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Couture: ‘I felt I should have been on that team’

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James O’Brien

Several Canadian players had it rough on “cut day” Tuesday, but perhaps none more than Logan Couture.

Shortly after the Sharks announced he’d be sidelined indefinitely following hand surgery, Couture learned he’d been passed over for the Olympic team -- and not because of his injury situation.

Here’s more, from the Mercury News:

Tuesday morning he got the call informing him that he was not being named to Team Canada -- and that the decision was not related to his injury.

“It’s pretty, pretty disappointing to not make that team,” said Couture, who was considered a lock at one point by analysts familiar with the Team Canada process. “I thought I did everything I could to put myself up there. I mean, it’s Team Canada. It’s an impossible team to pick.”

Couture went on to add he felt he “should have been on that team.”

His desire to represent Canada internationally has been burning for quite some time, as he was passed over for the World Juniors during his eligible seasons while playing for the Ottawa 67s. Last year, it seemed Couture had played his way onto any team Canada was assembling for international competition, as head coach Todd McLellan praised Couture for his “elite” level of play down the stretch and into the playoffs.

“The way he’s been playing lately, he’s been driving our bus right now,” McLellan told the San Jose Mercury News. “He’s the head guy and he’s making it happen and we’re happy for him.

“He’s elevated himself into an elite role — he’s penetrated into that leadership group and solidified his place there.”

Couture led the Sharks in goals last year, with 21, and has managed to put up good numbers this season (34 points in 43 games) despite being hampered by the aforementioned hand injury.

“I wasn’t practicing, had to numb it for games,” he said, without going into the specific problem. “It just got to the point where I couldn’t do that for the entire season.”