The games impact the Games

The league will take a 14-day break for the Olympic tournament, which will be held Feb. 16-28 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Wild players under consideration for their nation's Olympic teams include Martin Havlat, Petr Sykora and Marek Zidlicky (Czech Republic); Backstrom, Mikko Koivu and Antti Miettinen (Finland); Kim Johnsson (Sweden) and Brent Burns (Canada). Though the league is uncertain whether it will continue to participate in the Olympics after 2010, Backstrom said the players' desire to be part of the Games burns as bright as ever.

"The players want to be in the Olympics,'' he said. "You want to showcase the NHL. You want to prove the NHL is the best league in the world and has the best players. And you want to be there because it's special.''

Here is a look at four members of the Wild who hope to make it to Vancouver.

The Wild's young leader already has compiled a thick international résumé. Koivu, 26, has medaled in every international event he has skated with Finland's national team, and he is expected to be among its leaders in his second Olympic appearance.

Finland earned the silver medal at the 2006 Winter Games. Last summer, 39 players participated in an orientation camp, including Koivu's brother, Saku. With a wealth of talent and tradition, the Finns should be in the medal chase again.

"It's a huge opportunity for any hockey player to be a part of the Olympics,'' Koivu said. "I've done it once, and it was a great experience. And especially in Canada, it will be huge. I hope I can be there again.''

Finland medaled in four of the past six Olympic hockey tournaments, winning two silver and two bronze. Koivu didn't score in the 2006 Games, but he is eager to return with more experience and the chance to take a larger role. "We have a good team, but so do a lot of other countries,'' he said. "You have 2 1/2 weeks to get as good as you can as a team. It's a short period of time, but I think we have a great group of guys.''

Though he was part of Finland's 2006 Olympic team, the Wild goalie sat the entire time as the No. 3 man in net. This time around, he might rise to the top.

The Finns' alpha goalie is expected to be either Backstrom or Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff, who was in goal for Finland during its silver medal performance at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. Backstrom has less international experience, but his brilliance for the Wild the past three seasons has put him in position to lead another stellar group of Finnish goaltenders. Early season play will determine who prevails, so Backstrom is concentrating on giving the Wild his best every night -- just like always.

"Finland has a lot of good goalies, so it's tough to make the team,'' Backstrom said. "But you can't worry about it. You have to focus on playing the best hockey you can play.''

Havlat was a bit starstruck at his first Olympics in 2002. Only 20 years old, he found himself in a locker room with Jaromir Jagr and Dominik Hasek, two of his country's most successful NHL players.

He could team with them again. After missing a chance at the 2006 Olympic team because of a shoulder injury, Havlat is considered a lock to make his second Winter Games. His first season with the Wild should give the winger plenty of opportunity to impress his country's selection committee, which also is considering Jagr and Hasek.

"To be on a team with all those big names we have back home, that was one of the nicest memories I have,'' Havlat said. "That would be unbelievable if they're on the team.''

Hasek, 44, retired from the NHL last year after 16 seasons but is making a comeback in the Czech Extraliga. Jagr -- who ended a 17-year NHL career in 2008 to play in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League -- still is in the mix at age 37 for a team that won Olympic gold in 1998 and bronze in 2006.

The host country held a four-day Olympic training camp in August, showing off an astounding arsenal of talent. Burns was among 46 players invited, and it only sharpened his desire to make the team.

The defensemen considered Canada's leading candidates include Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Jay Bouwmeester, Shea Weber and Dan Boyle. Burns is considered a longer shot. But executive director Steve Yzerman and his crew will be evaluating the entire pool constantly for the next three months, and Burns could play his way in with a fast start.

"I don't even think about it, because I can't control it,'' he said. "But it would be unbelievable to be part of the team.''

Though the Canadians will face withering pressure from a nation of uncompromising hockey fans, the once-in-a-lifetime allure of playing an Olympics at home is irresistible.

"It's a really special thing for Canada,'' Burns said. "It would be a neat experience to be part of it.''