Wake up Team Canada, bring Kunitz to Sochi!

With the Olympic roster being set in under a month, I thought I would write my first ever blog post about Chris Kunitz and whether or not he should be included on Team Canada’s roster.

This past summer team Canada surprised a lot of people when they invited left winger Chris Kunitz to the orientation camp in Calgary. As a diehard Penguins fan, I can honestly say I was not surprised to see Kunitz at camp; nevertheless his invitation caused a lot of controversy since, outside the Penguins fanbase, he is hardly considered an elite player. 

Kunitz was invited because he usually plays on the Penguins top line, alongside centre Sidney Crosby. While Crosby is arguably the greatest active hockey player, it has not always been easy for him to find chemistry with his wingers. Golden goal aside, Crosby did not have a good tournament at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010; he was held scoreless in both the quarter and semifinals and had constant rotation of wingers. He was eventually paired with Jarome Iginla and Eric Staal, a combination that finally clicked, and, as we all know, Iginla assisted on Crosby’s tournament winning goal against the United States in overtime. 

While Iginla’s time at the Olympics has likely passed in favour of younger, stronger and faster players, many feel that Eric Staal should continue to play on Crosby’s left wing because Kunitz just isn’t “elite enough” to be on what is considered one of the greatest hockey teams in the world. 

Now don’t get me wrong, Eric Staal is definitely an elite player and a proven champion, but he has been off to a slower start to the season with only 28 points in 34 games, and he is currently a -8 player. 

Chris Kunitz, on the other hand, has already almost matched his career high in goals with 17 and is one point shy of a point per game player with 33 in 34 games. He is also currently a +13 player, which means he can play just as well away from the puck. Kunitz has played alongside Crosby in every game so far this season, in fact Kunitz and Crosby have so much chemistry they account for 33% of the Penguins 105 goals this season.

 

So what will team Canada get if they take Chris Kunitz to Sochi? A household name? An unquestionable elite player? Unlikely, but what they will get is a hard worker, a proven goal scorer, a star player who is unafraid to go to the front of the net and battle for loose pucks.  They will also get a player who can bring out the best in Crosby right from the start. Chris Kunitz is a skilled, gritty, character player who will never quit on a play. He is the type of guy teams need to win.

I'll leave you with one final thought on Chris Kunitz... almost every other country would gladly add him to their team's roster; so c’mon Canada, wake up, what are you waiting for, see Kunitz for the star that the Penguins have always known he is and invite him to Sochi. I can guarantee you will get a productive, happy Sidney Crosby in return.