Mike Brophy

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy writes Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday on Sportsnet.ca and appears regularly on Hockeycentral.

Ryan Getzlaf (back) and Corey Perry work best when on the ice together.

There exists a belief that every player selected for Canada's men's hockey team must also be qualified to compete in a speed skating event.

But not every player on the Olympic list can check off quick feet as a skill. In fact, if it came down to skating, would Phil Esposito have made Team Canada in 1972? Espo, the best and most valuable player in the famous Summit Series, skated like he was carrying a refrigerator on his back. But stand him in front of the net and he was suddenly the most dangerous - and effective - player in the series.

For that matter, I don't recall Wayne Gretzky winning a lot of foot races and all he did was re-write the NHL record book.

All of this leads me to the plight of Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks. The 24-year-old product of Peterborough, ON, will never be mistaken for Jeremy Wotherspoon, but the NHL's fifth leading scorer (third amongst Canadian-born players) knows how to score.

Perry is currently the league's hottest player with points in 15 straight games and has only failed to register on the score sheet in three of the Ducks 22 games. And as we get closer to the start of the Games, offence is a growing concern for Team Canada.

Sidney Crosby, expected to be the centre piece for Canada's gold medal challenger, ranks 23rd in league scoring and is averaging less than a point per game with 23 in 24. Unbelievably he is 44th in assists with 12.

Ryan Getzlaf, Perry's Anaheim teammate who was projected by many to be Canada's No. 1 center behind Crosby, has but four goals in 22 games. Vinny Lecavalier, meanwhile, ranks 48th in NHL scoring with four goals and 19 points in 21 games.

You get the picture.

Perry may not look pretty on the ice, but toss a puck into the corner and he'll come out with it nine out of 10 times. He's a lanky 6'3, 205 pounds and can bull his way to the net like a charging fullback. Best of all, he has the hands of a surgeon and he'll pay a price to win.

Chemistry could work in Perry's favour as he and Getzlaf have been one of the NHL's most dynamic duos the past few years, and lately Getzlaf seems to be coming out of his early season funk.

Yzerman has indicated past performance and tenure will not be overriding factors when it comes to choosing his team. That being the case, Perry has a very good opportunity to play himself onto the squad. Hockey Canada thought highly enough of Perry to invite him to the summer evaluation camp and here's hoping he is still in their good books based on his play thus far this season.

KIPPER'S CONUNDRUM

Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff has let it be known if he is not chosen to start in net for Finland at the Olympics he'll skip the tournament. There are those, I am certain, who will view this as greedy and self-centered.

I am not one of those.

While some would argue Nashville's Pekka Rinne has performed well enough this season to garner serious consideration as Finalnd's starter, Kiprusoff has age, experience and tenure on his side. If he is not named the starting goaltender, then he has every right to consider using the two weeks as an opportunity to rest up for the second half of the NHL season.

Few goaltenders are relied on as heavily as Kiprusoff is in Calgary. For some reason the Flames have deemed it unnecessary to acquire and experienced backup, so Kiprusoff gets the majority of starts: 76, 76, 74 and 74 in the past four seasons.

If Kiprusoff goes to Vancouver, he gives Finland a legitimate shot at winning a medal. He can, as we have seen for years now, be a difference maker and pretty much always gives his team a chance to win. If he skips the Games, that is his prerogative. He'll risk criticism and, just like Patrick Roy in 2002, the possibility of winning a gold medal. It's his call.