The Olympic hockey teams were named by Canada and the United States a few days before Christmas.

Some players lobbied really hard to get chosen. Some others didn't want to go to the Olympics, with many saying that it was time to pass the Olympic hockey torch on to the "new breed" of Olympians.

Many players, especially USA athletes, claimed they "earned" the right to get an invite based on their reputation and what they had done for both teams in the past. Not so surprisingly, the powers that be for both teams agreed.

You might be seeing Olympians you might not know, such as Calgary's John Leopold for the USA, but you'll also be seeing veteran Olympians such as Chris Chelios, who at age 44 is not only the oldest player in the Olympics, but in the NHL as well.

For Canada, you'll see veterans such as Colorado's Joe Sakic, who was named captain of Team Maple Leaf.

One Olympian you won't be seeing in Torino, however, is Pittsburgh rookie, Sidney Crosby.

Like their neighbors to the south, the Canadian Olympic team isn't just built on speed and skill, but on their Olympic experience as well. That is why you won't be seeing Crosby gliding through defenders from the Czech Republic and Sweden.

Instead you’ll be seeing Todd Bertuzzi for Canada instead.

Basically, Canada has the same team they had in the 2002 Olympics. But then, so does team red, white, and blue.

Besides veterans like Chelios, "old faces" such as Mike Modano of Dallas and Mathieu Schneider of Detroit will be skating for the USA. They will be joined by that "new breed" of Olympians, such as Craig Conroy of the Los Angeles Kings and John-Michael Liles of the Avalanche.

Christmas came early for some Canadian and American hockey players. They aren't Olympic hopefuls anymore. They are real Olympians.