Roenick Says He Belongs on Turin Team

Jeremy Roenick has made his argument. Tonight he’ll try to back it up against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Their head coach, Peter Laviolette, will also coach Team USA at the Winter Olympics in February in Turin, Italy.

Roenick was asked whether he expects to be chosen. “I better be,” the King center said. “It would be a travesty if I’m not.... I know they want a youth movement, and they need to have one, but it’d be disrespectful of the guys who have gotten Team USA to this point internationally.”

Some of those veterans are Chris Chelios of the Detroit Red Wings, Derian Hatcher of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Mike Modano and Bill Guerin of the Dallas Stars.

Roenick, who turns 36 on Jan. 17, said if he isn’t chosen, “they better hope that I don’t get a job as a commentator on NBC for [the Games], or it’d be ‘Go Canada’ all the way, and I don’t want that.”

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Coach Andy Murray said after Wednesday’s practice that Mathieu Garon would start in goal tonight. Garon stopped 36 of 37 shots against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. He has a 2.85 goals-against average in 17 games, a bit better than Jason LaBarbera’s average of 2.89 in 14 games.