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The World Cup of Hockey makes its return in Toronto after a 12-year hiatus. Heres a look at the eight teams involved in the tournament, which opens Saturday:CANADAThe unquestioned favorites, Canada will try to recapture the World Cup of Hockey after winning the last edition 12 years ago.The Canadians boast the deepest pool of talent in the tournament, stacked with Art Ross, Hart and Norris trophy winners, as well as the last two goaltenders to win the Vezina. The puzzle pieces should be interchangeable for coach Mike Babcock with just about every player capable of taking on a role or position as needed. Twelve of the 13 forwards have scored at least 30 goals in an NHL season.Canada offered one of the stingiest defensive showings ever at the 2014 Sochi Games, yielding a mere three goals all tournament. The World Cup defense took a hit with Duncan Keith sidelined by injury, but Shea Weber, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Drew Dougthy, Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester all return. Jake Muzzin adds defensive stability while Brent Burns injects an air of enthusiasm and offensive pep.Carey Price should be a lock to start in goal. Canada also has Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby along with two-time Stanley Cup champion Corey Crawford.NORTH AMERICAThe North Americans could be the most exciting team to watch.Built with players 23-and-younger from Canada and the U.S., the team has some of the brightest young talents in hockey, from Connor McDavid to Aaron Ekblad, Jack Eichel, Johnny Gaudreau and Nathan MacKinnon. Imagine Auston Matthews paired with fellow No. 1 overall picks Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and MacKinnon or Eichel teamed with the shifty Gaudreau.The defense is young and inexperienced, led by Ekblad, the Florida Panthers 20-year-old standout along with Morgan Rielly of the Maple Leafs and Seth Jones from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Matt Murray, the Penguins Stanley Cup-winning goaltender, and Anaheims John Gibson could be busy.SWEDENSilver medal winners in Sochi, the Swedes are a good bet to challenge for the World Cup crown.The defense is led by superstar Erik Karlsson and all-around Tampa Bay Lightning stalwart Victor Hedman, complemented by Anton Stralman, Hampus Lindholm, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Every member of the group skates well and moves the puck easily.Up front, the Swedes are led by the still-productive Sedin twins as well as Nicklas Backstrom and Loui Eriksson, and emerging talents such as Filip Forsberg and Gabriel Landeskog.Its a smart, responsible group with just enough firepower to complement that fine defense and goaltending, which comes once again from Henrik Lundqvist.UNITED STATESThe Americans have the reigning NHL scoring champ and Hart Trophy winner in Patrick Kane, the deepest goaltending in the tournament and a grind-it-out roster run by coach John Tortorella.The Americans finished a disappointing fourth in Sochi, edged 1-0 by Canada in the semifinal before getting stomped 5-0 by Finland in the bronze-medal game. They opted against bringing back Phil Kessel, their leading scorer from that tournament, and will rely instead on feisty, blue-collar types such as David Backes, Brandon Dubinsky, Justin Abdelkader and Ryan Kesler.Beyond Kane, Jets winger Blake Wheeler, Montreal captain Max Pacioretty, Wild star Zach Parise, and Leafs winger James van Riemsdyk, theres just not the same level of high-end skill on teams such as Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia and North America.The defense is solid, if unspectacular, with Ryan Suter and Ryan McDonagh as well as a potential game-changer in Dustin Byfuglien. With Jonathan Quick, Ben Bishop and Cory Schneider, the Americans have three of the best goaltenders in the tournament.FINLANDWith medals at five of the last six Olympics, the Finns are unlikely to go quietly.This isnt the aging roster led by Teemu Selanne that won bronze in Sochi. It is brimming with youth, including Winnipeg Jets sensation Patrik Laine, Panthers center Aleksander Barkov as well as young defenders like Olli Maatta and Sami Vatanen. Thirteen players on the 23-man roster are aged 25 and younger. That should offer the Finns, who have always relied on savvy defense and stable goaltending, a little more pep and excitement.Finland is especially young on the back end, which could put more pressure on either Tuukka Rask or Pekka Rinne in goal.RUSSIAPerhaps no team in the tournament can boast game-breaking talent like the Russians.From Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin to Vladimir Tarasenko and Nikita Kucherov, Russia is loaded with offensive talent. Of course, thats usually the case with the Russians, who have underperformed the past two Olympics, including a fifth-place showing on home soil in 2014.This squad is deeper though, primarily due to the influx of talented young players like the 23-year-old Kucherov (30 goals last season), 24-year-old Tarasenko (40 goals) as well as Artemi Panarin, the reigning Calder Trophy winner, and Evgeny Kuznetsov, the leading scorer (77 points) for the Presidents Trophy-winning Washington Capitals.Stack those stars on top of Ovechkin, Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk, the now former Red Wing legend, and theres plenty to fear here for World Cup opponents.Outside of 37-year-old Montreal Canadiens stalwart Andrei Markov, the defense is mostly a young contingent and the goaltending is riddled with question marks as both Semyon Varlamov and Sergei Bobrovsky had rocky performances last season.EUROPEThe team represents eight different nations -- France, Denmark, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria and Norway -- and is a predictably mish-mashed roster tilted toward an aging group of NHL stars, including Zdeno Chara (39 years old), Marian Hossa (37), Marian Gaborik (34) and Thomas Vanek (32).On defense, Chara will be joined by 38-year-old Mark Streit, 35-year-old Dennis Seidenberg, and 34-year-old Christian Ehrhoff.New Kings captain Anze Kopitar gives the Europeans a powerful, two-way force down the middle, but there might not be enough scoring in this group to be a threat. Hossa, Gaborik and Vanek are all veterans and Oilers up-and-comer Leon Draisaitl is just 20.Jaroslav Halak is a solid option in goal.CZECH REPUBLICThe Czechs have a young roster that appears the weakest on paper heading into the World Cup.Petr Mrazek, the likely No. 1 netminder who was one of the NHLs best for the first half of last season, could be the difference. The team will need him to be red hot since it does not have much firepower after top center David Krejci backed out because of injury. Jakub Voracek fronts a forward contingent mixed with youth, such as 20-year-old David Pastrnak and 22-year-old Tomas Hertl, as well as aging talent like Milan Michalek and Ales Hemsky.The group on defense is easily the thinnest among the eight teams with Maple Leafs defender Roman Polak joined by the likes of Zbynek Michalek and Andrej Sustr.Cheap Penguins Jerseys . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. 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Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars.The offseason retirements of Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Dan Boyle and?Barret Jackman, among others, reminded us of how much more difficult it is becoming for a 35-plus player to hang around the youth-driven NHL. The game is faster than ever. With that in mind, we take a look at some quality veterans and what potentially lies in their futures:Jarome Iginla, RW, Colorado AvalancheThe future Hall of Famer entered the season with 611 career goals and has pushed that total to 613 two months into the season. At 39, with the game at warp speed around him, its been a tougher go for the former superstar. His goal production dropped from 29 in 2014-15 to 22 last season, and getting to 15 goals this season would mean a healthy run, which hes certainly capable of. Is this it for him, after an incredible career? I venture to guess yes, but he wouldnt decide that until after the season. Well see if the Avs put on a playoff push. If its obvious closer to March 1 that theyre going to miss out, what will Iginla do? Hes still searching for that elusive Stanley Cup, having left the Calgary Flames after all those years to chase a Cup for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins. He was hoping Colorado was a rising contender when he signed there in the summer of 2014. What now? Does he chase one last time, if given the chance? He has a full no-movement clause, so its totally up to him. The Chicago Blackhawks have no cap room, but how cool would it be to see him playing on a line with Jonathan Toews, trying to win a Cup? Or what about him going home to his native Edmonton and helping Connor McDavid and the Oilers if theyre playoff-bound? Hey, let me dream, OK? You never know.Shane Doan, RW, Arizona CoyotesIs this the swan song for Mr. Coyote? You didnt think so last year, when in his age-39 season he put up 28 goals. That was simply amazing. But its been tougher this season at 40, with just one goal in 18 games. This guy has meant everything to this franchise, and its pretty obvious there will be some kind of role for him in the organization after he calls it quits. I suspect hell see how his body and mind feel after the season and decide then. My guess is this will be it. If the Coyotes continue to struggle, Doan will also once again be asked by people about whether hed accept a trade to a contender. He has never won a Stanley Cup, of course, as a lifelong member of the Jets/Coyotes, but I know he has thought about the perils of chasing a championship and how hard it is to choose that team. Look no further than his pal Iggy, above. To me, Doan is content where he is. His legacy in Arizona is more important than trying to chase a Cup in a parity-filled league with no guarantees.Radim Vrbata, RW, Arizona CoyotesThe 35-year-old leads the teaam with six goals.dddddddddddd Hes far from done. He returned to Arizona for a third time on a very interesting contract last summer, a deal that pays him $1 million in base salary and up to $2.25 million in bonuses. He has already hit a $250,000 bonus for playing 10 games, hell hit another $250,000 bonus when he hits 30 games, and he gets $500,000 for either scoring 20 goals or getting 40 points. He can earn $250,000 if his team makes the playoffs and $250,000 for each playoff round reached. The point is that it would be in his interest for a Cup contender to come calling -- not just because of his playoff bonuses (which are likely not going to be achieved in Arizona this season) but also because he can set up his next contract with a good playoff. He loves Arizona. Wouldnt it be funny if he were dealt to a contender before the trade deadline but returned to the Coyotes for a fourth time in July? Hey, stranger things have happened.Brian Gionta, RW, Buffalo SabresThe former Montreal Canadiens captain-turned-Sabres captain turns 38 in January, but I think hes skating better now than he did last season. Hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but my understanding is that he would like to keep playing. Would the Sabres consider bringing him back for another season at a cheaper price than his current $4.25 million salary, just for his leadership element? Or if the Sabres dont make a playoff push, do they approach him about a rental situation before March 1? All things being equal, I think Gionta would like to come back for another season in Buffalo. But if the price is cheap come the trade deadline, he would be a serviceable rental and a guy who easily fits into the fabric of a dressing room on a contender.Ryan Miller, G, Vancouver CanucksWasnt it just yesterday that Miller, in his prime, almost led Team USA to a stunning gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics? Man, time flies. Now 36, the veterans contract with the Canucks expires June 30. Im told he absolutely wants to play at least another season, if not more, so the question here is whether thats going to be with the Canucks or elsewhere. If Vancouver isnt in the playoff race closer to March 1, a team could come calling and create a decision for Miller. Theres no question in my mind that the Canucks have groomed Jacob Markstrom to be the No. 1 goalie starting next season. Would they be willing to bring Miller back on a cheaper contract to mentor Markstrom? Would Miller be interested in that? More likely than not, I think Miller will move on, whether thats before the trade deadline or in the offseason. But retirement doesnt appear in the offing yet. ' ' '