Top Line: Roberto Luongo tells all on TSN; Olympic camp talk; more links

Roberto Luongo is Vancouver's starter once more. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) By Allan Muir An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories: •
Top Line: Roberto Luongo tells all on TSN; Olympic camp talk; more links
Top Line: Roberto Luongo tells all on TSN; Olympic camp talk; more links /

Roberto Luongo is Vancouver's starter once more. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

Roberto Luongo is Vancouver's starter once more. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:

• "I was kind of floored to be honest with you," said Roberto Luongo in the first part of his up-close interview with James Duthie on TSN. "Out of all the situations that I envisioned, that wasn't one of them. That's a pretty big move, I thought, to make without having input from the guy you're going to put your trust in." TSN has the video here and here. Part three of the interview airs tonight.

• Don't want to watch the vid? NHL.com posted a transcript of the interview here.

• Ed Willes writes that while the interview was first-rate entertainment, Luongo's state of mind doesn't matter nearly as much as his ability to provide high-end goaltending this season. That's the big question mark hanging over a team that looks like it will go only as far as the guy between the pipes carries them.

Claude Giroux says he can't attend Canada's Olympic camp because of his sore finger. Patrice Bergeron, who played Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final with broken ribs and a punctured lung, says hi.

• So much for my column today. Stephen Whyno lists 10 players not at camp that could work their way onto Team Canada for the Olympics. Remember, that's exactly what Bergeron did back in 2010.

• Sean Fitz-Gerald breaks down Canada's camp roster into locks, likely and bubble players. I think he's a bit aggressive on the defensive locks, myself. You?

• Randy Sportak writes that Canada will build a different kind of team for Sochi. The lessons learned from 2006 won't be forgotten.

• The addition of Nathan Horton and the possible arrival of top prospect Ryan Murrayhas expectations running high in Columbus. NHL.com has all the details in the latest installment of its 30-in-30 series.

• They were buddies as six-year-olds. Now they're teammates in Winnipeg.

• Sounds like top prospect Mark Schiefele is coming into Winnipeg's camp bigger. A lot bigger.

• Detroit GM Ken Holland says it's about time forthe purse-strings to be loosened around the league, which is good news for Ron Hainsey, Damien Brunner and the couple dozen or so free agents still looking for a hockey home this season.

• Add the St. Louis Blues to the list of teams going out of their way to keep fans of the Blackhawks away. As in Nashville, the Blues are forcing single-game ticket buyers to purchase seats for one other match in order to buy one for the Hawks. Maybe they ought to focus on building a team of their own that inspires that kind of devotion, eh?

• Roger Nielson was the first coach to develop advanced analytical tools to understand the game ... and they were more intuitive than the numbers touted by today's stats geeks. Solid read here from David Staples.

• There are more hockey players than ever, at least according to the IIHF, which reports that this country is the first in Europe to top 100,000 registered participants.

• Get ready to feel old: Teemu Selanne's 15-year-old son is headed to camp with the Calgary Hitmen.

• The Oilers made the unexpected decision to cut ties with the organization's leading scorer on Friday. There might not have been room for Toni Rajala at the NHL level, and he lacked ideal size, but teams typically won't push offensive flash like that out the door. Odd.

• Cam Ward comes into this season with a lot to prove, not the least of which is that he's fully recovered from knee surgery. And while he'd like to play his way into the mix for Team Canada, the more pressing issue is guiding the Hurricanes back into the playoff picture. If he plays well enough to do that, he's a lock for Sochi.

• Adrian Dater has the story of a one-handed hockey player trying to make his way in the Central Hockey League. Amazing stuff.

• Sick of staying at the Econo-Lodge when you're in Malibu? Need something with a bit more elbow room? Then you might want to give ol' Chris Chelios a call.

• Or if you're looking for a more permanent arrangement with not quite so much ocean view, Daniel Alfredsson has the place for you.

• Sounds like the Florida Panthers weren't the only lousy investment made by minority owner Jordan Zimmerman.

• From the Department of Non-Hockey Links: Love movies but don't want to get beaten over the head by the preachiness of "The Butler" this weekend? Check out this interview with Carl Gottlieb instead. The man who wrote both the greatest movie ever and one of the top-10 comedies of all time takes you behind-the-scenes of "Jaws" and "The Jerk." Amazing stuff.


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