The next Winter Olympics, should the Canadian men's hockey team return to defend its honour among professional players, has a solid base to build from after the golden days of Salt Lake City.

Jarome Iginla will be 28, come the Turin Games in 2006, while Simon Gagné will be three years younger. They represent the next wave of Canadian scoring stars, along with Joe Thornton, who was bypassed this time.

It's not improbable that Joe Sakic could be the Canadian captain at 36 if his legs hold up under the grind of more National Hockey League seasons.

Paul Kariya will be 31 in 2006, Owen Nolan 34, Mike Peca 31 and Ryan Smyth 30. It's safe to say Canada has a better base to build from than the Americans in planning for the next Olympics.

On defence, Eric Brewer will be 26 and Ed Jovanovski 29. Chris Pronger will have reached 31, Adam Foote will be 35 and Scott Niedermayer 32. Next time, there will be room for defenders Wade Redden and Derek Morris.

The goaltending should be strong again because Martin Brodeur, at 33, would still be in his prime, with help on the way in Robert Luongo and José Théodore.

The Canadian team could easily be formidable again under the current setup, should an agreement be reached among the NHL, International Ice Hockey Federation and NHL Players' Association over several contentious issues, including the format and length of the Olympic tournament.

Canada's performance in Salt Lake validated the selection process used by executive director Wayne Gretzky and his diligent management staff. They proved to have the right mix of talent, character and leadership to handle the pressures of Olympic competition.

The 2002 Games played out this way for the Canadian men:
Goal

Martin Brodeur was magnificent when it counted, with his pad save on Brett Hull with five minutes left preserving a one-goal lead against the United States. No one will remember that Patrick Roy wasn't there for his country.

Curtis Joseph had the misfortune to play the tournament opener, when the defence hadn't learned to handle the long pass. He was benched in favour of Brodeur, a defining move by the coaching staff.

Ed Belfour wasn't called on to make a save, but had the sense to be supportive rather than cause a commotion over his inactivity.
Defence

Al MacInnis struggled with his speed until the final game, when he was a plus instead of a minus. He never scored a point, but came through in the end.

Chris Pronger also started slowly and spent much time covering up for MacInnis. Pronger played better after getting his face rudely rammed into the glass.

Adam Foote was the defensive glue with his fearless shot blocking and ability to angle opposing forwards to the boards. He was Canada's best defender.

Scott Niedermayer was mobile on attack, as expected, and played well enough defensively alongside Foote to be plus-5 for goals scored at even strength.

Ed Jovanovski justified his controversial selection by making few glaring errors while using his acceleration effectively to join offensive forays.

Rob Blake kept partners Jovanovski and Eric Brewer from roaming too much and was his usual steady self behind the blueline, even throwing the odd hip check.

Brewer was nervous in the first game when playing with MacInnis, a pairing that quickly was dissolved. Brewer scored twice, more than any Canadian defenceman.
Forwards

The speed of Paul Kariya was a factor when he broke into open space often to stretch defensive schemes. Kariya got his just reward after a silver medal in 1994.

Mario Lemieux wasn't broken down after all, as the Swedish media claimed. He may not have been truly magnificent, but did score twice on Dominik Hasek.

Steve Yzerman showed the leadership qualities every great team needs, doing so while skating with a bum knee. He was responsible defensively and can still score.

Joe Sakic proved great players rise to the occasion. He didn't fit with Kariya and Lemieux because he needed to be handling the puck.

The mobility of Simon Gagné was a perfect fit on a unit with Sakic and Jarome Iginla. Gagné killed penalties well and his mobility was a huge plus.

Iginla's strength is in his cycling from the corners and going to the net hard on the rush. He did both in the championship game to show he's the real deal.

Eric Lindros was a disappointment because it appeared he played not to get hurt. Lindros's game is built around being a power forward -- and he wasn't.

Ryan Smyth is a warrior and he crashed the net and worked the end boards. However, his efficiency in the defensive zone wasn't as good, with too many turnovers.

Owen Nolan proved to be sound defensively and he killed penalties with a passion. He didn't score a goal, but curbed a penchant for bad penalties.

Mike Peca was a defensive standout with his checking, faceoff wins and penalty killing, all of which take away from any offensive game.

Joe Nieuwendyk did his job defensively and on faceoffs, but didn't seem to have the legs to get the job done offensively.

Theo Fleury played magnificently, even if he didn't score. His emotion was properly channelled and he helped the team instead of being a distraction.

Brendan Shanahan was expected to score. He didn't because of a hand injury and he focused on his defensive game, sliding to block a point shot against the United States.
gkerr@globeandmail.ca