It is almost that time again Canadian hockey fans! That’s right! The winter Olympics in Sochi are a year away and Team Canada’s men’s hockey team is out to defend their gold medal that they won in dramatic style during the 2010 Winter Olympics which were held here in Vancouver. I don’t know about you but those 2 weeks were awesome! Anyways enough about me and more about who will lead the Canadians in net during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi in a year’s time.
The consensus pick to start in net for team Canada is Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo. To say the past year has been crazy for Luongo would be an understatement. He went from losing the starting job in net in Vancouver to fellow goaltender Cory Schneider; to regaining back what was first his as Cory Schneider was traded on draft day to the New Jersey Devils (still shocked about this)
As I remember Luongo was the starting goaltender in Vancouver when Canada won the gold during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver against the hated Americans. His performance was stellar during that tournament, and at times his saves helped decide the outcome of a few of those matches. I am sure we all still remember his brilliant goal line save during the semi-finals against Slovakia.
The only barrier standing in Luongo’s way right now from earning that starting spot in Sochi 2014 is the upcoming NHL season. If he can go out there, and play at a high level consistently, and help put up W’s on a regular basis, then the starting job will be his in 2014. However, if Lu goes into the season, and lets the whole goaltender soap opera that has taken over the Canucks organization eat him up, and affect his play, then maybe Carey Price, Mike Smith, or Corey Crawford will be named the starter.
So at the end of the day it’s pretty simple to pick Luongo as the starter if he keeps up his end of the deal. He is a seasoned veteran, with plenty of NHL and international experience underneath his belt. He has played in pressure situations many times before, and is well accustomed to the Team Canada personnel, and going in to Sochi he knows of the high expectations that will be placed on our country’s hockey team. If I had to pick a starter today for Sochi no doubt in my mind it would be Roberto Luongo.
Written by: Hamed Amiri
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