9 Hockey Players With MN Ties Make Men's Olympic Team
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WCCO/AP) -- The U.S. men's hockey team for the Winter Olympics has been announced, and close to half of the players all share Minnesota connections.
Among those headed to Sochi in Russia will be the Minnesota Wild's Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. The team tweeted out congratulations to both on their official Twitter account.
Also among those selected for the team will be Phil Kessel, who is currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. His sister, Amanda, was named to Team USA's women's hockey line-up. According to reports, they are the first brother-sister combo to compete in the same Winter Games for Team USA in ice hockey.
Elsewhere, Jimmy Howard, who couldn't help Detroit beat Toronto on Wednesday in a shootout, appears to be the Americans' third goaltender behind Jonathan Quick and Ryan Miller.
The 2010 Olympian Bobby Ryan was perhaps the most surprising omission on the 25-man roster revealed Wednesday after the Winter Classic.
At the Sochi Games, the U.S. forwards will be (with Minnesota-connected players in bold):
David Backes
Dustin Brown
Ryan Callahan
Patrick Kane
Ryan Kesler
Phil Kessel
T.J. Oshie
Max Pacioretty
Zach Parise
Joe Pavelski
Paul Stastny
Derek Stepan
James van Riemsdy
Blake Wheeler
The defensive line will include:
John Carlson
Justin Faulk
Cam Fowler
Paul Martin
Ryan McDonagh
Brooks Orpik
Kevin Shattenkirk
Ryan Suter
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