CALGARY -- After the disaster that was Turin back in 2006, Team Canada had to take a long look at itself. The talk in Calgary this week is about how many Olympic veterans stick around, and how many of these new young players stock Canada's roster in Vancouver.

So, that being the theme, how can the goalie position still be Martin Brodeur's to lose?

Because he is Martin Brodeur, that's why.

"It's a great situation for me, having these young guys pushing me. I know I was the guy pushing certain goalies (read: Patrick Roy) at one time, and I got the best out of them. I'm looking to do the same thing," he said on Tuesday. "Eventually it will change. But I'm still here."

We have heard head coach Mike Babcock talk about the here and now, and how he wants players who are on top of their games come February, not four or eight years ago.

Assistant Ken Hitchcock admitted on Tuesday that they had taken a wrong-headed approach to Turin. Too many old players, who eventually were injured. There wasn't a large supporting group of younger players to fill in, he said, and when players got further nicked up in Turin, the defence in particular was going right from the trainer's table to the ice.

Last season Brodeur incurred the first serious injury of his career. He is 37, so history tells us that arm injury will likely not be his last. With the Devils, Brodeur has not been past the second round of the playoffs in five years.

Brodeur was fantastic in Salt Lake City, but that is ancient history, isn't it?

"Salt Lake was pre-lockout, so it was a different game," he admits. "Now you have the young guns who are making plays at 100 miles an hour. They can't get touched anymore… It's just a different game.

"I've adjusted myself as good as I can. I've done really well post-lockout as far as the season is concerned. My playoff success -- as a team and myself -- we didn't have much in New Jersey.

"I'm definitely looking for that challenge to go out and be on that stage with all these young guns."

It was perhaps a sight never before seen when the Carolina Hurricanes ripped two late goals past Brodeur late in Game 7 to win their playoff series last spring. These things happen, sure. But not to Martin Brodeur

"Not a fun way to lose and go home. But at the end of the day, I put myself in the position to be there. I played very well in that series," he said. "When you do have success, and you get older, people say 'This is easy for him. He's going to walk right through this.' But everyone is human. I tried real hard."

So if not Brodeur, who? Roberto Luongo?

In his last must-win situation, Luongo surrendered seven goals in Chicago. The Canucks goalie was last seen with tears in his eyes and unable to speak post-game, and has spent a long summer reflecting over what was surely the low point of his NHL career.

"It was tough. Really tough," Luongo said. "After I got back from Chicago … I stayed in my apartment pretty much the entire week. It's like losing your girlfriend. It takes time to get over it.

"I can't really say I am completely over it now. You still think about it sometimes. You don't have answers."

So, who has the answers in net for Canada?

Well, if we are truly in the here and now with this team, how about the goalie who has taken his club to consecutive Stanley Cup finals? And not Chris Osgood -- he didn't even get an invite here.

Marc-Andre Fleury has racked up 30 playoff victories in the past two seasons. Luongo has just 11 in his career, while Brodeur has 98 overall, but just 14 post-season victories since the last Winter Olympics.

If we're basing the No. 1 job on recent success, it would be no contest. Despite those facts, the only debate surrounding Fleury here is whether or not he makes the team as the No. 3 ahead of Steve Mason and Cam Ward.

What would Fleury do to pull on that red maple leaf come February?

"I don't know, maybe wash the towels? Just making the team would be such an honour," he said.

Why not the No. 1 job?

"For sure I'll do my best to make a good impression. So we'll see," he said sheepishly. "Just being part of the team would be fine."

After all the conjecture, and all of those promises not to fall into that old loyalty trap, it still seems sacrilegious to seed anyone ahead of Martin Brodeur, the winningest goaltender in National Hockey League history, if he is healthy and playing well at Christmas.

There are some rules that need to be bent once in a while. Team Canada's pledge to get younger, when it comes to goalies, is one of them.

"It's a healthy competition. We're not here to hate each other," Brodeur said. "If the best goalie is me, good. If it's not, well, I'll be there to support the other guy. That's the beauty of this: We're playing for Canada here. I'm not playing for me.

"For me, this is probably the last Olympics. I want to get my got in this, and then have a great time."