I am sorry for the delay, but I am back in business and will be updating a lot more from now on. The Winter Olympics are entering their second weekend and this is where things will start to heat up with the hockey starting. Olympic hockey could be my favorite thing in the world to watch. I am not an avid hockey fan, but it is so exciting to follow. The Olympic hockey has no fighting, which makes the games go along quicker. This year's tournament should be epic, but it will be tough to follow what happened four years ago in Vancouver when Canada beat the US in the Gold Medal Game in OT. The hockey events started Wednesday, but the three frontrunners took the ice Thursday.
The Favorite: Canada
After a slow start in a 3-1 win over a Norway team that boasts 1 NHL player, you probably wouldn't give the title of favorite away to this team. That is the thought from an American right now. The fact of the matter is that this team deserves this label. They are the defending champs and have a star-studded lineup. The big question will be if these guys can adapt to being role players. Almost every single one of these players is the go-to-guy on their NHL team, but with players like Sidney Crosby, Shea Weber, and Jonathan Toes, some players will have to take a back seat. Weber played a great game against Norway, but the man who set everything up was Patrice Bergeron. He had two great assists in the game.
The Other Favorite: USA
This sounds weird, but there is really no other way to put it. Especially after a dominating 7-1 win over a decent Slovakia team, the US and Canada look to be neck and neck. This 7-1 masterpiece showcased a 2nd Period with 6 US goals. All of the men contributed and they stayed out of the penalty box. It also helped that they had Jonathan Quick in the net. Zach Parise is the captain of this team and has some great help. They have a young group of defensemen, but they stepped up in their first game. We will learn a lot from Saturday's game against a Russia team with a plethora of talent and a home crowd.
The Dark Horse: Russia
There is a lot on the line for this Russian team, and it is gold or bust. The home fans should have a lot to cheer about as this team has plenty of good players. They are lead by Captain Pavel Datsyuk who is returning from a knee injury. They also have one of the top 3 players in the world in Alexander Ovechkin. Not to mention they have Evgeni Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk. Yes, the same Ilya Kovalchuk that turned down the monster contract the Devils gave him to play in the KHL. They have two great goalies in Sergei Bobrovsky and Semyon Varlamov. Both should get time in the net. There will be a huge amount of pressure on this team every time they take the ice.
The Challenger: Sweden
This Sweden team is under the radar, and will be tough to handle. With Henrik Lundqvist in net, teams will have a tough time scoring. In their 4-2 win over a quality Czech Republic team Henrik Zetterberg and Erik Karlsson combined for three goals and I expect both of them to carry this team offensively. The Group C that they are in is deep, but they have some of the best defensemen in the Olympics. They will cause some problems for some teams.
My Predictions:
Gold: US over Canada- One word: Revenge.
Silver: Canada
Bronze: Sweden over Russia- Pressure too much for this Russian team.
Gold: US over Canada- One word: Revenge.
Silver: Canada
Bronze: Sweden over Russia- Pressure too much for this Russian team.
