It has been one of hockey’s universally held beliefs that Joe Sakic—the greatest player ever to come from these parts—would cap off his legendary career by leading Team Canada to an Olympic gold medal in his hometown in 2010. Who better than Burnaby Joe to play the role of leader and mentor to the greatest collection of hockey talent this country has ever assembled?

Until a week ago, that seemed like such a plausible scenario. But after watching Sakic and his Colorado Avalanche get skated through and around by the Detroit Red Wings in their second-round National Hockey League playoff series, it certainly appears that expecting the almost 39-year-old to be able to compete against the best players in the world 22 months from now may be asking too much.

Can Sakic still play? Sure he can, and probably beyond 2010. His 10 points in 10 postseason games led all Avalanche skaters. But don’t get fooled by the statistics. Sakic’s last two points and three of his last four were second assists on Avalanche power-play goals. And all four of the points he picked up in the four-game sweep by Detroit were power-play helpers.

The days of Sakic taking control of hockey games appear to be over, and he’s now settling into the role of power-play specialist, racking up points with his team enjoying the man advantage. That may be fine for a few more productive years of NHL service before Sakic is fast-tracked into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The concerns about Sakic appearing in a fourth Olympic Games stem not so much from his offensive capabilities but, rather, from his recent work without the puck. Against the Wings, Sakic looked old and tired, and for the first time in his career he appeared to be a defensive liability. It seemed the Red Wings were delighted to see Sakic on the ice and viewed such occasions as ideal times to strike offensively.

The Wings put the burn in Burnaby Joe, torching their opponents for five of the eight goals they scored in the series clincher while Sakic was on the ice. In all, he was on for nine of the 21 goals Detroit scored in the series and was a minus in all four games against the Wings (-7 in the four-game sweep).

On the night the Avs were eliminated, 334 players had taken part in at least one NHL playoff game this spring. Only one—New Jersey defenceman Paul Martin—had a poorer plus-minus than Sakic, meaning he had the dubious distinction of being the worst forward, defensively, to compete in the quest for the Stanley Cup. Some of that had to do with significant injuries to Colorado teammates, leaving Sakic in less-than-ideal matchups against the high-flying Red Wings.

But this is Joe Sakic we’re talking about—the same Joe Sakic who led the NHL in plus-minus at plus-45 for a season earlier this decade. Since then, however, he’s been in a defensive decline. He was a minus player in the recently concluded regular season for the first time in more than a decade. And even last year, when he racked up the sixth 100-point season of his 19-year NHL career, he was only plus-two, which tells you he was getting the job done at one end of the ice but not the other.

By the time the 2010 Games roll around, Sakic will be closing in on his 41st birthday. He will not be among Canada’s offensive top guns, and his play of late has shown that he won’t be one of this country’s best checking forwards, either. Even though he can still quarterback a power play at the NHL level, Team Canada will have four or five guys who will be better at it. Sakic is a guy who has accomplished everything there is to accomplish in the sport—in some cases, several times over—and he’s one with all the intangibles that good teams need. But Canada’s hockey program is full of leaders and winners, and a sterling résumé won’t be enough to get the 2002 Olympic MVP short-listed for a roster spot this time around.

Hockey Canada was guilty of going with sentimentality over speed and skill when it took a pass on the likes of Sidney Crosby and Eric Staal for the 2006 Games in Turin. With Hockey Canada favourites Kris Draper and Ryan Smyth on the active roster, Canada went 3-2 in the preliminary round and was sent packing after a 2-0 shutout by Russia in the quarterfinals. With these upcoming Games on home ice, failure is not an option, and there will simply be no room for feel-good selections.

The emergence of such dynamic young talents as Crosby, Staal, Jason Spezza, Jonathan Toews, Ryan Getzlaf, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Corey Perry, Brenden Morrow, and Mike Ribeiro has Canada sitting pretty when it comes to rounding out the roster. In fact, with that much fresh meat in the system, it’s going to be tough for veterans in the prime of their careers, let alone fading superstars, to earn spots on that 2010 team. And that’s the way it should be.

For as much as he’s done and the classy way he’s done it all these years, Sakic has earned the right to be included in any discussion about the Canadian team that will skate onto the ice at GM Place in less than two years. But somebody has to draw the line somewhere. And, for the good of the country, this time Burnaby Joe has to be on the wrong side of it.

It won’t be an easy decision for the Hockey Canada executives, but they’re not supposed to be making friends. They’re supposed to be trying to win hockey tournaments, and—crazy as it may sound—this country’s best chance to strike gold in 2010 will be without Joe Sakic.