WINNIPEG — Martin St. Louis was passed over for again for a spot on the Canadian Olympic men’s hockey team, and coach Jon Cooper says he knows how disappointed the veteran was by the decision.
"He’s a human, so I don’t care if he’s one year in the league or 20 years in the league, I’m sure he’s extremely disappointed, as we all are," he said.
The team said St. Louis, who was also left off Canada’s gold-medal-winning team at the 2010 Vancouver Games, would comment after tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.
As for how the snub might affect his leading scorer, Cooper said he wasn’t worried.
"Knowing Marty, this is probably going to motivate the snot out of him," he said.
Cooper says he’s sure other NHL coaches were just as puzzled at how some of their star players could have been passed over.
But he says no one can overlook the contribution St. Louis has made to putting the Lightning in a position to compete for a playoff spot this season.
"If you’re going to look at the three guys that are driving the bus at each position on our team it’s Ben Bishop, Victor Hedman and Martin St. Louis," Cooper said. "And it’s a shame that the hockey world’s not going to see any of those three guys play in February."
Lightning forward Steven Stamkos was named to the Olympic team for the first time in his career, but he is still recovering from a broken leg and his status for the start of the Sochi Games is unclear.
