VANCOUVER (CP) - There will be
some big names that won't make
Team Canada's roster for the Turin
Olympic, victims of an abundance of
talent this country has on its hands
these days.

But barring an injury, Steve Yzerman
is a lock to compete in his third
Olympics.

''There's no bubble for Stevie Y,'' said
Team Canada executive director
Wayne Gretzky. ''If he's not playing
great, and his knee is bothering him,
he'd be the first guy to tell me.''
Such was the case at the World Cup
of Hockey last summer when
Yzerman, named to the team, called
Gretzky and said he just couldn't go.
But a year of rest, thanks to the NHL
lockout, has the 40-year-old Detroit
Red Wing back for one more season.
With captain Mario Lemieux deciding
not to come to the Olympic camp
this week because of his busy
schedule with the Pittsburgh
Penguins, Yzerman's presence takes
on an even greater role.

''In our game, every now and then we
get very lucky that we get a really true
superstar, great team leader, and
great person - and he's that guy,''
added Gretzky, somewhat of an
expert on the subject.

''He's such a classy individual and
such a great example for all of us
who are around him,'' added star
winger Jarome Iginla, who scored the
decisive goal for Canada in Salt
Lake City. ''The way he treats
everybody, how dedicated he is
and for everything he's accomplished.
To be so down to earth and such a
great example for all of us to watch,
the way he carries himself. It rubs off
on us.''

In 2002, Yzerman was only the third
player in the history of the game to
win Olympic and NHL titles in the
same year.

Yzerman, whose current crew cut
makes him look 10 years younger,
acknowledges that doing another
double would be sweet. But he wants
to make the Olympic team on merit.

''Here we are in the middle of August.
My play over the course of the first
half of the season will determine if I'm
on the Olympic team or not. I don't
have any false expectations that I'm
on the team, I have to play well.

''But 2002 was certainly a very special
year, it was the highlight of my
career, it made everything worthwhile
that year.''
That's because he essentially played
on one leg that season. He appeared
in only 52 regular-season games
because of a serious knee injury but
played every single playoff game -
leading the team with 23 points in 23
games - and did not miss an Olympic
shift in Salt Lake City despite being
barely able to walk.

''I remember walking by the dressing
room before the gold medal game
and the trainer said to me: `If it was a
Game 7 in the playoffs, I probably
wouldn't let him play he has such a
bad knee,''' recalls Gretzky. ''But he
plays with a lot of heart, plays with a
lot of unselfishness, and he's well-
respected by the players not only in
our dressing room but by players in
the tournament. He's a special
individual and we're thrilled that he's
Canadian.

''I hope that things go well for him
over the next six months and he's
injury-free and that he's part of this
team again. He takes so much
pressure off the rest of our players.
He's tremendous leader.''

Yzerman shrugs off the Salt Lake
memories.

''I had surgery about two weeks
before the Games,'' he said. ''I played
two games right before the Olympics
and felt really good. I talked to Wayne
before the Olympics and said: `I feel
really good.' Then I got into the
tournament and after the second
game against the Germans, my knee
really swelled up, and started to get
gradually worse.
''At that point, I just thought I couldn't
bail out. I just did what I could do and
got through it.''

He was marvellous on a line with
Mario Lemieux and Paul Kariya,
playing left wing and taking care of
the defensive side of the game.

Yzerman, born in Cranbrook, B.C.,
but raised in Ottawa, waited until the
summer of 2002 to get knee
realignment surgery. It was such a
serious procedure that he missed
the first 66 games of the 2002-03
season.

The NHL lockout may be the only
reason Yzerman is even here this
week. The longest-tenured captain in
the NHL wasn't going to retire during
a labour dispute. The 21-year veteran
will retire playing the game.

''If I would have played last year, I may
not have been here, I don't know,''
he said.