The World Cup of Hockey is back, and this time around there are a couple of twists to the rosters of teams. You have your traditional national teams, but also a couple of wrinkles in Team North America -- aka the Young Guns -- and Team Europe, which is a pan-continent team made up of players not from countries with national teams. Confused? Good! Click on the rosters below and it will all fall into place, in addition to seeing how the lineups will align and what numbers the players are wearing.
GROUP A
Claude Giroux playfully punched Sidney Crosby on the shoulder between drills Tuesday, producing a smile from the Team Canada captain. Was it just four years ago these two guys dropped the gloves in a playoff game? Go around Team Canada's dressing room and you'll find a long list of personal rivalries that have been put on hold for the World Cup of Hockey. Or you might say, the hatred has been temporarily shelved for a month.
ROSTER
Many teams have been scrambling to fill in their rosters as players, many of whom had been working out in preparation for the tournament, have suddenly dropped out. The Czechs, already the weakest of the eight teams, have lost key personnel in David Krejci, Radko Gudas and Tomas Hertl.
ROSTER
Anze Kopitar is the captain. Zdeno Chara is on defense. But who else will this team ice and who will start in net?
ROSTER
Over the course of a handful of practices and two pre-tournament games, head coach John Tortorella and his staff will have to decide between a goaltender in Jonathan Quick, who has won two Stanley Cups and was once named playoff MVP, a two-time Vezina Trophy finalist in Ben Bishop and the technically superb Cory Schneider.
ROSTER
GROUP B
The Finns always manage to surprise at these events, so it's a good idea to not sleep on Team Finland. Especially with that goaltending.
ROSTER
Picking captain for a squad made up entirely of young players is no easy task for Team North America.
ROSTER
The Swedes have enough veteran leadership for all eight teams, a smooth offense, a rock-solid defense and one of the best goalies in the world. Shouldn't they be considered favorites?
ROSTER
The Russians have arguably the best offense in the tournament, but the defense isn't exactly top-notch. Could goaltending be the difference for this high-octane team?