TORONTO, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Wayne Gretzky finalized the 2002 Canadian Olympic hockey team Saturday, adding Eric Lindros, Jarome Iginla, Ryan Smyth and 12 others to one of the gold-medal favorites.
Lindros, the rugged 28-year-old center in his first season with the New York Rangers, was captain of the 1998 Olympic team that was held without a medal in Nagano, Japan.
Iginla, the 24-year-old star winger from the Calgary Flames, leads the NHL in scoring and will compete in the Olympics for the first time.
Smyth, 25, was named to the team even though he has a broken ankle. The high-scoring winger is expected to return to the Edmonton Oilers' lineup in mid-January and be ready for his first Olympic Games.
Also making the team were wingers Theo Fleury of the Rangers, 21-year-old Simon Gagne of the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings star Brendan Shanahan.
The center-heavy roster also includes Joe Nieuwendyk of the Dallas Stars and New York Islanders captain Michael Peca.
Curtis Joseph of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils and Dallas' Ed Belfour were named the team's goaltenders. Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche pulled himself from contention last month.
Gretzky, the team's general manager, named the first eight players on March 23. Among them were centers Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Joe Sakic of the Avalanche.
Lemieux, who resumed his Hall of Fame playing career last season, will serve as the team's captain, although he has played just 11 games for the Penguins this season, due mostly to a bad hip.
Included in the original eight were defensemen Chris Pronger of the Blues, Colorado's Rob Blake and Scott Niedermayer of the Devils; wingers Paul Kariya from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and San Jose Sharks captain Owen Nolan; and Detroit center Steve Yzerman.
The deadline to name the full 23-man roster is December 22. The only changes Canada will be able to make from now until the Games will be injury-related.
Pat Quinn of Toronto will serve as Canada's coach.
The 2002 Games will be the second in which NHL players compete.
In 1998, Canada was the pre-Olympic favorite but lost to the underdog Czechs in the semifinals and Finland in the bronze-medal game.
Canada begins Olympic play on Feb.15, 2002 against Sweden. It has not won a gold medal since 1952.
