Boston was abuzz in 2010 when Patrice Bergeron was not only named to Team Canada’s roster, but part of the Canadian top line featuring Jarome Iginla and Sidney Crosby. That excitement lasted for all of what felt like ten minutes before such a role seemed out of Bergeron’s skill-set, ultimately relegating him to bottom-six minutes en route to Canada’s Gold Medal in Vancouver.

While Bergeron finished with just one point and three shots in seven games, the excitement for a Bruin to have a prominent role for a North American club was palpable. For a team with a deep Canadian fan base like the Boston Bruins, it’s no secret that B’s fans enjoyed having someone they could root for over a backup like Tim Thomas (USA) or darkhorse clubs like the Czech team featuring David Krejci, Slovak club with Zdeno Chara and Miroslav Satan, or Team Germany’s Marco Sturm.

But in 2014, even the most devout American hockey supporter could have a hard time not rooting for Team Canada in Sochi. OK, maybe not to that degree, but you get my point.

On a Canadian squad with B’s general manager Peter Chiarelli part of the management team, and head coach Claude Julien part of the coaching staff, the unveiling of Team Canada’s 47-man camp set for the end of August showed everyone quite the Bruin-friendly roster, featuring three B’s forwards all with how I would say, unique skill-sets.

Of the 25 forwards invited to the Hockey Canada camp in Calgary, the Bruins’ on-ice representatives for Team Canada’s bid for a second straight Gold Medal will come down to how camp (and the season for that matter) goes for Bergeron, Milan Lucic, and Brad Marchand.

Earning nominations as a Finalist for the Selke Trophy for the past two years (and taking home the trophy home in 2012), the 27-year-old Bergeron seems to be a lock for his second straight Olympic trip given his two-way game, even on a Canadian squad simply loaded with centers.

A player that could give the Red-and-White an unbelievable defensive advantage in close situations, especially with a dominant game at the dot, winning 1,522 of his last 2,525 faceoffs (60.2% success rate), Bergeron’s own-zone skill is a simple must-have for Canada, especially on a coaching staff featuring Julien and St. Louis’ Ken Hitchcock.

But things get interesting when it comes to the case for Olympic hockey for both Lucic and Marchand.

The obvious note when it comes to analyzing Marchand’s game and how it’d translate to Olympic play is a simple, “Well, that kind of style doesn’t work at an Olympic level where physicality, agitation, and intimidating isn’t at the forefront of it all.”

It’s not an invalid point, but if there’s anything we’ve learned about Marchand, it’s that he’s able to adapt to different roles when entrusted with such a task. In Boston, Marchand has become an excellent player with a speed-based game that’s formed a damn near suffocating shorthanded forward unit with Bergeron, and has recorded 46 goals in his last 121 contests. On top of that connection with Bergeron and some noteworthy playoff figures throughout his NHL career (and at all levels for that matter) -- with the 5-foot-9 Marchand recording 16 goals and 34 points in 54 playoff contests -- Marchand’s prior international experience featuring two Gold Medals with Canada at the World Juniors Championships in 2006-07 and 2007-08 earns him of a harder look than initially thought by most who admittedly can’t stand No. 63’s style.

Already attempting to defy the odds with a sleeper pick in Marchand, and coaching and management B’s bias aside, it’s going to be harder to make such a case for the 6-foot-4 Lucic. Though the hulking winger was invited to Team Canada’s camp prior to the 2010 Olympics (but ultimately didn’t make it due to an injury-riddled 2009-10 campaign headlined by Lucic’s high-ankle sprain), picturing Lucic’s game working on an international ice surface is more than difficult, especially with the recent 'conditioning' worries plaguing Lucic's rep.

Recording seven goals and 27 points in 46 games this past season, if Lucic is making Team Canada, it’s going to take stronger results, a strong camp, and perhaps an effective connection with new Bruin teammate and projected 2013-14 linemate Jarome Iginla to get No. 17 out of black and gold and into red and white.

Other Boston players expected to be involved (as locks in this case) in the Olympics in Sochi in 2014 include Krejci (Czech Republic), Loui Eriksson (Sweden), Chara (Slovakia), and Tuukka Rask (Finland).

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