from Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated,

And now comes the fun part.

In the wake of today’s announcement of Team Canada’s roster for Sochi (and the Frenglish filibuster that proceeded it), a hockey-crazed nation and some interested outsiders have descended into second-guessing, name-calling, despair and recrimination over the players who did, or didn’t, make the cut.

But allow me to offer a bit of advice.

Relax, Canada.

Steve Yzerman didn’t make a single mistake in naming his team today. Not one. That opinion, of course, is subject to change if O Canada isn’t the final anthem played in Sochi, but, now, at this moment, this squad looks fully capable of defending the gold medal an Yzerman-built team won in Vancouver four years ago.

So what if your favorite guy didn’t make the cut? Let it go. This isn’t about favorites. None of these players were the sentimental choices of one man. The best hockey minds in the country (the protestations of Oilers’ fans are duly noted here) spent months vetting these players and with upwards of 60 legitimate options, and just 25 roster spots, there were bound to be a few choices that raised the ire of a nation of armchair GMs.

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