Steven Stamkos’ race for fitness ahead of the Sochi Olympic games in Russia has fallen short, with the Tampa Bay Lightning star still recovering from a broken right tibia which occurred 11 November 2013.
With Stamkos ruled out for the upcoming games, Team Canada headed by GM Steve Yzerman will be looking to replace the right winger, with fellow Lightning captain Martin St. Louis firmly in the running for selection.
The call for St. Louis’ inclusion into the Team Canada has been one with merit, St. Louis is currently one of the best players in the National Hockey League. Going at just under a point per game, St. Louis has 25 goals, 29 assists for 54 points from 56 games played this season. Not bad for a player many thought was coming to the end of his career and heading into grandfather life.
A lot of talk has surrounded the omission of St. Louis from the original Team Canada squad, with many claiming the 38 year old too slow and too old, his numbers for 2013/14 speak volumes and put to bed the claims of a Martin St. Louis who can no longer cut it at NHL level.
While St. Louis age is at the wrong side of thirty, his chances of getting another Olympic opportunity to win gold are slim, which makes the decision on a personal level for St. Louis so important.
Playing for your country on the national stage is every kids dream, one which Steven Stamkos was desperate to fulfill, as National Post columnist Bruce Arthur recently tweeted.
With Claude Giroux also in the mix for the position to replace Stamkos, nothing is for certain in the St. Louis camp.
It’s no surprise that the Philadelphia Flyer’s recent run of form has also come at a time when Giroux is soaring in the Eastern Conference, 18 goals, 37 assists for 55 points from 57 games played has the Philly captain in prime form in the NHL.
When looking at the Stamkos departure, placing Giroux into the Team Canada scenario looks to be the easiest decision to make. Right-hander for right-hander, centre for centre, with Giroux you also get a captain and a great passer of the puck, and he can score.
If I was a betting man, my money would be firmly on Giroux’s selection.
A twist in the tale of the Stamkos news is the role of current Canada and Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman. With St. Louis’ initial snub from the Team Canada camp Yzerman had to make one of the hardest calls he would ever have to face in hockey, telling his very own Lightning captain that he has missed out on selection for the Sochi games.
While the decision on selection for the Olympic squad every four years doesn’t lie with Yzerman directly – it is a committee decision – will it be one that they are happy to revisit again?
The story of Martin St. Louis is one which touches the hockey heart, twilight of a career, looking for that final gold medal chance. It’s what movies are made of.
What ever the decision, I am sure it will be made in the best interests of Team Canada and not that of St. Louis, which sadly will be a travesty.
Leave a Reply