The U.S. Olympic hockey team could be set as soon as next week. The roster won't be announced until after the Winter Classic outdoor game Jan. 1, but general manager Brian Burke plans to make his final decisions well before then. The team's six-man selection committee will meet in Pebble Beach, Calif., before the NHL's board of governors meetings Dec. 14. "At that point, we hope to be down to between two and three decisions as far as our roster - if we have any at all," Burke said Monday during a conference call. Even though the U.S. might not boast as much depth as Canada or some of the top European countries, Burke acknowledged it will be tough to get down to a 23-man roster. The Americans had 34 players at their summer orientation camp in suburban Chicago and were keeping tabs on some who weren't there. Burke and his management team developed a rating system to scout players for the Vancouver Games. He has five NHL GMs on his staff - David Poile, Don Waddell, Paul Holmgren, Dean Lombardi and Ray Shero. "Jan. 1 is going to be a bittersweet day for our players," Burke said. "There's going to be 23 ecstatic players and some disappointed players. ... We have, we feel, a deeper and broader pool of players than we've had before." If the committee isn't able to decide next week, all six men have left time in their schedules for last-minute scouting. The U.S. team is coached by Ron Wilson and promises to be one of the youngest in the Olympic tournament, led by such players as Patrick Kane, Zach Parise and Phil Kessel. That probably won't leave much room for stalwarts of past teams like Mike Modano, Bill Guerin, Doug Weight and others. "We've got to figure out what the balance is (between old and young players)," Burke said. The GM doesn't plan on quietly tipping off any players once the roster is set. He's happy to have most find out by watching television and will instead focus on calling the players who weren't selected. "My primary goal on Jan. 1 is to make sure I reach the group that's not going to be included," Burke said. "If the other guys learn about it watching on TV, I can live with that result more than if a guy learns he's excluded from watching on TV." Burke and Wilson have been living in Toronto and sense the Olympic hype. Wilson has been struck by the comments of those who hope to play for Canada. "Most of the players this year are talking about an Olympic gold medal way above thinking about their team making the Stanley Cup playoffs," Wilson said. The U.S. will be in a group with Canada, Norway and Switzerland. Burke acknowledged that his team will enter as an underdog but expects it to challenge for a gold medal. He's starting to think about Feb. 16, when the U.S. opens the tournament against Switzerland at GM Place, which will be known as Canada Hockey Place during the Olympics. "You can feel it in the air up here in Canada now," Burke said. "The Team USA guys are excited to get to Vancouver and get this going." Added Wilson: "The excitement's just phenomenal." Note: The international federation released its list of on-ice officials for the games. Bill McCreary (Canada), Dennis LaRue (U.S.) and Danny Kurmann (Switzerland) will be making a third appearance.
