"Scott Niedermayer, exhausted and worn by the road, plunked himself down in a folding chair, took a long swig from a bottle of water and chuckled when asked if moving from grey New Jersey five years ago to play in sunny California had lengthened his career.

"I didn't know the sun was shining this year," he said ruefully, rubbing the five-day-old beard that seems to always darken his chin.

It was late January and the Anaheim Ducks, with Niedermayer the lone blue line star left on a defence corps that once included Chris Pronger and François Beauchemin, were struggling. They were 12th in the Western Conference, Niedermayer sported an awful minus-17 rating and he seemed drained by a trip that had taken the Ducks through St. Louis, Atlanta, Washington and into central Florida this night to face the Lightning.

"It hasn't been one of the easier seasons, that's for sure," he said. "That's frustrating, particularly when you're in a position like me, being one of the older guys, and you're supposed to make sure things are going the right way."

But talk of the Vancouver Olympics, and of the opportunity to play one last time for his country not far from his hometown of Cranbrook, B.C., seemed to lift his spirits. He betrayed no sense at all that agreeing to be the captain of a Canadian team that will be under more pressure than any national side since the 1972 Summit Series was proving to be a burdensome responsibility.

"What you'll find, I think, is that you'll show up, see different teammates and a different environment, and it'll be a jolt of excitement," he said.

Niedermayer will be one of about 140 NHLers heading to Vancouver for the Olympics – by comparison, Russia's Kontinental Hockey League is sending about 60 – but none will be under the home-country scrutiny that Niedermayer will face. Well, maybe Sidney Crosby, the player many believed would be Canada's captain, the ideal person to try and right all the wrong moves from Turin four years ago."