11 10 11 Red Wings Sochi Bound
Gustav Nyquist was officially named to team Sweden’s roster for the 2014 Sochi Olympics, today! Undoubtedly, his first career hat trick was the tipping point. Johan Franzen was initially elected to the squad, but his injury paved the way for his teammate. A complete list of Detroit Red Wing 2014 Olympians is as follows…
- Gustav Nyquist
- Henrik Zetterberg (Captain of Team Sweden)
- Niklas Kronwall
- Daniel Alfredsson
- Jonas Gustavsson
- Jonathan Ericsson
- Pavel Datsyuk (Captain of Team Russia)
- Jimmy Howard
- Tomas Tatar
- Tomas Jurco
- Mike Babcock (Coach of Team Canada)
While Datsyuk is stating that he will be ready for Sochi, he has not played in a game since January 1st. He has practiced, but doesn’t appear near ready to join his team. When asked if he would be able to play in a Red Wings game before the Olympics, Datsyuk responded “I’m hoping to.” His tone was not one of optimism either. I would rather him skip the Sochi games and be able to contribute after the break, but I’m not the one paying his salary.
I’m looking forward to watching some Olympic hockey, and following all of those young Wings players’ performances. This will be a great experience for the prospects, many of which are emerging as major contributors as the season unfolds.
What do you think about Datsyuk playing in Sochi, if he’s unable to first play in a Wings game?
