The days are dwindling to a precious few for Craig Patrick and Wayne Gretzky. The two men -- the general managers of Team USA and Canada, respectively -- have until Dec. 22 to name their rosters for the upcoming Winter Olympic hockey tournament. Patrick needs just eight names to complete his 23-man roster, while Gretzky still needs to add 15 players.

Both men have tough decisions to make. Some veterans, expected to be shoo-ins to play in the elite tournament, have struggled through the first third of the NHL season. Meanwhile, some younger players (like Calgary's Jarome Iginla) made a very strong case for inclusion with sensational play.

As a public service to both GMs (or to beat them to the punch with my own list), I've compiled my rosters for both the Americans and the Canadians. Believe me, it wasn't nearly as easy as I thought it might be. I would have liked to select 22 skaters and three goalies. However, the Olympic rules call for just 20 skaters. So, some guys just missed my cut. They may eventually miss the real cut.

In making my selections, I kept the players already chosen. Of those remaining spots, I looked for speed among forwards, puck skills and size among defenseman and big-game experience when considering goalies.

The players are listed in alphabetical order, by position.

(*already selected)

TEAM USA

Forwards: *Tony Amonte, Craig Conroy, *Chris Drury, *Bill Guerin, *Brett Hull, *John Leclair, *Mike Modano, Mark Parrish, *Jeremy Roenick, *Keith Tkachuk, *Doug Weight, Mike York and *Scott Young.

(These speedy, skilled forwards are the strength of Team USA. Conroy, Parrish and York made it on the basis of their strong early season play and skating abilities.)

Defensemen: *Chris Chelios, Derian Hatcher, *Brian Leetch, Tom Poti, *Brian Rafalski, *Gary Suter and Mathieu Schneider. If Schneider can't play due to injury, Eric Weinrich would be selected.

(This group isn't very deep. I included Hatcher, despite a poor first third of the season, because the Americans need some size and strength on the backline. From what I've heard, big Hatch might not make Patrick's cut. Also, Schneider's status is a bit uncertain due to an abdominal injury. The Americans could use this underrated defender.)

Goaltenders: Tom Barrasso, *Mike Dunham, Mike Richter.

(Richter is my starter. End of story. Barrasso has earned a spot with his strong play. Plus, he has big-game experience. Personally, if he were healthy, I would choose Brian Boucher for the No. 3 spot. However, Dunham was a pre-selection, so he stays.)

TEAM CANADA

Forwards: Anson Carter, Theo Fleury, Simon Gagne, Jarome Iginla, *Paul Kariya, *Mario Lemieux, Eric Lindros, *Owen Nolan, Michael Peca, *Joe Sakic, Brendan Shanahan, Joe Thornton and *Steve Yzerman.

(Some very tough choices here. I left off Ryan Smyth due to injury. I don't feel Smyth will be at full strength by February. Also, I considered Eric Daze, Jeff O'Neill, Keith Primeau and Mark Recchi. Any way you choose it, this is an amazing group.)

Defense: *Rob Blake, Adam Foote, Ed Jovanovski, Al MacInnis, Derek Morris, *Scott Niedermayer and *Chris Pronger.

(It was tough to leave vet Scott Stevens and rising star Eric Brewer off my team. But, there's only seven spots.)

Goaltenders: Ed Belfour, Martin Brodeur and Curtis Joseph.

(Of course, I'd beg Patrick Roy to reconsider his decision not to play. He should have been pre-selected by Gretzky & Co. He's earned it. Right now, Joseph is the starter, with Belfour as the backup. But, this is pretty close and could change. I chose Belfour and Brodeur for one reason: they've been in a bunch of big games. Sean Burke, Roberto Luongo, Chris Osgood and Jose Theodore also deserve strong consideration.)

E.J. Hradek writes puck for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.