Ovechkin leads Russia's Men's Hockey Team

Alexander Ovechkin and eight players who were part of back-to-back World Hockey Championship titles headline the 23-man Olympic men's squad proposed by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation.

Ovechkin was one of three Washington Capitals players and among 14 NHL players named to the team, which will be looking for Russia's first gold in Olympic hockey since 1992.
However, head coach Vyacheslav Bykov - who was on that gold medal winning team in Albertville - and general manager Vladislav Tretiak also made news for the players he left off the team.

Among the most notable absentees are Ottawa Senators forward Alexei Kovalev. The fourth leading scorer on the Senators this season, Bykov has failed to select him for the national team since 2006.

Alexei Yashin and Nikolai Zherdev, who were not included on the 50-man provisional roster, were also left off the team along with Maxim Sushinsky and Sergei Mozyakin - two of the leading scorers in the Russian KHL this season.

Edmonton netminder Nikolai Khabibulin was also left off the list. He was not originally invited to the August training camp but was put on the 50-man provisional list in November. Khabibulin has not played for the national team since 2002.

The Russian team will rely heavily on stars such as Ovechkin, Evgeny Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk. They will anchor a forward unit that also includes the enigmatic Maxim Afinogenov, veteran Sergei Fedorov, Viktor Kozlov, Alexei Morozov, Alexander Radulov, Danis Zaripov and Sergei Zinoviev.

The defensive corps is led by veteran Sergei Gonchar, who will be making his fourth Olympic appearance. Edmonton's Denis Grebeshkov, Montreal's Andrei Markov, Fedor Tutin of Columbus and Anton Vonchenkov of Ottawa make up the remaining NHL contingent on the blue line. Dmitri Kalinin, Konstantin Korneyev and Ilya Nikulin round out the group.

While everyone will point to Russia's strength on offense, Bykov says it will be important to be strong defensively as well.

"With the way ice hockey has evolved, it is essential to excel not only in offensive but in defense as well," he tells CTVOlympics.ca. "We're trying to find a certain balance between the two. Even if we can rely on great forwards, we need to be able to count on that on both sides of the rink."
San Jose Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov is expected to be the starter for the Russians ahead of Ilya Brzygalov from Phoenix and Semyon Varlamov of Washington.

Russia, who will go into the Vancouver Olympics as Canada's biggest threat to a gold medal, begin play against February 16 against Latvia. They will then face Slovakia on February 18 before completing round robin play February 21 against the Czech Republic.

"There will be many strong teams at the tournament," said Bykov. "At least six of them can claim to have a shot at a gold medal and Russia is amongst them. In Vancouver and elsewhere in Canada, hockey is a true religion and the fans will want to see their team do well and bring back the honors. Like most contenders, we are preparing for victory and I hope the spectators won't be disappointed."

Russia's Olympic hockey roster
Goalies: Ilya Bryzgalov (Phoenix), Evgeni Nabokov (San Jose), Semyon Varlamov (Washington)
Defence: Sergei Gonchar (Pittsburgh), Denis Grebeshkov (Edmonton), Dmitri Kalinin (Salavat Ufa), Konstantin Korneyev (CSKA Moscow), Andrei Markov (Montreal), Ilya Nikulin (Ak Bars Kazan), Fedor Tyutin (Columbus), Anton Vonchenkov (Ottawa)

Forwards: Maxim Afinogenov (Atlanta), Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit), Sergei Fedorov (Metallurg Magnitogorsk), Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta), Viktor Kozlov (Salavat Ufa), Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh), Alexei Morozov (Ak Bars Kazan), Alexander Ovechkin (Washington), Alexander Radulov (Salavat Ufa), Alexander Semin (Washington), Danis Zaripov (Ak Bars Kazan), Sergei Zinoviev (Salavat Ufa).