Eric Staal named captain of Canada's men's Olympic team

Longtime NHL player Eric Staal is the captain of Canada's men's Olympic team, Hockey Canada announced Tuesday.

Rounding out the Canadians' leadership group in Beijing are forward David Desharnais and defenseman Maxim Noreau, who will serve as assistant captains.

"The opportunity to represent Canada at the Olympics is very special, and being named captain is an honor and something I take a lot of pride in," Staal said. "David and Maxim are great leaders and players, and they are deserving of this recognition. Our entire team is excited for the opportunity to be a part of Team Canada, and we look forward to competing for a gold medal in Beijing."

Staal, 37, signed a professional tryout contract with the Minnesota Wild's AHL affiliate on Jan. 13 to help him assess his physical conditioning in hopes of making Canada's Olympic roster. He last suited up for an NHL game in July when the Montreal Canadiens lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final.

He made the most of his AHL stint, registering three assists and two goals in four contests.

Desharnais, 35, currently plays for HC Fribourg-Gotteron in the Swiss National League, where he's put up 32 points in 38 games so far in the 2021-22 season.

Noreau played for Canada at PyeongChang 2018. He logged seven points in six games en route to the Canadians' bronze-medal victory. The 34-year-old plays for the Zurich Lions of the Swiss National League, where he has 25 assists and six goals in 39 games this season.

Staal, meanwhile, played for Canada when the country won the gold medal during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. A veteran of 1,293 NHL games, he scored 441 goals and 593 assists across stints with the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Wild, Buffalo Sabres, and Canadiens.

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