Keith Yandle: Olympic omission 'a tough pill to swallow'
Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle addressed the fact that he was not named to the U.S. men's national team on Wednesday, telling Sarah McLellan of azcentral sports he though he had a good chance to make the team and "obviously it's a tough pill to swallow."
Yandle admitted he had read the behind-the-scenes stories of how the team was put together, most notably the ESPN piece by Scott Burnside. While the piece cites Yandle as a "superior puck-mover and uses a combination of superior skating and passing ability to move the puck quickly up the rink," there appeared to be serious questions about his defensive responsibility and the need to have him on the power play when other weapons were already locked on to the roster.
Brian Burke is even quoted as saying "If Keith Yandle goes in our top four, I think everyone we play is excited."
For his part, Yandle appeared unaffected by the comments.
As for comments made about his play in behind-the-scenes stories, Yandle said, "I read it. Affect me? No. Obviously people have opinions."
— Sarah McLellan (@azc_mclellan) January 2, 2014
Yandle added that he's playing to win games for #Coyotes and, "I try not to pay attention to that kind of stuff."
— Sarah McLellan (@azc_mclellan) January 2, 2014
Finally, Yandle has been told to be ready in case of injury, but, for the sake of those named to the original roster, he hopes it doesn't come to that.
The 27-year old has registered six goals and 21 assists in 39 games for the Phoenix Coyotes this season, with a 51.2 percent Corsi for rating at even strength.