, Calgary Flames
Love the idea of him lighting up unsuspecting forwards while wearing Canada's red and white, but trade rumours have been following him for a spell for a reason: His play has been inconsistent.
Source:winnipegfreepress.com/
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