‘Semin Reaches’
courtesy of ‘clydeorama’

This kinda slipped under my hockey radar (sorry, been focused on the Winter Classic in two days), but better late than never, right? Three prominent Capitals players were announced to the Russian 2010 Olympic hockey squad on Christmas Day: Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Semyon Varlamov.

I know, not a huge surprise, these guys. They’ll be joined by several other NHL and KHL stars, including former Caps players Sergei Fedorov (now with Metallurg Magnitogorsk) and Viktor Kozlov (with Salavat Ufa).

It’s an interesting roster, with 9 players on the 23-man squad coming from Russia’s own Kontinental Hockey League. One wonders if the Russians are playing a bit of sports politics by trying to puff up the KHL, rather than build the best team possible. (Keep in mind, however, that the final-final roster won’t be announced until February 15.)

Still, it’s a team with massive firepower and will be highly entertaining to watch. Just like Caps hockey…