Olympic selections bittersweet for Canes

The Olympic hockey teams for Canada and Finland were announced today and it proved to be bittersweet for the Canes.

Forward Eric Staal was named to Team Canada, but goaltender Cam Ward was not. Defenseman Joni Pitkanen and forward Tuomo Ruutu will play in the Vancouver Winter Games for Finland, but Jussi Jokinen will not.

"It's a pretty neat honor and something I'm looking forward to," said Staal, a nonplaying reserve on Team Canada in the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy. "I wasn't super worried about it but you're always wondering."

While the official announcement was made during an elaborate and lengthy presentation in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Staal hoped to hear something before the Canes' 11 a.m. practice at the RBC Center. He didn't, but noticed he had a missed call from Steve Yzerman, the executive director of Team Canada, on his phone after practice.

"I figured that was a good sign," he said, smiling.

A native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Staal said playing for the gold in his home country is decidedly special.

"Any time you can put your country's jersey on, it's a great feeling and an honor," he said. "It's going to be in Canada, with that added bonus. There will be a lot of pressure but it will be a lot of fun. It's going to be a blast."

Jokinen was a member of Finland's Olympic team in 2006 and said he was used on the second line. He said he believed he would join Pitkanen and Ruutu in Vancouver, but said he was informed Sunday he was not being chosen to the team.

"Obviously it's a huge disappointment," he said. "It's a surprise and a disappointment. It's a great experience playing (in the Olympics) and I think I did well there. We had a great team and we lost the final 3-2 and since that moment you kind of dream of the next Olympics in 2010. ...

"I've tried to play good hockey since then and hoped I'd make the team, but it is what it is right now. It's a big disappointment."

Ward attended Canada's Olympic training camp in late August and was considered a strong candidate for one of the three goaltending positions. But he missed a month with a leg laceration and has struggled at times along with his team during a disappointing season.

Ward said Sunday that he would not be holding his breath on the Team Canada selections, conceding his chances had slipped.

"I'll be missing out on a big opportunity and it's disappointing," Ward said today. "But I'm excited for Eric and will definitely be sitting at home watching it and rooting them on to bring home the gold for Canada.

"(The injury) didn't help my cause by any means, It was something that was definitely a goal of mind and something I definitely wanted to be a part of. It is disappointing knowing I'm not going to be able to share that opportunity with Eric and the guys, but there is always another Olympics four years from now and I'll be looking to that one."

There could be a plus side for the Canes: added motivation. Jokinen, for example, had a goal and two assists in the 6-3 win over the Caps a day after being told he had been left off the Finnish team.