Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider ripped Hockey Canada’s decision to replace Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos with teammate Martin St. Louis on the Olympic roster Thursday.
Snider said Flyers captain Claude Giroux deserved to be the final player added to the team.
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Stamkos was named to Canada’s final roster but hasn’t fully recovered from breaking his tibia in November. Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman, Hockey Canada’s GM, went with his own guy in St. Louis instead of Giroux or other players such as Carolina’s Eric Staal or Dallas’ Tyler Seguin.
It’s easy to understand why Snider is so upset, especially since Giroux also was an Olympic snub in 2010. The Flyers center has tallied 55 points (18 goals, 37 assists) in 57 games this season, while St. Louis has posted 54 points (25 goals, 29 assists) in 56 games.
In Yzerman’s defense, Canada had seven centers on its roster after Stamkos was taken off, so it makes sense that his replacement would be a natural winger with the speed and skill required to score on an Olympic-sized ice rink.
