May 6, 2006

Email this Print this BY HELENE ST. JAMES

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER




Brendan Shanahan is done with his Wings jersey for the season, so now he can wear Team Canada's. (KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/Associated Press)
Odds were, at 37 years old, Brendan Shanahan was not going to get another opportunity to play for Team Canada. But that all changed this week.

With the Red Wings eliminated from the playoffs six games into round one, Shanahan's time suddenly freed up -- and that created an opportunity for him to play for Canada at the World Championships in Riga, Latvia. The tournament, which started Friday, runs through May 21.

Shanahan discussed the possibility of playing in the championships with Wings general manager Ken Holland, who conveniently enough is also Team Canada's GM.

"I mentioned to him that we were looking for players, and he very much wanted to go," Holland said Friday. "He got it worked out with his family. He thought he still had a lot of hockey left in him, so he was the one really pushing the opportunity."

Shanahan joins Wings teammates Jason Williams (Canada) and Niklas Kronwall, Johan Franzen, Mikael Samuelsson and Henrik Zetterberg (all Sweden).

Shanahan helped Canada win gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics and also was on the 1998 Winter Games squad. He hasn't played at the World Championships since 1994.

Shanahan was to leave immediately, and Holland plans to go late next week, after completing exit interviews with the remaining Wings players.