Does anyone have any deeper insights or conspiracies to why team Canada chose Patrice Bergeron?

Because he can comfortably play any of the 3 forward positions, he is a beast on the penalty kill (has the most shorthanded goals in the NHL since 2005), and is a strong right-handed face off winner. Versatility is one of the key points that defined who made the cut. 55% of the players in the NHL are Canadian. That's over 400. Picking the top 23 is about more than just looking at the stats sheet. You need players who can adapt. Players who can play positions they're not comfortable with. Top line forwards being able to take a 5 minute cut in play time and play on the 3rd line. Bergeron brings that versatility to the team. Bergeron is also a more defensive minded foward and if you put him on a line with Crosby and Nash he will complement them really well. He actually played with Crosby for the Word Juniors in '05 and when assembling an Olympic roster you don't have the luxury of time to develop chemistry, you try to pick players that already have some sort of chemistry. Bergeron has also played with Corey Perry, adding to his versatility.This isn't a conspiracy.

A bit surprising but he is an outstanding 2 way player who is having a pretty nice year for himself. There isnt much question of his talent....can he stay healthy is always the bigger issue. Yzerman favored him knowing he will rely of him as a 4th line type guy who can be a threat offensively and be a shutdown checker and responsible in his end kind of guy. Speed, skill and responsible so it makes sense even if it came as a mild surprise (he has been mentioned by more than one speculator so obviously a few knew Team Canada had a close eye on him....he clearly performed the way they expected and should be a nice role player). Personally I am surprised they passed on Doan more than anyone (Bouwmeester was a surprise as well but hard to argue that Doughty cant handle the job).

So they can double shift Crosby.......play him with Nash and Iginla........then play him with Bergeron and Morrow. Yeah, that's it.

PC