The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

January 27, 2014

The Hockey News - Jan-27-14

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02356/9896814-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="244" height="435"></div><h2><b>ANTTI RAANTA</b></h2><p>Burst onto NHL scene after thrifty signing by Hawks. Robbed shooters, won rookie of the month.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03282/9896807-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="245" height="437"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MACKLEMORE: RON TURENNE/NBAE VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>MACKLEMORE</b></h2><p>Burst onto music scene with single <i>Thrift Shop.</i> His album <i>Heist</i> won American Music Award.</p><p><b>Submitted by:</b> Mary Doherty</p><p>Email your suggestions to <b><a href="mailto:sab@thehockeynews.com">sab@thehockeynews.com</a></b></p><p>WHO AM I: DAN BOYLE<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-02

DEPARTMENTS

Separated AT BIRTH

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DENIS GIBBONS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05543/9895988-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="846" height="1391"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04670/9895995-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="201" height="93"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>NZE KOPITAR KNOWS SLOVENIA</b>&nbsp;doesn&rsquo;t have a hope in the world of medalling at the 2014 Games. But that won&rsquo;t stop him from being the best he can be wearing his jersey with pride.</p><p>Against all odds, Slovenia qualified without Kopitar and Detroit Red Wings prospect Jan Mursak at a tournament against higher seeds Belarus and Denmark. Captain Tomaz Razingar was in tears after Slovenia&rsquo;s greatest triumph in men&rsquo;s hockey.</p><p>Although Slovenia, coached by Kopitar&rsquo;s father Matjaz, will be in tough in a group with Russia, Slovakia and the United States, it has some talent. The Rodman brothers, Marcel and David, played major junior in Canada. Marcel was a draft pick of Boston in 2001 and David was the hero of the qualifying win over Denmark, scoring both goals. The most experienced goalie is Robert Kristan.</p><p>Slovenia, with a population of two million, has just 924 registered players and seven indoor ice rinks. The national team is selected from about 140 senior or pro players. The chances of Slovenia winning a game in Sochi are small.</p><h2><b>PREDICTION 12TH</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06485/9895981-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="503" height="937"><figcaption class="caption-body">ANZE <b>KOPITAR</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KOPITAR: JUKKA RAUTIO / HHOF-II HF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0034-05

FEATURES

SMILE AND WAVE

<div class="byline">BY CURTIS NG</div><h2><b>GAME OF THE DAY</b></h2><p><b>WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011382/9896068-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="437" height="207"></div><p>Whoever wins takes a stranglehold on Group C. The loser will have trouble clinching a bye to the quarterfinal and potential Cinderella squad Switzerland looms. Can the Czechs muster offense against Henrik Lundqvist?</p><h2><b>GAME OF THE DAY</b></h2><p><b>THURSDAY, FEB. 13</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02985/9896061-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="437" height="207"></div><p>The Americans will be favored, but they cannot sleep on Slovakia, who upset Russia and Sweden at the 2010 Games. Look for the U.S. to soften up D-man Zdeno Chara with an aggressive forecheck by its physical wingers.</p><h2><b>GAME OF THE DAY</b></h2><p><b>FRIDAY, FEB. 14</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03816/9896054-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="437" height="207"></div><p>Here&rsquo;s a rematch of the 2013 World Championship final between the heavily favored Swedes and the upstart Swiss. That game ended in a 5-1 victory for Sweden, so Switzerland will be looking for some payback.</p><h2><b>GAME OF THE DAY</b></h2><p><b>SATURDAY, FEB. 15</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04675/9896047-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="437" height="207"></div><p>The Group of Death yields a classic matchup. The big question is whether the Americans, who struggled away from North America in 1998 and 2006, can keep their cool in front of a raucous, hostile crowd.</p><h2><b>GAME OF THE DAY</b></h2><p><b>SUNDAY, FEB. 16</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05576/9896040-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="437" height="207"></div><p>Finland and Canada will be in the same group along with Norway and Austria, which means a bye to the quarterfinal could be had for the winner of this game. Canada goes in as the favorite, but not by much.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06519/9896033-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="518" height="2994"></div><h2><b>FORMAT FOR SOCHI 2014</b></h2><p>Each team plays a three-game round-robin within its four-team group. The three group winners and a fourth team with the next best record advance to the quarterfinal. The other eight seeds play a single qualification game: 5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10 and 8 vs. 9. The winners of the qualification games move to the quarterfinal versus the four advancing teams. The quarterfinal winners advance to the semifinal. The semifinal winners advance to the gold medal game while the losers play for the bronze.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07445/9896026-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="518" height="2080"></div><p><i>*All starts are Eastern Standard Time (EST)</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-01

MEN’S SCHEDULE

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04262/9896845-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg"></div><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/XWORD</a></b></p><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1 Sergei ___ tends net in Columbus</p><p>8 Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Marc-___ Fleury</p><p>9 Cover very closely</p><p>10 Jabs</p><p>11 Seats between the blues and greys at old Maple Leaf Gardens</p><p>12 Michael ___ helped Boston to its latest Cup</p><p>14 They share the United Center with the Blackhawks</p><p>17 Promote a player from the minors: two words</p><p>19 Trophy won by 1 Across in 2013</p><p>20 Lorne ___ played for and later coached the Isles</p><p>21 He wore 17 in Edmonton, a number now retired</p><p>22 Fell on the puck, stopping play</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>2 Paul Coffey was another ___ great</p><p>3 Tom ___ was succeeded by &lsquo;Torts&rsquo; as Rangers coach</p><p>4 Swerves</p><p>5 Player who talks a lot</p><p>6 Don ___ was Sabres goalie from 1976-82</p><p>7 Make the grade: two words</p><p>11 Washington&rsquo;s Mikhail ___, pictured</p><p>13 Junior team based in Kamloops</p><p>15 ___ Ozolinsh won a Cup with Colorado in 1996</p><p>16 Hockey&rsquo;s first masked man</p><p>17 Emblem or logo worn on the sweater</p><p>18 Bones of the forearm</p><p><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1. LUNDQVIST, 8. HORSE, 9. SPOKANE, 10. SMYTHE, 11. FRANCE, 12. SOCHI, 14. SCOTT, 17. DEVILS, 19. ROOKIE, 20. CAMERON, 21. TOTAL, 22. SCHNEIDER <b>DOWN</b> 2. UPPER, 3. DUKING, 4. VINCE, 5. THOMAS, 6. PROTECT, 7. TELEVISES, 11. FRUSTRATE, 13. TORONTO, 15. TRIALS, 16. EVGENI, 17. DRAIN, 18. LOOSE<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-04

CROSSWORD

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012210/9894572-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>QUICK FIX?</b></p><p>L.A.&rsquo;s Jonathan Quick gets all tangled up shortly after returning from a groin injury.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0003-01

IN THIS ISSUE

OPENING FACEOFF

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012264/9894610-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="526" height="922"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span><b>HIS</b>&nbsp;<b>ISN&rsquo;T THE SUMMIT SERIES,</b>&nbsp;it&rsquo;s not Miracle on Ice or the various Canada Cups. It&rsquo;s not even Rendez-vous &rsquo;87. But the hockey tournament at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi will have a political undertone, of sorts: the NHL vs. the Kontinental League.</p><p>That 40 percent of Team Russia&rsquo;s lineup is comprised of players who hold day jobs in their home and native land sends a message, whether intended or not. The key power brokers behind the KHL have long stated they want their league to rival the NHL in terms of talent, a mission that includes growing the loop beyond its borders and into Western Europe and Scandinavia. To wit, Jokerit, one of Finland&rsquo;s preeminent clubs based in Helsinki, joins the burgeoning circuit next year.</p><p>In advance of that, before the eyes of the world, Russia is icing a roster in Sochi dotted with KHL names. We&rsquo;re very familiar with some &ndash; Ilya Kovalchuk was a no-brainer, as was former Nashville Predator Alexander Radulov. We&rsquo;re less intimate with Alexander Eremenko, the agile 33-year-old Moscow Dynamo stopper who&rsquo;ll likely be third string behind Seymon Varlamov and Sergei Bobrovsky. The braintrust chose a pair of blueliners from Ak Bars, Evgeni Medvedev and Ilya Nikulin, the latter of whom was an Atlanta Thrashers second-rounder in 2000 and a close friend of Alex Ovechkin&rsquo;s. Forwards Sergei Soin, Alexander Popov, Denis Kokarev and Alexei Tereshchenko are some of the names whose Google hits will spike in the coming weeks. The aforementioned earned berths at the expense of NHL players of profile, such as Alex Semin, Nail Yakupov and Sergei Gonchar.</p><p>We&rsquo;ll know by the end of February if the gambit by the Team Russia hierarchy, led by GM Alexei Kasatonov, was a wise one. The betting at The Hockey News is that it will be.</p><p>Before the final roster was announced, Russia was our pick to win gold and, despite some curious maneuvers, we stand behind the choice. While Canada has the best club on paper, the Americans are the fastest, the Finns are deepest in goal and the Swedes are solid allaround, we see the Russians and their uber-motivated leader Ovechkin leveraging the internationally-sized home ice advantage to pry themselves from the cluster. If that transpires, it&rsquo;ll be a not-so-subtle message to the NHL that it has company.</p><p><b>NEXT ISSUE</b> FEBRUARY 10, 2014</p><p><b>CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO SUBSCRIBE:</b> <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></p><p><b>CONTACT US:</b> <a href="mailto:editorial@thehockeynews.com">editorial@thehockeynews.com</a></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021916/9894603-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="414" height="222"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0004-01

RUSSIA SENDS A MESSAGE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-06364/9894721-1-eng-US/f0006-062.jpg" title="f0006-06" width="610" height="833"></div><p class="dropcap"><i><span>I</span> am yet again disappointed that there are so few women represented in your 100 People of Power and Influence list and that those three who are have been selected solely for their athletic abilities (Jan. 20). I find it impossible to believe there isn&rsquo;t a woman in a management, development, administrative or media position that hasn&rsquo;t made a mark on the game. It sends a mixed message to women and girls that they are only important as players and that there is no room for them at the table once they stop playing. In order for the game to evolve and continue to be a legitimate force, women need to be included, lauded and given the opportunity to further their careers off ice. It&rsquo;s time for the hockey community to stand up and stop dragging its knuckles.</i></p><p><b><i>Betsy Blecha, Walden, Colo.</i></b></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-031017/9894728-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="130" height="131"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021702/9894714-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="141" height="88"></div><p>There is nobody on your People of Power and Influence list from the Kings and Ducks and only Joe Thornton from the Sharks and John Tortorella from the Canucks, so I can only conclude there really isn&rsquo;t anyone on the Left Coast who makes any difference to the game of hockey. Tim Leiweke, who was with Los Angeles last year and was No. 74, moved up to No. 39 just by moving to Toronto. I worked as a detective for many years and I&rsquo;m guessing the sales of your magazine has a lot to do with the rankings. I have to admit that we are getting used to your lack of coverage of the Pacific Division, but this latest dig was much lower than even I expected.</p><p><b><i>John C. Cawdrey, Walnut, Calif.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04651/9894707-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="140" height="88"></div><p>After reading your People of Power issue, I had to check the Weather Channel to see if hell froze over. You actually made a list without Sidney Crosby as No. 1? Not only that, but he wasn&rsquo;t even on the cover. You actually gave credit to Alex Ovechkin! It&rsquo;s nice to see you are giving credit and acknowledgement to someone else for a change. For a while there I thought his dad was writing for you.</p><p><b><i>Scott Engles, Pasadena, Md.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-07240/9894700-1-eng-US/f0006-072.jpg" title="f0006-07" width="141" height="88"></div><p>Another year, another snub of Mario Lemieux on your POP list. I don&rsquo;t get what you guys have against him. He was in New York as part of the lockout negotiations, he&rsquo;s one of the best owners in the league in Pittsburgh and his charity work remains some of the best.</p><p><b><i>Dominic Piccola, Pittsburgh</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>SMASH AND DASH</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-08151/9894693-1-eng-US/f0006-082.jpg" title="f0006-08" width="140" height="88"></div><p>I enjoyed David Boclair&rsquo;s feature about hockey in Nashville (&ldquo;Smashville,&rdquo; Jan. 20). My wife and I are planning to kick off our NHL arena road trips this year and Nashville is on our list. This article gives us a great idea of how to plan our trip and where to go. We&rsquo;re more excited than ever. Let&rsquo;s see more of these articles. Maybe one for every NHL city to help travelling fans plan better? One thing is for sure: The Hockey News is going on this road trip with us.</p><p><b><i>Barry Pfeiffer Bethalto, Ill.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>TOO MUCH PUCK?</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-09101/9894686-1-eng-US/f0006-092.jpg" title="f0006-09" width="140" height="88"></div><p>It was with great interest that I read Ken Campbell&rsquo;s Overtime column about the demands we are putting on elite-level youth hockey players (&ldquo;Rink Around The Clock,&rdquo; World Junior Preview). As we analyze the ruins of yet another disappointing WJC for Canada, we need to focus not on the efforts of the kids who played their hearts out, but on how we are developing our talent. When we subject our kids to playing conditions deemed unacceptable for grown men, is it any wonder other countries who focus more on skill development have caught up to us or even surpassed us?</p><p><b><i>Bart Wentink, Houston, Texas</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>BLUE-CHIP ISSUE</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-1075/9894679-1-eng-US/f0006-102.jpg" title="f0006-10" width="140" height="88"></div><p>A stick tap for your outstanding World Junior Championship preview, especially to Ryan Kennedy, who was the penman of much of the content. As a fellow prospect journalist, I can truly appreciate the time it takes to gather information, whether it be travelling from rink to rink or conducting countless interviews. Great work.</p><p><b><i>Brendan Ross, Dresden, Ont.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-1159/9894672-1-eng-US/f0006-112.jpg" title="f0006-11" width="262" height="69"></div><h2><b>PUCKPOLL</b></h2><p>WHICH COUNTRY WILL WIN GOLD AT THE 2014 SOCHI OLYMPICS?</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05512/9894665-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="1025" height="668"></div><p>LOVE OR HATE ONE OF OUR FEATURES/STORIES? LET US KNOW BY EMAILING US AT <a href="mailto:letters@thehockeynews.com">LETTERs@THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-06

A BALANCE OF POWER?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ALAN ADAMS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012382/9894773-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="248" height="282"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021826/9894766-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="1055" height="638"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031303/9894759-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="1032" height="776"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>PRESIDENTIAL PLAN</b></p><p>Vladimir Putin hopes the Winter Olympics will help turn Sochi into a tourist destination.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span></b><b>OMEHOW YOU HAVE TO THINK</b> diehard communists Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin wouldn&rsquo;t be amused if they could see how this faded Black Sea resort has been transformed from a &ldquo;workers&rsquo; paradise&rdquo; into the host city of the 2014 Olympic Games.</p><p>Sprawling 90 miles along the Black Sea coastline, Sochi has long been a palm tree destination point for Russians.</p><p>The first revellers were upper-crust socialites, who flocked en masse to the city&rsquo;s subtropical climate and grand beachside spas and sanatoriums. When the czars were booted out after the 1919 civil war, Sochi became a playground for the Communist party brass and for &ldquo;selected&rdquo; workers whose dedication to the glories of the one-party socialist state were rewarded with a week at the beach.</p><p>In fact, it was one-time party boss Stalin who ordered a massive expansion in the 1930s, during which new roads, hotels and parks were built and the population rose from 17,000 to 72,000. Sochi became a favorite destination for Stalin and he had a massive villa built there in 1937.</p><p>Following the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the jewel of the Russian Riviera lost its shine. As Russians embraced capitalism, rather than splash their cash here, they headed to the beaches of Spain, Dubai and Morocco.</p><p>Fast-forward to July 2007, when the International Olympic Committee awarded Sochi the 2014 Winter Games. The city, long a favorite recreation spot of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, was about to undergo a massive transformation.</p><p>Putin views the pride and prestige of hosting the Olympics to be priceless, in part because this is Russia&rsquo;s first Winter Olympics and its first Games since Summer 1980 in Moscow, when the U.S. led a boycott to protest the Soviet Union&rsquo;s invasion of Afghanistan.</p><p>With Putin in charge, the cost of bringing Sochi up to Olympic standards was irrelevant. Russian officials have said the Games will be the most expensive yet, costing more than $50 billion, which would easily eclipse the $42 billion China spent on the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.</p><p>Rail stations were built, roads were paved, the airport was brought up to modern standards, hotels were modernized, condo towers erected and Olympic-caliber facilities were built. There are the 11 official Olympic sites, split between a coastal cluster, where the men and women&rsquo;s hockey tournaments will be held, and a mountain cluster. The coastal cluster is 30 miles from the city of Sochi.</p><p>The main arena is the 12,000-seat Bolshoy Ice Dome and the second is the 7,000-seat Shayba Arena. A concern, however, is Sochi has no real sports history and the longterm outlook for these buildings is questionable. The arenas, like most of the other venues, were the first for the city. What happens when the Olympics leave town remains to be seen. Sustainability is an issue.</p><p>And there are other questions. Is Sochi ready for the 7,000 athletes and officials, the 2,800 media members, the 3,000 IOC members and their guests, the 12,000 sponsors and their guests, along with the 73,000 workers?</p><p>The Russians say yes. Skeptics aren&rsquo;t so sure. The naysayers point to how officials were unprepared when torrential rains hit Sochi in September. A state of emergency was declared as swollen rivers flooded parts of the city. Given Sochi has a humid subtropical climate, this could happen during the Games.</p><p>The Games also pose serious security concerns, largely because of neighboring Abkhazia, a disputed territory that has sought independence from Georgia, and the North Caucasus, a hotbed of Islamist insurgency. Security forces will be everywhere at the Games. Russian researchers recently uncovered an effort by the state security apparatus, the Federal Security Bureau, to monitor all telephone and Internet traffic in and out of Sochi during the period of the Games.</p><p>Another issue is Russia&rsquo;s law that bans gay &ldquo;propaganda&rdquo; to minors, a move that caused outrage in sports circles. Brian Burke, who is a member of Team USA&rsquo;s management team, has said he will speak his mind about discrimination against gay athletes and has all but challenged the Russians to stop him. Knowing this could become a hot-button issue once the Games start, Putin has reassured the IOC that security officials won&rsquo;t punish those who speak out against this measure.</p><p>Putin wants to reposition Sochi as a tourism destination. Condo towers are in various states of completion and construction won&rsquo;t pause during the Games, undoubtedly resulting in transportation snarls.</p><p>This isn&rsquo;t to say Sochi doesn&rsquo;t have its charms. The city is sandwiched between the Black Sea and the snow-capped Caucasus Mountains and it&rsquo;s a pretty place with pleasurable weather. Sochi has an eccentric mix of Soviet lifestyle, trendy restaurants, Russian chanson music and traditional Caucasian food. The boardwalk cafes along the beaches are superb in terms of view. One minute you can be enjoying modern Sochi and the next you can buy pussy willows from babushkas on the street corner.</p><p>The city that used to be Russia&rsquo;s version of hip is once again trying to become trendy. It will be fun to watch what happens after the Olympic flame goes out.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-01

SETTING THE STAGE FOR SOCHI

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012116/9894804-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0009-01

THE INSTIGATOR

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021484/9894835-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="448" height="550"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>EVERYBODY PLAYS</b></h3><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>ith Colorado&rsquo;s <b><i>Gabriel Landeskog</i></b> joining the You Can Play initiative, the NHL becomes the first major league to have every club involved in the equal rights organization.</p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>&lsquo;MAC&rsquo; CHEESED OFF</b></h3><p>Oilers GM Craig MacTavish gets into a shouting match with an Edmonton fan after another loss, this time to St. Louis.</p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>TAKE THAT, LEBRON</b></h3><p>Commissioner Gary Bettman can now brag the NHL boasts more teams at 100 percent attendance capacity (or greater) than the NBA, with the scorecard reading 15-8.</p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>SAN JOSE&rsquo;S SICK BAY</b></h3><p>With Tomas Hertl out, the Sharks are dealt another cruel blow when Logan Couture is forced to go under the knife.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-02

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DON LAIBLE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012357/9894866-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>CAN&rsquo;T BEAT THE HEAT</b></p><p>Philly play-by-play man Jim Jackson must stuff himself with soup every game day.</p></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span></b><b>PORTS ARE STEEPED IN</b>superstition. Athletes are notorious for their game day rituals and, for their part, hardcore fans have lucky shirts, hats and seats. It comes as little surprise, then, that those bringing the action to life are susceptible to ritual&rsquo;s sway.</p><p>Like his baseball broadcasting brethren who know better than to note when a pitcher is working on a perfect game, Philadelphia Flyers play-by-play man Jim Jackson makes sure never to mention when a goalie has a shutout going. (He also works radio for the Philadelphia Phillies, so he may be the best candidate to bring this over from baseball.) Jackson, the voice of the Flyers on TV for 17 seasons, also has a special game-day meal. &ldquo;Home or away games, I have to have soup for lunch,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a cupboard in my home that&rsquo;s well stocked.&rdquo;</p><p>Mike Haynes, TV play-by-play announcer for the Colorado Avalanche, has his own routine when it comes to food. He&rsquo;s been with the team since it moved to Denver in 1995 and has a ritual that dates back 25 years. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m 100 percent Irish,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;On game day, I must eat some sort of potato.&rdquo;</p><p>But Haynes isn&rsquo;t just particular about his food, he&rsquo;s perhaps more superstitious about his pens. He uses four different colored ones during each telecast, as does Bill Clement, the former Flyer who since 1986 has done broadcast work for ESPN, Comcast SportsNet and NBC. Haynes has been using the same type of pens since he began his career calling Colo nial League games in 1993 and buys them by the box so he&rsquo;s never short on supply. &ldquo;In keeping score and game notes, I use red for the home team, blue for the away team, names are written in black and green is used for stats,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I reach to my right for them. Without looking, I can grab the right color.&rdquo;</p><p>In Buffalo, former NHLer Mike Robitaille has two rituals he&rsquo;s kept from his playing days. Robitaille, who suited up for the Sabres from 1971 to 1974, is now part of their TV team and still takes a nap each game day. Closer to game time, he&rsquo;s superstitious in another way. &ldquo;I always drive the same route to the (First Niagara Center),&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I started this tradition when I had a big night as a player. I must still take the same route as a broadcaster to games.&rdquo;</p><p>And next time you see a player grab a milestone puck out of the net, don&rsquo;t think such souvenirs only interest those on the ice. Howie Rose, who worked radio for the New York Rangers from 1989 to 1995 and is now in his 18th season as the New York Islanders TV play-byplay announcer, has been holding onto something special for nearly two decades. &ldquo;The suit I wore the night the Rangers won it all (in 1994), drenched in champagne, stench and all, hangs in my closet still,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Maybe, if all goes well in Manhattan,  he&rsquo;ll have the perfect occasion to take the suit out once again in June.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

SUPERSTITION IS THE WAY?

<div class="byline">BY SAL BARRY, WEBMASTER OF THE HOCKEY CARD SITE PUCKJUNK.COM</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021727/9894897-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LEN REDKOLES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>O</span>lympic hockey was seldom the subject of vintage card sets, which usually focused on a particular league and its players and not international play. When the 1980 United States Olympic team upset the Soviet Union and then beat Finland for the gold medal to cap its Miracle on Ice, an exception was made. Seven U.S. players joined NHL teams after the Olympics, including Mark Johnson and Dave Christian, as well as tournament-leading goaltender Jim Craig. That fall, their 1980-81 trading cards were adorned with a &ldquo;USA Hockey Team&rdquo; logo on the front, denoting their accomplishment on the global stage.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

In The CARDS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012297/9894928-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LINK FATHER, LIKE SON</b></p><p>Jakob Chychrun hopes to follow in the footsteps of father Jeff and make it to the NHL one day.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(KEN CAMPBELL)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>E AT THE HOCKEY NEWS</b> have two messages for the Ontario League team that drafts Jakob Chychrun in a couple months. First, too bad about finishing last. Second, you might want to consider increasing the stick budget by a lot.</p><p>Chychrun is a boy-man who plays defense for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens minor midget team and is the consensus first overall pick in this spring&rsquo;s OHL draft. His coach, John Winstanley, said Chychrun&rsquo;s shot is so hard he broke eight sticks in his first three practices earlier this season. &ldquo;He uses a 102 flex stick and it usually only lasts a couple of games because he either breaks it or it becomes too weak,&rdquo; Winstanley said. &ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t clocked his shot yet, but I&rsquo;m sure he shoots the puck at almost 100 miles per hour.&rdquo; old who could challenge the NHL&rsquo;s hardest shooters in the skills competition at the All-Star Game, but what makes Chychrun unique is he played his formative minor hockey years in south Florida. The son of Jeff Chychrun, former NHLer and Stanley Cup winner, Jakob&rsquo;s a product of the Florida Jr. Panthers system sprung from the NHL&rsquo;s Sunbelt expansion effort.</p><p>Chychrun eventually outgrew the competition in Florida and joined the Detroit Little Caesars organization two seasons ago. Since then he has established himself as an elite player with world-class abilities. &ldquo;His skill with the puck is off the charts,&rdquo; Winstanley said.</p><p>And along with those talents, Chychrun has already developed a body that wouldn&rsquo;t have him out of place in any NHL dressing room. He&rsquo;s 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds and still growing. &ldquo;Growing up in Florida, I always had to push myself to improve as much as I could with what was down there,&rdquo; Chychrun said. &ldquo;In Florida I always played one or two years up.&rdquo;</p><p>The elder Chychrun settled in Boca Raton after his hockey career ended in 1994. He got his college degree and started coaching hockey not long after. Jeff said he remembers at one point, he and former NHLers Ray Sheppard, Rob Tallas, Duane Sutter and Peter Worrell were all coaching teams with the Jr. Panthers. And while there hasn&rsquo;t exactly been the deluge of players the likes of which has been produced by California, there have been some positive results. Former Jr. Panther Trent Ruffolo won a national championship with Yale last season and Eric Drapluk is on a scholarship at Lake Superior State University.</p><p>But it wasn&rsquo;t easy. The two years Jakob played in Detroit he still lived in Florida. He would practice with the Jr. Panthers, then fly to wherever the Little Caesars were playing on the weekend. He would often fly out with his father Thursday night, then practice with his Detroit team and play either a weekend series or a tournament with them and fly back. There are excellent facilities in south Florida and a growing participa tion level among non-northern transplants, but it&rsquo;s still at a stage where elite players need to go north if they are really serious about pursuing a career. The same way an elite baseball player would have to go to Texas, Florida players have to look elsewhere to improve. &ldquo;You know what? I didn&rsquo;t invent that method down there,&rdquo; Jeff Chychrun said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a long list of players who had been doing that prior to us.&rdquo;</p><p>Chychrun is so good that many people who watched him play last season thought he would join Sean Day in applying for exceptional player status with Hockey Canada, which would have allowed him to play in the OHL this season. But he chose to try to stay in the U.S. and applied for exceptional status with USA Hockey. Fully expecting to be approved, Chychrun went to training camp with the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States League, but he was denied the exceptional player status by USA Hockey, which has a policy of not taking 15-year-old players for its under-17 team with the National Development Program.</p><p>The decisions may end up costing USA Hockey an elite player in the future. Since his father is Canadian, Chychrun has dual citizenship and is free to choose either country for international play.</p><p>To that end, he played as a 15-year-old on the Ontario team at the recent World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Sydney, N.S. The tournament isn&rsquo;t sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation, so Chychrun would still be free to play for either country internationally, but he would have to stay with the country he chooses for his first IIHF-sanctioned event &ndash; probably the World Under-18 Championship. &ldquo;Either would be great,&rdquo; Chychrun said. &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t say I have my heart set on one yet. It&rsquo;s a tough decision.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-01

BIG BEYOND HIS YEARS

<div class="byline">BY GARETH BUSH, JOSH ELLIOTT AND BRIAN O&#x2019;NEILL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-012001/9895071-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="299" height="422"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>O</span>n <b>ICELAND&rsquo;S</b> logo is a maple leaf and a falcon, which is the country&rsquo;s national bird. The logo honors the Winnipeg Falcons, who represented Canada at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. It was the first time hockey had been played at the Olympics. Every member of the Falcons except one, Allan Woodman, was of Icelandic descent</p><p>The Central League&rsquo;s <b>DENVER CUTTHROATS</b> are out of their building for 44 days for the National Western Stock Show, but they&rsquo;re taking a Colorado Tour playing &ldquo;home&rdquo; games in Aspen Jan. 3 and 4 and in Vail Jan. 24, 25. The Cutthroats will play 16 games in between games at their normal home, the Denver Coliseum</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-06517/9895064-1-eng-US/f0013-062.jpg" title="f0013-06" width="253" height="180"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-04812/9895057-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="318" height="233"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021395/9895050-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="462" height="434"></div><p>Prior to the announcement of Team Canada&rsquo;s 2014 Olympic roster, plenty of Canadian NHLers who were on the bubble picked up their play. The right column details the players&rsquo; production leading up to Jan. 7, while the left column shows how they were performing before their scoring streaks</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-07468/9895043-1-eng-US/f0013-072.jpg" title="f0013-07" width="1910" height="1184"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>CAP HITS OF NHL PLAYERS PER NATION PARTICIPATING IN THE MEN&rsquo;S HOCKEY TOURNAMENT AT THE SOCHI GAMES:</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-08430/9895036-1-eng-US/f0013-082.jpg" title="f0013-08" width="218" height="93"></div><h2><b>CANADA</b></h2><p>$150.9M (25 NHLERS)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-09398/9895029-1-eng-US/f0013-092.jpg" title="f0013-09" width="218" height="93"></div><h2><b>UNITED STATES</b></h2><p> $119.8M (25 NHLERS)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-10372/9895022-1-eng-US/f0013-102.jpg" title="f0013-10" width="218" height="93"></div><h2><b>SWEDEN</b></h2><p> $98.2M (24 NHLERS)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-11339/9895015-1-eng-US/f0013-112.jpg" title="f0013-11" width="218" height="90"></div><h2><b>RUSSIA</b></h2><p>$63.4M (15 NHLERS)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-12296/9895008-1-eng-US/f0013-122.jpg" title="f0013-12" width="218" height="93"></div><h2><b>FINLAND</b></h2><p> $62.0M (16 NHLERS)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-13253/9895001-1-eng-US/f0013-132.jpg" title="f0013-13" width="218" height="93"></div><h2><b>CZECH REPUBLIC</b></h2><p> $59.2M (17 NHLERS)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-14217/9894994-1-eng-US/f0013-142.jpg" title="f0013-14" width="218" height="91"></div><h2><b>SLOVAKIA</b></h2><p>$43.9M (14 NHLERS)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-15180/9894987-1-eng-US/f0013-152.jpg" title="f0013-15" width="218" height="96"></div><h2><b>SWITZERLAND</b></h2><p>$22.9M (9 NHLERS)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-16137/9894980-1-eng-US/f0013-162.jpg" title="f0013-16" width="218" height="93"></div><h2><b>AUSTRIA</b></h2><p>$9.7M (3 NHLERS)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-17110/9894973-1-eng-US/f0013-172.jpg" title="f0013-17" width="218" height="93"></div><h2><b>SLOVENIA</b></h2><p>$6.8M (1 NHLER)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1894/9894966-1-eng-US/f0013-182.jpg" title="f0013-18" width="218" height="93"></div><h2><b>NORWAY</b></h2><p> $1.2M (1 NHLER)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-1977/9894959-1-eng-US/f0013-192.jpg" title="f0013-19" width="218" height="93"></div><h2><b>LATVIA</b></h2><p>$894,167 (1 NHLER)<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-01

Ice CHIPS

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012276/9895123-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/GETTYIMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>B</span>UFFALO &ndash; LITTLE-KNOWN FACT:</b> Alex Ovechkin has ink. He&rsquo;s not hockey&rsquo;s version of Chris Andersen or anything, but the two tattoos on either side of his lower back are big, dark blue, thick and Chinese. One of them says &ldquo;Life&rdquo; and the other &ldquo;Family.&rdquo; They do not say, as Washington Capitals coach Adam Oates suggested after a recent game in Buffalo, &ldquo;I love Oatsie.&rdquo;</p><p>Another little-known fact: Tatyana Ovechkina&rsquo;s women&rsquo;s basketball gold medals from the 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics are in the garage of the family home in Moscow. But her son&rsquo;s hockey medals are on display in a glass case along a wall. They provide a wonderful decorative symmetry, with three gold medals (World Junior Championship 2003, World Championship 2008 and 2012), three silvers (under-18 World Championship 2002, World Junior Championship 2005, World Championship 2010) and three bronze (under-18 World Championship 2003, World Championship 2005 and 2007). And yes, there&rsquo;s plenty of room for an Olympic gold medal, a bauble that eluded Ovechkin in 2006 and 2010.</p><p>Ridiculously well-known fact: There isn&rsquo;t an athlete in any sport from any country who will face more intense, suffocating and mind-numbing pressure than Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin will in Sochi 2014. Hey, who&rsquo;s the gold medal favorite in the two-man luge event? Don&rsquo;t know? Didn&rsquo;t think so. But Ovechkin is the gaptoothed face of Russian hockey, one of the NHL&rsquo;s most flamboyant superstars and an all-around bon vivant. For Mother Russia, Ovechkin is the torchbearer, literally and figuratively. The Winter Olympics are in Russia for the first time and when president Vladimir Putin, a guy who seems accustomed to getting what he wants, says he expects a gold medal, there tends to be a little urgency to deliver.</p><p>(Putin, by the way, was recently on the ice at the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, playing on a team with Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko in a game involving former Russian hockey stars. Their team won. Imagine that. When you watch Putin play on YouTube, you see a guy who seems to get an inordinate amount of room in front of the net for a lumbering skater. In another clip, that goalie seems reeeaaallly slow getting his glove up for a high backhander. Coincidence? We think nyet.)</p><p>Ovechkin, meanwhile, is well on his way to winning his second straight Rocket Richard Trophy as the most prolific goal scorer in the NHL. He&rsquo;s also on pace to go minus-34. But once he steps on the ice with the best players in the world in Sochi, none of that will matter. All that will, for everyone from peasants to Putin, is a gold medal for the home team. At this moment in time, people in Russia don&rsquo;t care how many Stanley Cups Ovechkin wins during his career or how many trophies he collects. They don&rsquo;t care that he and his fiancee, tennis star Maria Kirilenko, will one day make beautiful babies who will have the genes to deliver more talented athletes to Russia.</p><p>For Ovechkin, it&rsquo;s all about here and now. Sidney Crosby, the player with whom Ovechkin is most often compared, scored the golden goal to win it for Canada in 2010. Now it&rsquo;s up to Ovechkin to create the same kind of magic. Adding to the pressure for Russia is the ignominy of finishing fourth in 2006 and then sixth in 2010, after being blasted in the quarterfinal by Canada in a game in which Russian goalie Ilya Bryzgalov likened the Canadian players to &ldquo;gorillas coming out of a cage.&rdquo;</p><p>When it comes to gold medals, the Russians are 0-for-the-past-5 Olympics and, more importantly, haven&rsquo;t won since the tournament became a best-on-best event with NHL players in 1998. They last won it all in 1992 under the clunky and rather contradictory Unified Team banner, back when Alex Ovechkin was just six and didn&rsquo;t have Putin&rsquo;s phone number. And, oh yeah, the Russians haven&rsquo;t exactly torn it up at the Olympics with Ovechkin, who is known more for his thundering hit on Jaromir Jagr in Vancouver than for anything else he did on the ice in the tournament.</p><p>In fact, you could argue the Vancouver experience was the precise moment when Ovechkin&rsquo;s play fell off the map, only to be revived by Oates last season. Going into those Olympics, Ovechkin was riding high, with 42 goals and 89 points in 54 games. Then came the Olympics. Ovechkin said Russia&rsquo;s fatal mistake was losing in a shootout to Slovakia (he scored once on three tries against Jaroslav Halak) that forced a quarterfinal against Canada. It was billed as Ovechkin vs. Crosby, but in reality it was the Canadian line of Jonathan Toews between Rick Nash and Mike Richards that shut down the Russian trio of Malkin between Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. Canada led 4-1 after one period and cruised to a 7-3 victory in which Ovechkin was largely invisible, going AWOL after a crushing hit from Canadian defenseman Shea Weber.</p><p>Ovechkin scored just eight goals in 18 NHL games down the stretch that year, then failed to lift his Capitals out of the first round against the Montreal Canadiens, despite the fact the Capitals won the Presidents&rsquo; Trophy. He spent much of the next two seasons in a funk, unproductive offensively and seemingly without the same <i>joie de vivre</i> he had displayed earlier in his career. It was only when Oates came to the Capitals that Ovechkin turned his game around. &ldquo;I always enjoy the game, but for you guys, Alex Ovechkin has to score every game,&rdquo; Ovechkin says. &ldquo;Of course I read the news, I watch TV and I listen to what people say about me. The pressure was just pressure. It&rsquo;s still on me and it will never go away. But as soon as I started scoring goals everybody was saying I&rsquo;m back, but I was always there.&rdquo;</p><p>In reality, when the puck drops for Russia&rsquo;s first game Feb. 13 against Slovenia, the play of Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk, Andrei Markov and Semyon Varlamov will be just as vital to Russia&rsquo;s goldmedal hopes. But so much of it comes down to Ovechkin. Back in the fall, surrounded by Greek goddesses (nothing out of the ordinary there), Ovechkin was the first Russian athlete to carry the Olympic torch from Olympia, igniting the hopes of fans in his homeland the moment he took the flame. &ldquo;Maybe,&rdquo; Ovechkin says when asked whether he&rsquo;ll face more pressure than any athlete in Sochi. &ldquo;But pressure is always on me. I know how to handle it and I know everything about pressure. I&rsquo;m probably the most pressure guy in the league since I got here.&rdquo;</p><p>If you need a refresher on how much playing in the 2014 Olympics means to Ovechkin, harken back to a few years ago when he pronounced that, NHL approval be damned, he would participate in the Sochi Games. Some have even credited the pressure Ovechkin put on the NHL as a factor in the league&rsquo;s decision to participate. The NHL hasn&rsquo;t been terribly keen on the Olympics since it realized it couldn&rsquo;t make millions of dollars from them and, in reality, this may be the last time we see NHLers at the Games. The 2018 Games will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, which represents a whopping 14-hour time difference from Eastern Standard Time. The 2022 Games will be held in one of Sweden, Poland, Norway, Kazakhstan, Ukraine or China, so the prospect of the NHL scrapping the concept is very real.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-012042/9895116-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="1398" height="925"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LONG ROAD BACK</b></p><p>Alex Ovechkin went into a statistical tailspin after the Vancouver Games in 2010.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Ovechkin had the backing of his owner Ted Leonsis, who not only approved Ovechkin&rsquo;s decision, but said he would fly Ovechkin to and from Sochi in a charter jet to play in the Games. Other Russian athletes waffled on the question, but Ovechkin was adamant from the beginning that he would be there regardless of the repercussions. It&rsquo;s a decision he stands by as he sits with his toque over his ears in a hotel lobby in Buffalo in late December. &ldquo;You know, money is one thing, but your country is another thing,&rdquo; Ovechkin says. &ldquo;If I lose my money from getting suspended for months, two weeks or three weeks, if I don&rsquo;t get paid, I can still live without it. I&rsquo;m going to be fine. It&rsquo;s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be there and try to win the gold.&rdquo;</p><p>Even with last year&rsquo;s lockout, Ovechkin has made more than $45 million so far in the NHL and stands to have more than $130 million in career earnings when his current contract expires in 2021. Ovechkin will be 35 by that time. Who knows whether he&rsquo;ll ever win a Stanley Cup? Even an Olympic gold isn&rsquo;t guaranteed. In reality, the Russians are top-heavy in top-shelf offensive talent, but neither Ovechkin nor the of tinjured Evgeni Malkin is among the NHL&rsquo;s top 10 point producers. Ovechkin isn&rsquo;t even the highest scorer on his own team. That honor belongs to Nicklas Backstrom, who will spend the two-week tournament feeding pucks to his Swedish wingers and not his favored target in Washington.</p><p>But none to worry, Ovechkin will be surrounded by a fair bit of talent himself. It stands to reason his center will be one of Malkin or Datsyuk and playing the right wing on his line will be one of NHL refugee Alexander Radulov or young NHL stars Valeri Nichushkin or Vladimir Tarasenko. What&rsquo;s that, you say? Ovechkin won&rsquo;t be playing right wing? Probably not, even though Oates&rsquo; decision to move him to the right side last season has rejuvenated Ovechkin&rsquo;s career and led him to what will almost certainly be two consecutive Rocket Richard Trophies. Oates reasoned Ovechkin would see more offensive opportunities and become less predictable if he played his natural side of the ice. But the Russians, who like to have their wingers on their forehands when they go to the net, have traditionally had forwards play their off wings. &ldquo;He and I talked about it. He said, &lsquo;What do you think?&rsquo; and I said, &lsquo;I think you should play your off side,&rsquo; &rdquo; Oates says. &ldquo;Because that&rsquo;s the way his countrymen have grown up. That&rsquo;s the way they play, so it makes sense for him to flip the switch and go back because that&rsquo;s their chemistry. Our chemistry is a different one and that&rsquo;s why I like him on the right side.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011755/9895109-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="666" height="925"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NIKEINC.COM)</span></figcaption></div><p>What the Russian team is lacking, though, is depth of talent. With a roster almost equally split between the NHL and Kontinental League, the Russians simply don&rsquo;t have the third and fourth lines to compete with the likes of Canada, Sweden and the U.S. The KHL has, of course, attracted Radulov and Kovalchuk, but it remains roughly on par with the American League in terms of talent. That will do nothing but increase the pressure on the NHL&rsquo;s stars &ndash; and Ovechkin &ndash; to deliver during the tournament.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">I READ THE NEWS, WATCH TV AND LISTEN TO WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT ME. THE PRESSURE WILL NEVER GO AWAY<br>&ndash; Alex Ovechkin</blockquote><p>Adding to that pressure is Ovechkin&rsquo;s relationship with Putin. The two aren&rsquo;t close in a let&rsquo;s-take-our-shirts-off-and-ride-horses kind of way, but Ovechkin once acknowledged he actually has Putin&rsquo;s home phone number, though he&rsquo;s never home when Ovechkin calls. (&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a pretty busy man,&rdquo; Ovechkin says.) What Ovechkin likes most about Putin is that, among other things, he&rsquo;s helped the basketball team Ovechkin&rsquo;s mother manages, he&rsquo;s raised the profile of sport in Russia and, in the old Soviet style, has invested in athletics and the prestige it brings a country when its performers are successful on the world stage. &ldquo;Yeah, he&rsquo;s a great person,&rdquo; Ovechkin says. &ldquo;I know you guys don&rsquo;t like him.&rdquo;</p><p>Well, that might be a bit of a stretch, but the rest of the world is, let&rsquo;s say, a little wary of the Russian president. Putin, a former lieutenant colonel in the KGB, once called the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union &ldquo;the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.&rdquo; Several international groups have claimed the current human rights situation in Russia is worse now than it has ever been during the post-Soviet era. Putin has tried to varnish his image with an amnesty bill in December that resulted in the release of imprisoned members of the punk band Pussy Riot, former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and members of Greenpeace who were all jailed after speaking out against Putin&rsquo;s regime.</p><p>But by far the biggest controversy has been Russia&rsquo;s anti-gay rights legislation, which has made it a crime to distribute &ldquo;propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations&rdquo; to minors, a law that was enacted with the support of the majority of Russian people. Numerous world leaders have responded by vowing to not go to Sochi. U.S. president Barack Obama made it clear he won&rsquo;t attend the Games, nor will the first lady, the vice-president or any members of his cabinet. Instead, Obama appointed a delegation that includes gay former athletes Billie Jean King and Brian Boitano, as well as Caitlin Cahow, who won silver and bronze Olympic medals with the U.S. women&rsquo;s hockey team. &ldquo;I think the delegation speaks for itself,&rdquo; Obama said when asked whether the delegation was designed to send a message to Russia.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021335/9895102-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="1434" height="1235"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GOING FOR GOLD</b></p><p>Ovechkin says an Olympic gold is more vital than a Stanley Cup &ndash; for now.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(MARTIN ROSE/BONGARTS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Ovechkin is clearly not comfortable discussing the law. He has lived and worked in North America for more than eight years now and, while he&rsquo;s probably not about to become an ambassador for the You Can Play project, he makes it clear this is a government decision and he&rsquo;s not about to endorse or criticize it. &ldquo;For me, athletics is athletics, I don&rsquo;t care who&rsquo;s gay and who&rsquo;s not gay,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know anybody in hockey who is gay, so I&rsquo;m kind of in a weird position. I support everybody.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not as bad as in the &rsquo;60s when if you were gay you were going to be killed. Right now, the world is almost free and you can do whatever you want. So, whatever.&rdquo;</p><p>Fair enough. Ovechkin is an athlete and he probably said what more than most of his counterparts would in that situation. Datsyuk came out in support of the laws, citing his Christian Orthodox beliefs. Ovechkin is more focused on the task at hand, but both Oates and linemate Backstrom have said he has done a remarkable job of putting the stress of the Olympics aside. It&rsquo;s interesting to note, however, that as the Olympics approached, Ovechkin&rsquo;s prodigious offensive output diminished. In the five games the Capitals played after the Christmas break, Ovechkin had just one goal. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he takes it as pressure, he&rsquo;s more excited by it,&rdquo; Backstrom says. &ldquo;He takes all the pressure and flips it around. He sees it as no pressure and he looks forward to it instead of squeezing his stick. That&rsquo;s the kind of guy he is and that&rsquo;s why he is where he is.&rdquo;</p><p>For 11 days in February &ndash; perhaps fewer depending on how the Russian team does &ndash; Ovechkin will be in the biggest pressure cooker of his career. A little more than a month before, he&rsquo;s still all smiles. When asked whether he would rather win a Stanley Cup or a gold medal, Ovechkin consults his calendar. &ldquo;Right now?&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;An Olympic gold.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

Alexander OVECHKIN 8

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011920/9895238-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(OVECHKIN: DAMIAN STROHMEYER/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED/GETTY IMAGES; CROSBY: DAVID E. KLUTHO/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED/GETTY IMAGES; ZETTERBERG: CAMERON SPENCER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>ITH A RAUCOUS HOME CROWD CHEERING</b> them on and North American rivals historically struggling on European ice, the Russians will earn gold at Sochi, The Hockey News predicts. Having superstar talents such as Alex Ovechkin, Pavel Datsyuk and Evgeni Malkin up front won&rsquo;t hurt Russia&rsquo;s cause, either.</p><p>But if Canada or the United States is to snatch the podium away from Putin&rsquo;s favorite sons, it will have to do so under different rules than the NHLers are used to back home. There will be no trapezoid in Sochi, so goalies won&rsquo;t be yoked to their crease in the same manner they are in the NHL. Also, no-touch icing is in, going one step further than the hybrid method currently on display in North America. A five-minute major penalty will also earn the offender an ejection, so rough stuff will be kept to a minimum.</p><p>Not only are there a gold medal and NHL/Kontinental League bragging rights on the line in Sochi, this may be the last time we see the top players in the world compete at the Olympics for a while. In 2018, South Korea plays host to the Winter Games and that presents more obstacles than benefits to NHL participation. There&rsquo;s the long travel, the time zone difference hurting TV ratings and the fact no Koreans currently play in the NHL. Ovechkin stated early on he would be going to Sochi with or without Gary Bettman&rsquo;s permission and with Ilya Kovalchuk already bolting home to the KHL, it was within the NHL&rsquo;s best interest to pacify its remaining Russian stars.</p><p>So enjoy the tournament and remember: there is a shootout and after three skaters, teams can repeat their shooters as many times as they want. So if you&rsquo;re cheering for Canada, pray the team just keeps sending Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews out there instead of getting cute and trying to find a Ray Bourque for 2014.</p><h2><b>PREDICTIONS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011681/9895231-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="320" height="166"></div><h2><b>1. RUSSIA</b></h2><p><b>GROUP A</b></p><p>Canada proved hometown pressure can be a positive. The Russians will as well. They&rsquo;ll find a way to shore up defensively.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021253/9895224-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="320" height="166"></div><h2><b>2. CANADA</b></h2><p><b>GROUP B</b></p><p>Canadian NHLers have flopped each time they&rsquo;ve competed at Games outside North America. It won&rsquo;t be easy in Russia.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03851/9895217-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="320" height="166"></div><h2><b>3. SWEDEN</b></h2><p><b>GROUP C</b></p><p>Elite talent, but lack of a 50-goal scorer will hold Tre Kronor back. The team will miss the leadership of Nicklas Lidstrom.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04648/9895210-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="320" height="166"></div><h2><b>4. FINLAND</b></h2><p><b>GROUP B</b></p><p>Won silver the last time the Games were held in Europe, but this grinding team will wear down by the semifinal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05486/9895203-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="320" height="166"></div><h2><b>5. UNITED STATES</b></h2><p><b>GROUP A</b></p><p>The U.S. has struggled just like Canada across the pond and has less talent to fall back on in games against elite opponents.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-06366/9895196-1-eng-US/f0019-062.jpg" title="f0019-06" width="320" height="166"></div><h2><b>6. CZECH REPUBLIC</b></h2><p><b>GROUP C</b></p><p>David Krejci makes the Czechs a sleeper team through the round-robin, but competition stiffens in the quarterfinal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-07305/9895189-1-eng-US/f0019-072.jpg" title="f0019-07" width="320" height="166"></div><h2><b>7. SWITZERLAND</b></h2><p><b>GROUP C</b></p><p>An upset or two is in the script, but it would be a minor miracle for the Swiss to get to the medal round.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-08260/9895182-1-eng-US/f0019-082.jpg" title="f0019-08" width="320" height="166"></div><h2><b>8. SLOVAKIA</b></h2><p><b>GROUP A</b></p><p>Enough NHL talent to compete for a medal, but this squad&rsquo;s arrow points downward as it grows stale.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-09215/9895175-1-eng-US/f0019-092.jpg" title="f0019-09" width="320" height="166"></div><h2><b>9. NORWAY</b></h2><p><b>GROUP B</b></p><p>Just competitive enough to catch an unsuspecting team napping in the preliminary round, but nothing more.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-10182/9895168-1-eng-US/f0019-102.jpg" title="f0019-10" width="320" height="166"></div><h2><b>10. LATVIA</b></h2><p><b>GROUP C</b></p><p>The coaching of Sabres bench boss Ted Nolan will make this the scrappiest of the squads with no chance to medal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-11161/9895161-1-eng-US/f0019-112.jpg" title="f0019-11" width="320" height="166"></div><h2><b>11. AUSTRIA</b></h2><p><b>GROUP B</b></p><p>Thomas Vanek, Michael Grabner make the team look better than it is. Didn&rsquo;t qualify in 2006 or 2010.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-12150/9895154-1-eng-US/f0019-122.jpg" title="f0019-12" width="320" height="166"></div><h2><b>12. SLOVENIA</b></h2><p><b>GROUP A</b></p><p>The epitome of a &ldquo;happy to be here&rdquo; entry. No hope in Group of Death with Russia, Team USA and Slovakia.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-01

OLYMPIC PREVIEW

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011673/9895318-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="374" height="176"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-021197/9895311-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="2131" height="1429"><figcaption class="caption-body">SIDNEY <b>CROSBY</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE MOST POPULAR</b>&nbsp;Olympic event in Canada is men&rsquo;s hockey, followed closely by &ldquo;second-guessing the roster of the men&rsquo;s hockey team.&rdquo; While the likes of Joe Thornton, Claude Giroux and Taylor Hall would be the best players on other nations, they couldn&rsquo;t even crack GM Steve Yzerman&rsquo;s final roster for Canada. Expectations are, as always, sky-high. And with so many prominent names on the sidelines, the spotlight will be intense.</p><p>Canada&rsquo;s biggest strength comes down the middle, with Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and Patrice Bergeron composing a deadly three-headed attack. All three can produce offense, but it&rsquo;s their two-way games and faceoff acumen that will make for difficult matchups. Even the deepest opponents won&rsquo;t be able to get their top scoring lines away from one of Canada&rsquo;s excellent centers. The pivot position is so strong that young superstars such as Matt Duchene, John Tavares and Steven Stamkos may end up on the wing &ndash; though considering  who they&rsquo;ll get to play with, it will not be a hardship.</p><p>Along with the skill, the Canucks boast a ton of size on the wings, from internationally savvy Rick Nash to rising star Jamie Benn and 2011 Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry. This team has all the weapons necessary to score and to do so in a variety of ways. The fact the game will be played on a bigger ice surface than the NHLers are used to put a premium on men who could move and the fact Nash has been great in the World Championship and when he has played in Switzerland during the past two lockouts makes him one to watch.</p><p>The defense is filled with puck-movers and a reprise of the Duncan Keith-Drew Doughty tandem that was so good in helping the team to gold in Vancouver only makes sense. St. Louis Blues teammates Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo would have easy chemistry together, while the corps is so thick that reigning Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban may have to settle for spot duty as a power play specialist &ndash; and what a luxury it will be to have him and Shea Weber on the points with the man advantage. The defenders are evenly split among right- and left-handed shooters, so each can play on his natural side. It&rsquo;s no coincidence assistant coach Ken Hitchcock employs the same system in St. Louis, with great success.</p><p>Canada&rsquo;s biggest unknown comes in net, where even the two recent gold medal wins have involved a change in starters. Martin Brodeur replaced Curtis Joseph in 2002, while Roberto Luongo came in for Brodeur in Vancouver. Luongo will once again be on the roster in Sochi, joined by two newcomers in Montreal&rsquo;s Carey Price and Phoenix&rsquo;s Mike Smith. Luongo&rsquo;s experience in winning a gold medal game in overtime puts him in the driver&rsquo;s seat, but if history is any indicator, coach Mike Babcock will not hesitate to make a change midtournament if he feels the team needs a different look.</p><h2><b>WHAT HAPPENED IN VANCOUVER 2010?</b></h2><p><b>TEAM CANADA</b> redeemed itself in a big way in 2010, beating Russia 7-3 in the quarterfinal &ndash; a team the Canadians lost to four years earlier in the same round &ndash; and then edging contender Slovakia in the semis. But, of course, the gold medal game was the classic, with Canada knocking off the United States 3-2 in dramatic fashion, with an overtime goal by Sidney Crosby sending the home crowd in Vancouver into a frenzy.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011341/9895304-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="757" height="967"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PERRY: KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>OLYMPIC HISTORY</b></h2><p>The first time NHLers joined the Games, at Nagano in 1998, Canada was expected to top the podium. In the semifinal against the Czech Republic, however, the unthinkable happened. The game went to a shootout and Canada had the unenviable task of scoring on the world&rsquo;s best goalie, Dominik Hasek. Canada coach Marc Crawford assembled his team of shooters &ndash; and left the most dominant offensive forward of all-time, Wayne Gretzky, on the bench. Crawford chose D-man Ray Bourque instead. Canada didn&rsquo;t beat Hasek once. The Czechs advanced to the final and won gold.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02867/9895297-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="447" height="670"><figcaption class="caption-body">RYAN <b>GETZLAF</b></figcaption></div><h3><b>MEDAL COUNT</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-05301/9895290-1-eng-US/f0021-052.jpg" title="f0021-05" width="286" height="457"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-03558/9895283-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="755" height="1166"><figcaption class="caption-body">JONATHAN <b>TOEWS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GETZLAF/TOEWS: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-04424/9895276-1-eng-US/f0021-042.jpg" title="f0021-04" width="777" height="1466"></div><h2><b>PREDICTION 2ND</b></h2><h3><b>WHAT HAS TO GO RIGHT?</b></h3><p>Canada&rsquo;s two-way centers, skilled wingers and talented blueliners play a deadly puck possession game that essentially turns half the tournament into a game of keep away, frustrating the opposition and keeping scoring chancesagainst to a minimum, while not forgetting to pop a couple in amidst all the fancy stickwork. Quick chemistry between Crosby and Pittsburgh linemate Chris Kunitz (a controversial selection) makes Yzerman look like a genius. The goaltending is good enough in a bend-don&rsquo;tbreak sense.</p><h3><b>WHAT COULD GO WRONG?</b></h3><p>The all-star talent up front doesn&rsquo;t come together and 14 incredible forwards look around the room wondering who will get the scoring going. Kunitz fails to produce on Crosby&rsquo;s line and the wail from Canadian fans about excluding Giroux or Hall becomes a distraction. In net, Luongo gets strafed early and the coaching staff has to figure out how long a leash to give him before turning to Price or even Mike Smith, who played quite well at the 2013 worlds. Choice can be a bad thing in a short tournament, so Mike Babcock must know his pecking order and have faith in it.</p><p><b>% OF NHLERS</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-06231/9895269-1-eng-US/f0021-062.jpg" title="f0021-06" width="385" height="388"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0020-01

MASTERFUL MIDDLE MEN

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011557/9895398-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="372" height="176"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021138/9895391-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="2126" height="1483"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE 2010 EDITION</b>&nbsp;of Team USA was seen as too young to accomplish much against the world&rsquo;s older, more experienced powers. But like sled-dog huskies unleashed in the field, the young Americans proved the haters wrong and went all the way to the gold medal game, taking Canada to overtime and scaring the bejeezus out of their northern neighbors before Sidney Crosby yelled at Jarome Iginla loud enough to commandeer the puck for the winning goal.</p><p>The silver lining for the Yanks is that those inexperienced kids and their pluckiness have now been transformed into a murderer&rsquo;s row of top-line NHL stars in the prime years of their careers. The past two Conn Smythe Trophy winners, Chicago&rsquo;s Patrick Kane and Jonathan Quick of the Kings, will have prominent roles, as will Norris Trophy runner-up Ryan Suter.</p><p>The Americans are blessed with a host of physical specimens, giving them size and skill, especially up front. Whether it&rsquo;s the high-end puck wizardry of Kane and Phil Kessel or the bruising power forward games of David Backes and Dustin Brown, the U.S. can throw a lot of different looks at teams and adapt to whatever&rsquo;s thrown at them. In net, the options are excellent and start with Quick, one of the best on the planet. A groin injury to the Kings stopper opened the door for Ryan Miller to reprise his starring role in net, but either way the Americans are good. The blueline has a ton of offensive potential, meaning the power play in particular will be devilish. Not only that, but it&rsquo;s still a young squad with fresh legs.</p><p>Look for St. Louis rearguard Kevin Shattenkirk to have a bit of a coming-out party on defense, especially with the way he can carry the puck. That will be of the utmost importance on the larger ice surface in Sochi.</p><p>In Vancouver, the team was coached by Ron Wilson, who came in with an NHL resume that included a trip to the Cup final. This time around, Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Dan Bylsma assumes the clipboard and he won the NHL&rsquo;s famed chalice during his first season with the Penguins, so technically, there&rsquo;s an upgrade in experience. Bylsma is very highly regarded in NHL circles and his puck-hunting philosophies have been successful in Pittsburgh, though goaltending and defense have stung the Pens in the playoffs. With Quick as his starter and Suter leading the charge on defense, that won&rsquo;t be an issue.</p><p>The combination of skill and strength, youth and goaltending is pretty much all you&rsquo;re looking for in a hockey team and the Yanks have plenty of motivation from Vancouver, given they were one goal away from snatching the gold from their archrivals. The Americans know they can beat the Canucks, so it&rsquo;s just a matter of taking the challenges one game at a time, as the cliche goes. Along with Sweden and Russia, the U.S. will vie with Canada for favorite status heading into the tournament and is designed to be there right until the end.</p><h2><b>WHAT HAPPENED IN VANCOUVER 2010?</b></h2><p><b>AN MVP</b> performance from goaltender Ryan Miller wasn&rsquo;t enough as the U.S. ended up one goal short in its quest for the gold medal in Vancouver. After outscoring their opponents 14-5 for a perfect 3-0 record in the preliminary round, the Americans shut out Switzerland 2-0 in the quarterfinal and demolished Finland 6-1 in the semifinal before falling to the Canadians on Sidney Crosby&rsquo;s golden goal in overtime.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011338/9895384-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="757" height="967"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MILLER: LUIS ACOSTA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>OLYMPIC HISTORY</b></h2><p>The U.S. has only sat out two Olympic Games in its history according to official records &ndash; 1928 and 1948. Two squads made the trip to St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1948, where the IIHF and IOC divided their support for the Americans, but just the IIHF team ended up actually taking to the ice. Team USA finished in fourth and did have an impact on who reached the podium. With the Yankees&rsquo; blowout 12-3 loss to Canada, a much stronger Czechoslovakian squad ended up conceding the gold medal after its final victory, a 4-3 triumph, left it two goals short in differential.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03717/9895377-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="324" height="375"><figcaption class="caption-body">ZACH <b>PARISE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(PARISE: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>MEDAL COUNT</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04532/9895370-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="286" height="456"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02960/9895363-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="759" height="1184"><figcaption class="caption-body">DAVID <b>BACKES</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BACKES: KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-05389/9895356-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="677" height="1276"></div><h2><b>PREDICTION 5TH</b></h2><h3><b>WHAT HAS TO GO RIGHT?</b></h3><p>On the larger ice surface, speed and skill are paramount, so Team USA&rsquo;s relatively small collection of slick forwards has to be dynamite. Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel and Zach Parise (if healthy) can&rsquo;t take any games off. The Americans have oodles of brute strength up front and can dominate opposing defenders on the forecheck. Ryan Suter must log massive minutes as the squad&rsquo;s one true No. 1 D-man and he&rsquo;ll be doing it against the very best forwards in the world. Between Jonathan Quick and Ryan Miller, the U.S. has little to worry about in goal.</p><h3><b>WHAT COULD GO WRONG?</b></h3><p>While David Backes, Dustin Brown and company are among the game&rsquo;s top power forwards, the U.S. lacks elite finishers, 50-goal men in the vein of Steven Stamkos and Alex Ovechkin, so scoring could be a problem. The brawny approach hasn&rsquo;t worked when the Americans crossed the pond in the past, as they failed to medal in Nagano 1998 and Torino 2006. Too much sandpaper can be a hindrance if it gets the U.S. into penalty trouble. There&rsquo;s a big drop from Suter to the next best U.S. blueliner. Whoever plays with him could be overmatched against superstar forwards.</p><p><b>% OF NHLERS</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-06313/9895349-1-eng-US/f0023-062.jpg" title="f0023-06" width="383" height="388"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0022-01

A SUPERPOWER ONCE AGAIN

<div class="byline">BY RORY BOYLEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011498/9895478-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="361" height="175"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-021076/9895471-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="2088" height="1376"><figcaption class="caption-body">ALEX <b>OVECHKIN</b><span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES, OVECHKIN: ALEX LIVESEY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>HEN YOU THINK</b>&nbsp;of the Russians, you think of free-flowing offense and a flair few can match. The host nation has some of the best first-line scoring talent at the Olympics and must squeeze every ounce of production out of that group, because the defensive side is far less secure.</p><p>The whole team enters this event with a chip on its shoulder after being eliminated by Canada in a humiliating 7-3 defeat at the 2010 Games. Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk, two of the main drivers on offense, each managed only one goal four years ago, while Alex Ovechkin scored his two goals against Latvia. Of the 16 Russia scored in Vancouver, half came against those Latvians. So, if the host is to improve its fortunes &ndash; and meet our expectations of a gold medal finish &ndash; it needs far more consistency from its best players. That shouldn&rsquo;t be a problem, since the team has the extra motivation of playing in front of friendly fans at the first Winter Olympics to be hosted by Russia.</p><p>If Ovechkin, Datsyuk and Kovalchuk don&rsquo;t have better performances in Sochi, it&rsquo;ll be difficult to overcome a mediocre back end. The Russians elected to keep Sergei Gonchar, a power play catalyst, and Anton Volchenkov, a toughas-nails shutdown player, off the roster. Both are aged and banged up, but those two exclusions mean Russia will only have three blueliners from the 2010 team: Fedor Tyutin, Ilya Nikulin and Andrei Markov.</p><p>That means a new generation of D-men will have to manage the pressure of playing in such an important tournament for the country. Slava Voynov will take the place of Gonchar, while Alexei Emelin will play the bruising role Volchenkov would have. How they perform, as well as other Olympic first-timers Anton Belov, Nikita Nikitin and Evgeny Medvedev, will be a determining factor in where the Russians finish.</p><p>But it&rsquo;s the last line of defense that will have the biggest influence on any change in fortune  for the Russians. Semyon Varlamov and Sergei Bobrovsky are first-time Olympians with histories of strong play and inconsistency in the NHL. Bobrovsky&rsquo;s save percentage has dropped by 22 points from his Vezina total last season, though it&rsquo;s still a respectable .910. And while Varlamov has exceeded all expectations in the NHL this season, his most recent international performance at the 2013 World Championship resulted in a 3.59 goals-against average, .878 SP and an early 8-3 elimination at the hands of the Americans. Given the uncertainty on defense, one of these netminders may have to steal a game or two.</p><p>The wild cards are the young, dynamic forwards getting their first taste of Olympic hockey. Vladimir Tarasenko, 22, and Valeri Nichushkin, 19, could enhance and deepen the Russian offense or be non-factors. It&rsquo;ll be a big challenge. That another talented youngster, Evgeny Kuznetsov, was left off the team was somewhat surprising.</p><h2><b>WHAT HAPPENED IN VANCOUVER 2010?</b></h2><p><b>THE RUSSIANS</b> had never finished lower than fourth since they began competing at the Olympics in 1992 or even off the podium when playing as the Soviet Union or the Unified Team. That all changed in 2010, when a roster split between NHL and KHL players fell short of expectations. After finishing first in its group, Russia lost 7-3 to Canada in the quarterfinal. Alex Ovechkin was a non-factor in the embarrassing defeat.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011312/9895464-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="758" height="967"></div><h2><b>OLYMPIC HISTORY</b></h2><p>One of the best teams in Olympic history, Russia is a powerhouse on the international scene. Over 15 Winter Games, Russia, the Unified Team and Soviet Union have combined to reach the podium 12 times, winning eight Olympic titles. But things haven&rsquo;t been the same on the ice since the breakup of the former USSR. After seven gold medals in eight Games between 1964 and 1992, Russia has struggled, finishing higher than fourth only twice and, for the first time, missing the medals completely for a second consecutive Olympics when the team came home empty in 2010.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03642/9895457-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="303" height="409"><figcaption class="caption-body">EVGENI <b>MALKIN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MALKIN: DAMIAN STROHMEYER/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>MEDAL COUNT</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-05329/9895450-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="287" height="457"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02925/9895443-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="853" height="1075"><figcaption class="caption-body">ILYA <b>KOVALCHUK</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KOVALCHUK: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04443/9895436-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="788" height="1465"></div><h2><b>PREDICTION 1ST</b></h2><h3><b>WHAT HAS TO GO RIGHT?</b></h3><p>The Russians need to score a ton, probably more than any other country, to win gold. And more than that, the leading forwards need to have a significant presence backchecking and in their own zone, something they didn&rsquo;t have enough of in 2010. Fair or not, the Russians often get challenged over their motivation, but that shouldn&rsquo;t be a problem in Sochi. Ovechkin has been talking about playing in these Games since the previous Olympics ended, even if the NHL didn&rsquo;t get involved. Now it&rsquo;s time for him to act on that passion.</p><h3><b>WHAT COULD GO WRONG?</b></h3><p>If the Russians are going to allow 42 shots against their most challenging opponents, as they did in the elimination game to Canada in 2010, their house will crumble. The talent of Canada, Sweden and USA and the ferocity of Finland are just too great to allow that kind of access to the net. If the Russians don&rsquo;t stay focused on cleaning up their own end before looking toward the offensive side of the rink, it will quickly become another disappointing finish. If they are to win their first gold under the Russian flag, a complete buy-in at both ends is necessary.</p><p><b>% OF NHLERS</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-06268/9895429-1-eng-US/f0025-062.jpg" title="f0025-06" width="434" height="388"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0024-01

THE BIG RED REDEMPTION

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011507/9895558-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="365" height="177"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-021085/9895551-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="2122" height="1341"><figcaption class="caption-body">HENRIK <b>LUNDQVIST</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>N 2006, THE SWEDES</b>&nbsp;won gold after controversially losing (some say tanking) a round-robin game to Slovakia that got the Tre Kronor a favorable quarterfinal draw against the Swiss. In 2010, karma struck when those same Slovakians beat the Swedes in the quarterfinal, so this year the powerful Nordic nation will be looking to make amends. The Swedes have the horses to do it and though they have spectacularly bombed out of the Olympics in the past &ndash; the infamous quarterfinal loss to Belarus in 2002 comes to mind &ndash; this team will have a lot of youthful energy.</p><p>The Swedes will easily be in the mix for a gold medal thanks to a deep and varied squad led by numerous NHL superstars named Henrik: Zetterberg, Lundqvist and Sedin, not to mention the last one&rsquo;s twin brother, Daniel. The experience of those four will help balance off a new wave of stars that is primed to join them in that top echelon, such as Erik Karlsson, Nicklas Backstrom and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Sweden has talent in net, on defense and up front. The fact several players come from the same NHL teams (the Sedins and Alexander Edler in Vancouver, too many players to mention in Detroit) also bodes well for chemistry.</p><p>Most intriguing about the Swedish attack is how varied it can be. The Sedins are masters of the cycle, while Backstrom is a scintillating playmaker and Zetterberg an all-round force who can break plays, but also cancels out danger in his own zone. Even a hypothetical shutdown line featuring Alex Steen of the Blues (now producing at a superstar scoring clip, ironically enough) and young Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog would be the type of unit just as dangerous with the puck as it is without it, meaning teams won&rsquo;t be able to rest when they play Sweden. This is a squad that will be able to roll lines in waves.</p><p>Sweden&rsquo;s blueline corps will be fairly different than the one that flamed out in 2010. Karlsson and Ekman-Larsson are not yet 25, but play key roles for their NHL franchises. With Victor Hedman omitted from the roster, there won&rsquo;t be a lot of grit or physicality among the young stars, though Niklas Kronwall is pretty decent in that category. They&rsquo;ll certainly be able to swing the puck up the ice with aplomb, but can they suck it up and get it back if bigger, nastier teams toss the biscuit into the corner?</p><p>Overall, it&rsquo;s gold or bust for Sweden. Expectations will be high from outsiders and those within the Scandinavian nation will be even more on edge. Keep in mind this is a country whose press associated the national team with criminals when the squad failed at the 2002 Olympics, giving the players fake mug shots and listing their salaries.</p><p>Having said that, the Swedes are incredibly talented on paper and don&rsquo;t have as much pressure as the home-team Russians, so the Tre Kronor will be among the favorites, but won&rsquo;t be spooked by attention.</p><h2><b>WHAT HAPPENED IN VANCOUVER 2010?</b></h2><p><b>IT WASN&rsquo;T</b> the encore the Swedes expected after winning gold in 2006. They dominated group play, beating Finland, Belarus and Germany by a combined 9-2 margin. Sweden qualified second overall and drew a quarterfinal matchup with Slovakia, who finished 1-1-1. The Slovaks managed to upset the stacked Swedish squad. The Tre Kronor went on to finish fifth overall for the third time in the past four Olympics.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011387/9895544-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="757" height="958"></div><h2><b>OLYMPIC HISTORY</b></h2><p>Widely considered the best Scandinavian player of his generation, Sven &lsquo;Tumba&rsquo; Johansson is regarded as the grandfather of Swedish hockey, playing in four separate Olympic tournaments during the 1950s and &rsquo;60s. Tumba&rsquo;s most impressive stat is the 25 goals he registered in that span, ranking him third all-time. He also sits fourth all-time in games played with 29. Johansson played a key role in attaining Sweden&rsquo;s first medal in 20 years, scoring eight goals in the 1952 Oslo Games en route to a bronze. He added another 11 points in Innsbruck, Austria, 12 years later.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03845/9895537-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="661" height="565"><figcaption class="caption-body">JOHAN <b>FRANZEN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ERIKSSON+FRANZEN: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>MEDAL COUNT</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03699/9895530-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="287" height="457"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02973/9895523-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="773" height="1187"><figcaption class="caption-body">HENRIK <b>ZETTERBERG</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ZETTERBERG: JAMIE SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04516/9895516-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="794" height="1491"></div><h2><b>PREDICTION 3RD</b></h2><h3><b>WHAT HAS TO GO RIGHT?</b></h3><p>The Swedes have great depth and virtually every one of their forwards is defensively responsible, so this team will be exhausting to play against. Because the &lsquo;D&rsquo; lacks brawn, it has to neutralize opponents with strong positional play, just as the retired Nicklas Lidstrom did. The 2006 gold medal team was anchored by steady goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist and will need him at his best to give Sweden the edge it&rsquo;s supposed to have over most nations in net. Erik Karlsson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson will generate offense from the back end.</p><h3><b>WHAT COULD GO WRONG?</b></h3><p>If the referees decide to let &rsquo;em play, Sweden could get pushed around in this tournament. Its defense corps isn&rsquo;t made of pussycats by any means, but lacks a menacing presence after Niklas Kronwall. How will this unit respond with the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Dustin Brown and Corey Perry bludgeoning them in the corners? And can the Swedish forwards overpower a Shea Weber or Zdeno Chara on the forecheck? Also, judging by this season alone, the Swedes are shakier than normal in goal, as Lundqvist has endured a season-long slump with the Rangers.</p><p><b>% OF NHLERS</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-05361/9895509-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg" title="f0027-05" width="498" height="447"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0026-01

SWEDES IN A SWEET SPOT

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011485/9895638-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="437" height="194"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-021042/9895631-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="2336" height="1572"><figcaption class="caption-body">TEEMU <b>SELANNE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(CAMERON SPENCER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span> LOT OF FINLAND&rsquo;S</b> go-to players are a lot like their country &ndash; small, mighty and irrepressibly determined. Since the NHL began sending its best players to Olympics, no team has reached the podium more often.</p><p>The Finns will never, ever be considered a gold medal favorite. That has something to do with the fact that for every Finnish player in the NHL, Canada could put together an entire roster. But the Finns are never an easy out, either. They have among the best goalten ders in the world and a group of players with an <i>esprit de corps</i> that always makes them a formidable foe.</p><p>If there&rsquo;s one area where the Finns are every bit as good as any country in the world, it&rsquo;s in goal. Young stoppers are coached exclusively by goaltending instructors from the time they first strap on the pads and the results have been startling. Tuukka Rask has the line on the No. 1 job in Sochi and gives the Finns a netminder with a lot of big-game experience, having played in the Stanley Cup final last season. Projected backup Antti Niemi has a ring from 2010. And while its elite player pool might be small, that might actually be an advantage for Finland. The small core of loyal players gives the Finns instant team chemistry because most of them have played with each other in international tournaments for years. In a short, intense tournament, the ability to come together quickly is an advantage that should not be minimized or overlooked.</p><p>Goaltending and chemistry will be extremely important for Finland, a team that will play a grinding game and struggle to score goals. As of early January, Finland did not have a single player among the top 40 scorers in the NHL and had only three skaters in double figures in goals. There are a lot of hardworking, gritty players, but not much in the way of production. Valtteri Filppula has come alive with Tampa Bay and will center the first line and be the focal point on the power play. Jussi Jokinen has put up good numbers  with Pittsburgh, but beyond that, the pickings are slim. Finnish players have historically been good in shootouts, which could turn out to be a boon during the playoff rounds. Finland will likely lean on Leo Komarov, who is playing in the Kontinental League, for secondary offense.</p><p>On defense, veteran Kimmo Timonen will be the headliner. The Finns will miss Joni Pitkanen, who is out for the year with an injury. In fact, Finland has only four defensemen who have played in the NHL this season and two of them &ndash; Olli Maatta of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sami Vatanen of the Anaheim Ducks &ndash; are rookies.</p><p>Many things will have to fall into place for the Finns to reach the podium, but it&rsquo;s not just circumstance that they often do just that. It&rsquo;ll be easy to cheer for them, particularly since Teemu Selanne will almost certainly be appearing in international competition for the last time. And after all, who doesn&rsquo;t love an underdog?</p><h2><b>WHAT HAPPENED</b>&nbsp;<b>IN VANCOUVER 2010?</b></h2><p><b>FINLAND WENT</b> 2-1 in group play, scoring 10 goals and allowing just four. In the quarterfinal, the Finns topped the Czech Republic 2-0 before falling to the Americans in the semifinal by a score of 6-1. Finland bounced back in the bronze medal game, however, topping Slovakia 5-3 for third place. In the second game of the tournament, Teemu Selanne became the all-time scoring leader with his 37th point.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011307/9895624-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="825" height="1055"></div><h2><b>OLYMPIC HISTORY</b></h2><p>Finland, for all its recent Olympic success, played an often forgotten role in Team USA&rsquo;s 1980 Olympic victory in Lake Placid, N.Y. The &lsquo;Miracle on Ice&rsquo; is popularly regarded as America&rsquo;s triumphant win over the Soviet Union, but Finland provided just as much trouble as the Soviets in the final round-robin game. Team USA clinched its gold medal against a Petri Skriko-led Finland squad that carried a 2-1 lead into the third period. The Finns collapsed under the pressure and the Americans rallied to win 4-2. Finland ended up finishing fourth in the tournament.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02897/9895617-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="461" height="680"><figcaption class="caption-body">KIMMO <b>TIMONEN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SELANNE+TIMONEN: HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>MEDAL COUNT</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04485/9895610-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="287" height="456"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03641/9895603-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="796" height="1264"><figcaption class="caption-body">OLLI <b>JOKINEN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JOKINEN: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-05404/9895596-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="857" height="1631"></div><h2><b>PREDICTION 4TH</b></h2><h3><b>WHAT HAS TO GO RIGHT?</b></h3><p>Finland will rely on its one true advantage over its competition, goaltending, to steal games. Tuukka Rask or Antti Niemi could easily be the star of the tournament. And if the Finns&rsquo; grinding forwards and mobile defense corps keep the games tight-checking, everything will go according to plan and Finland will win plenty of 2-1 games. One sneaky edge Finland could have: young, fresh legs. The Suomi will bring teenagers Olli Maatta and Aleksander Barkov. The latter wasn&rsquo;t born when Teemu Selanne made his Olympic debut.</p><h3><b>WHAT COULD GO WRONG?</b></h3><p>If the Finnish goaltending falters even the slightest amount, this team has no chance to make a deep run in the tournament. Especially if Mikko Koivu can&rsquo;t return from ankle surgery in time for the Games, the Finns will struggle to put the puck in the net consistently. They boast a quietly mobile blueline, but the group lacks size and can be dominated in the physical game. In addition to Maatta and Barkov, Finland has a ton of green players, including Sami Vatanen and Mikael Granlund. It&rsquo;s possible this team relies on too many youngsters and is overwhelmed in the spotlight.</p><p><b>% OF NHLERS</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-06337/9895589-1-eng-US/f0029-062.jpg" title="f0029-06" width="498" height="447"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0028-01

UNDERDOGS STILL HAVE BITE

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011493/9895697-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="401" height="194"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE GLORY DAYS OF</b> gold in 1998 are far away for the Czechs. They might challenge for a bronze medal and win it as they did in 2006, but could also finish seventh as they did in 2010.</p><p>To do any damage in Sochi, they need their group of skilled forwards to inflict it. Greybeards Jaromir Jagr and Patrik Elias are on the downsides of their careers and there aren&rsquo;t enough talented youngsters &ndash; like Jakub Voracek &ndash; to replace them. They&rsquo;ll lean on Boston Bruins center David Krejci, Montreal Canadiens pivot Tomas Plekanec and Ottawa Senators left winger Milan Michalek for point production. It&rsquo;s curious, to say the least, that they turned to 42-year-old Petr Nedved while Radim Vrbata and Jiri Hudler didn&rsquo;t make the team.</p><p>The &lsquo;D&rsquo; lacks the ability to intimidate, except for Tampa Bay bruiser Radko Gudas, but in Zbynek Michalek and Ladislav Smid, they&rsquo;ll have some canny veterans on which to rely.</p><p>In goal, Ondrej Pavelec is the probable starter, especially since Michal Neuvirth was bypassed. Pavelec can get hot for stretches. If he struggles, the Czechs will turn to Jakub Kovar or Alexander Salak.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-05429/9895690-1-eng-US/f0030-052.jpg" title="f0030-05" width="1194" height="1303"><figcaption class="caption-body">DAVID <b>KREJCI</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KREJCI: HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Czechs tend to play down to their lesser opponents. At the 2010 Vancouver Games, they were nearly eliminated by Latvia in the qualification round after allowing two third-period goals and narrowly averted a crushing defeat thanks to an overtime goal from Krejci. If they remain unable to clamp down on the opposition after earning themselves a lead, their stay in Sochi will be short.</p><p>The Czechs received a favorable draw for the preliminary round in Sochi. They&rsquo;re in Group C along with Sweden, Latvia and Switzerland. They don&rsquo;t have an abundance of depth and aren&rsquo;t led by an otherworldly talent such as Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin, but the Czechs can surprise. However, don&rsquo;t be surprised if they don&rsquo;t surprise anyone.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03747/9895683-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="560" height="547"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JAGR: JASPER JUINEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>WHAT HAPPENED IN VANCOUVER 2010?</b></h2><p><b>THE CZECHS</b> played well through a tough preliminary round draw, recording wins against Slovakia and Latvia and losing to top-ranked Russia. After they gave up a 2-0 lead against the Latvians and scored in OT to win their qualification playoff, they faced Finland in the quarters. They were stonewalled by Miikka Kiprusoff, who blocked 31 shots for the shutout. Niklas Hagman scored the winner with less than seven minutes left.</p><h2><b>PREDICTION 6TH</b></h2><p><b>% OF NHLERS</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-021028/9895676-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="498" height="433"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04558/9895669-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="857" height="1631"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0030-01

AGING OUT OF CONTENTION

<div class="byline">BY DENIS GIBBONS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011356/9895756-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="393" height="194"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02921/9895749-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="1150" height="1323"><figcaption class="caption-body">JONAS <b>HILLER</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>WITZERLAND ENTERS THE</b> 2014 Olympics as a genuine medal contender after surprisingly claiming silver at the 2013 World Championship, where it started the tournament with a bang, upsetting world powers Sweden, Canada and the Czech Republic. Coach Sean Simpson masterminded the successful effort, getting every bit of energy he could out of a team with few stars, but plenty of grit.</p><p>A lot of Canadian fans at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver were surprised by what a physical game the Swiss play. They pushed Canada to a shootout, but lost 3-2 as Sidney Crosby scored the winner. The Swiss gave the Americans two tough games before losing 3-1 and 2-0.</p><p>Switzerland scored its two biggest victories ever in back-to-back games at the 2006 Olympics. First, it stunned Canada 2-0. Martin Gerber made 49 saves and Canadian-born Paul DiPietro scored both goals. Next was a 3-2 upset over the Czechs, with Mark Streit potting the winner. The Swiss qualified for the quarterfinal, but lost to Sweden 6-2.</p><p>Jonas Hiller of the Anaheim Ducks gives the Swiss solid goaltending and Streit of the Philadelphia Flyers, now in his eighth NHL season, leads a good defense corps that includes Montreal&rsquo;s Raphael Diaz and the Nashville Predators&rsquo; thirdyear man Roman Josi, who was brilliant at the 2013 worlds, being named best defenseman and tournament MVP.</p><p>Up front, expect some scoring punch from Damien Brunner of the New Jersey Devils and Nino Niederreiter of the Minnesota Wild. Most Swiss forwards are trained to become good all-around team players since their peewee days. That&rsquo;s one reason why only a few of their forwards have been stars at the international stage.</p><p>Switzerland won bronze at the 1928 and 1948 worlds, both of which were held in St. Moritz, Switzerland. But that was before the Soviet Union started competing regularly.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04543/9895742-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="560" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>WHAT HAPPENED IN VANCOUVER 2010?</b></h2><p><b>The swiss</b> slipped to eighth in 2010, but earned respect in the process. In a tough group draw, they lost to the U.S. and pushed eventual champion Canada to a shootout. Switzerland beat Norway and qualified for the quarterfinal with a victory over Belarus in a shootout. Jonas Hiller stoned the Americans in a rematch for the first 42 minutes, but his memorably acrobatic, 42-save effort wasn&rsquo;t enough as USA won 2-0.</p><h2><b>PREDICTION 7TH</b></h2><p><b>% OF NHLERS</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03697/9895735-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="498" height="434"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05434/9895728-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="880" height="1659"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0031-01

HANGING WITH THE BIG BOYS

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011471/9895815-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="422" height="194"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02998/9895808-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="1614" height="1589"><figcaption class="caption-body">ZDENO <b>CHARA</b> <span class="photo-credit">(CHARA: CAMERON SPENCER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>NYTIME ZDENO CHARA IS</b> playing for your team, there will be no crutches. Unless, of course, the hockey world&rsquo;s largest living land mammal steps into an opposing forward and things go badly.</p><p>But when it comes to making excuses, there will not be any from the Slovaks or their star defenseman. The Slovaks are an underdog with a dearth of NHL talent to be sure, but that will not have them happy with earning the participation badge. That much was apparent in 2010 when the Slovaks finished fourth, giving Canada everything it could handle in the semifinal. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t afford to be thinking, &lsquo;Hey, we&rsquo;ll just go there, play a tournament and it&rsquo;s OK if we just play mediocre,&rsquo; &ldquo; Chara said.</p><p>If the Slovaks were looking for crutches, there are plenty available. A broken collarbone will likely keep Marian Gaborik from competing, though the optimistic Slovaks still named the Columbus Blue Jackets sniper to the team. And the death of Pavol Demitra in the plane crash that wiped out the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl roster in 2011 robbed the Slovaks of their best player from the 2010 tournament.</p><p>What remains is a small group of seasoned veterans, combined with some promising youngsters. In goal, Jaroslav Halak of the St. Louis Blues or Petr Budaj of the Montreal Canadiens will need to have the best two weeks of their lives if the Slovaks are to have any hope of competing for a medal. Veterans Michal Handzus and Marian Hossa are coming off winning the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks and will provide secondary leadership after Chara.</p><p>The Slovaks will need a minor miracle to get to the Final Four the way they did in 2010 in Vancouver. It happened once and in a short tournament, anything can happen again. &ldquo;As long as we play hard and give everything we have, people back home are usually fine with whatever results we get,&rdquo; Chara said.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03727/9895801-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="560" height="500"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HANDZUS: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>WHAT HAPPENED IN VANCOUVER 2010?</b></h2><p><b>THe SlovAKS</b> finished third in their group after a loss to the Czechs and an OT win over Russia. In the qualification playoff game, they beat Norway, a team with no active NHL players compared to 13 for the Slovaks, by just a 4-3 margin. They went on to put four pucks past Henrik Lundqvist to beat Sweden in the quarterfinal, followed by a 3-2 loss to Canada in the semis and a 5-3 defeat to Finland in the bronze medal game.</p><h2><b>PREDICTION 8TH</b></h2><p><b>% OF NHLERS</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05427/9895794-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="498" height="434"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04548/9895787-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="857" height="1631"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0032-01

CASTING OUT COMPLACENCY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DENIS GIBBONS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02903/9895853-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="831" height="1391"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011306/9895860-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="179" height="93"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span> FEW YEARS AGO FORMER NHLER</b> Patrick Thoresen called for a change in the administration of Norwegian hockey and said he wouldn&rsquo;t play for his country if alterations weren&rsquo;t made. Evidently his plea got their attention. Just six years ago only four of Norway&rsquo;s 23 players at the World Championship were playing in Sweden. Now more than half the team is playing in Sweden, Finland, Germany or Russia. In fact, Norway has climbed the ladder to eighth overall in the IIHF world rankings.</p><p>Thoresen, who now plays for SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental League, and Mats Zuccarello of the New York Rangers will be counted on for much of the Norwegian offense. Norway&rsquo;s best defenseman is Jonas Holos, who played 39 games for the Colorado Avalanche in 2010-11. He played a ton at the 2010 Olympics, leading the team with an average ice time of 28:56. Former NHLer Ole-Kristian Tollefsen adds a lot of muscle on the blueline.</p><p>The Norwegians plan on using Lars Haugen of the KHL&rsquo;s Dinamo Minsk to start the tournament in goal.</p><h2><b>PREDICTION 9TH</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03704/9895846-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="639" height="926"><figcaption class="caption-body">MATS <b>ZUCCARELLO</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ZUCCARELLO: OBRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0033-02

A JOKE NO MORE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DENIS GIBBONS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-05486/9895898-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="851" height="1435"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04574/9895905-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="197" height="93"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span>ATVIAN COACH TED NOLAN, ALSO</b>&nbsp;the interim bench boss of the Buffalo Sabres, is aiming to make it past the group stage of the tournament with a team made up mostly of players from Kontinental League club Dynamo Riga. Latvia has only one current NHL player &ndash; Zemgus Girgensons, a rookie with the Sabres. Other NHL draftees on the roster are forwards Kaspars Daugavins, Martins Karsums, Janis Sprukts and defenseman Oskars Bartulis.</p><p>Goaltending has always been a problem. Kristers Gudlevskis, 21, a 2013 fifth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, will likely be the starter.</p><p>Latvia&rsquo;s group of defensemen will be missing former NHLer Karlis Skrastins, who died tragically in the Lokomotiv plane crash in 2011. It will rely on creaky vet Sandis Ozolinsh, 41, who had originally retired from international play after 2006 and returned to help Latvia qualify in 2013.</p><p>Latvian fans are passionate. In 2005, many of them drove all the way to Vienna, Austria to support their team at the worlds. They surely will do the same for Sochi.</p><h2><b>PREDICTION 10TH</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-06424/9895891-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="678" height="920"><figcaption class="caption-body">ZEMGUS <b>GIRGENSONS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GIRGENSONS: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/HHOF-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0033-05

FAINT HOPE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DENIS GIBBONS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-021045/9895943-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="843" height="1392"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011492/9895950-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="206" height="93"></div><p><b>A CANADIAN IMPORT IS THE COACH</b> and mastermind behind Austria&rsquo;s madein-Austria blueprint for the 2014 Games.</p><p>Manny Viveiros is a St. Albert, Alta., native who was drafted by Minnesota in 1984. He played briefly in the NHL, but moved to Austria at 25 and enjoyed a long career as an offensive defenseman with Villach and Klagenfurt.</p><p>This is Austria&rsquo;s 13th Olympic appearance in men&rsquo;s hockey and first since 2002. The depth chart is thin, but Thomas Vanek and Michael Grabner of the Islanders and Philadelphia&rsquo;s Michael Raffl will provide offense to prevent Austria from being buried by the opposition in a pool with powerhouses Canada and Finland, but also lowly Norway. Defenseman Thomas Pock has 118 games of NHL experience with the Rangers and Islanders.</p><p>Right winger Brian Lebler is the son of Canadian-born  Ed Lebler, who played for Austria at the &rsquo;84 and &rsquo;88 Olympics. Brian was born in Austria while Ed played there. Goalie Bernhard Starkbaum made his World Championship debut in 2013 following a breakout season in Sweden.</p><h2><b>PREDICTION 11TH</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03824/9895936-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="591" height="1015"><figcaption class="caption-body">THOMAS <b>VANEK</b> <span class="photo-credit">(VANEK: MARTIN ROSE/BONGARTS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0034-02

HOME BREW

<div class="byline">BY JOSH ELLIOTT</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011393/9896113-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">GILLIAN <b>APPS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE WOMEN&rsquo;S</b> tournament looks like a two-team race, but the medal round is shaping up to be more competitive than ever. The Canada-U.S. rivalry has never been stronger, while many other countries have made respectable strides since 2010. With hot goaltending in Finland and a renewed focus on the women&rsquo;s game in Russia, could we see another upset like the Americans&rsquo; semifinal defeat at the hands of Sweden in 2006? Take a look at the top stories to watch at the 2014 Olympics.</p><h2><b>1. CANADA</b></h2><p>Once again, the Canadians are the favorites to win gold at this year&rsquo;s Olympics, which would be their fourth straight. The team is deep at every position and has a good mix of veterans like Hayley Wickenheiser blended with up-and-comers like Marie-Philip Poulin, the MVP and leading scorer at the 2013 World Championship. With Poulin and Meghan Agosta-Marciano leading the attack, Catherine Ward anchoring the blueline and Shannon Szabados firmly entrenched as the starting goaltender, there isn&rsquo;t a weak spot on this team. Canada&rsquo;s biggest challenge will be adjusting to new coach Kevin Dineen after Dan Church&rsquo;s unexpected departure in December. A berth in the final seems assured, but Canada still has to earn it.</p><h2><b>2. UNITED STATES</b></h2><p>The difference between Team Canada and Team USA is miniscule. Amanda Kessel and Brianna Decker are the high-scoring wave of the future while Megan Bozek, Gigi Marvin and Michelle Picard lead the Americans&rsquo; tough D-corps. The only question is in net, as Jessie Vetter holds the tenuous No. 1 job with Molly Schaus likely to challenge. The U.S. comes into Sochi off a 3-1 loss to Finland at the Four Nations Cup. With the sting of that upset still on their minds, don&rsquo;t expect them to take any opponent lightly.</p><h2><b>3. MEGA PLAYER</b></h2><p>Agosta-Marciano is the world&rsquo;s best female player. She has eye-popping offensive stats and has won just about every award in women&rsquo;s hockey; she&rsquo;s one of only seven players to win an Olympic gold medal, World Championship and Canadian Women&rsquo;s League title. A gold winner at Turin and Vancouver, Agosta-Marciano has 12 goals and 19 points through 10 Olympic contests and has dominated the Canadian Women&rsquo;s League scoring charts the past two seasons. She will celebrate her 27th birthday in Sochi Feb. 12. Watch for her to do it in style with a goal or two.</p><h2><b>4. THE OTHER KESSEL</b></h2><p>That flashy speedster in the blue Kessel jersey with the wicked wrister? That&rsquo;s not Phil. That&rsquo;s his 22-year-old sister, Amanda, a virtual clone of the Toronto Maple Leafs sniper, who&rsquo;ll also represent Team USA in Sochi. The younger Kessel is every bit the superstar in the women&rsquo;s game as her brother, after whom she models her game, is in the NHL. She&rsquo;s already well known to the rival Canadians after she put a dagger in their hearts with the gold medal-winning goal for Team USA at last year&rsquo;s World Championship in Ottawa. Kessel&rsquo;s game-breaking talent also earned her an NCAA championship with the Minnesota Golden Gophers last season in addition to the 2013 Patty Kazmaier Award. Watch for her quick-release wrister.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011244/9896106-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="853" height="1063"><figcaption class="caption-body">AMANDA <b>KESSEL</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>5. THE FINNISHER</b></h2><p>Finns aren&rsquo;t just dominating the NHL goaltending scene. They&rsquo;re ruling the crease in the women&rsquo;s game, too. Finnish phenom Noora Raty is the hands-down best stopper at the tournament. Need proof? She turned aside 58 shots in Finland&rsquo;s Four Nations upset over the U.S. and also shut out the Americans at the 2008 World Championship. Raty went a perfect 38-0-0 for the Minnesota Golden Gophers last year with a league-best .956 save percentage and had NCAA Div. I&rsquo;s second-best goals-per-game average at 0.96. If anyone can surprise the powerhouse Canadians and Americans, it&rsquo;s Raty.</p><h2><b>6. FINLAND</b></h2><p>While Canada and the United States dominate women&rsquo;s hockey internationally, Finland is the best of the rest. The Finns have won bronze at the World Championship 10 times since the tournament started in 1990 and also own two Olympic bronzes from 1998 and 2010. They matched their best international showing ever this year at the Four Nations Cup, winning a silver medal in a 6-3 loss to Canada. Watch for Finland to threaten Canada and the U.S.</p><h2><b>7. RUSSIA</b></h2><p>With national pride on the line, Russia has beefed up its women&rsquo;s hockey program. Former NHL star Alexei Yashin was named GM of the women&rsquo;s team in 2012 and under his eye the Russians won their first bronze medal in 12 years with a 2-0 victory over Finland at the 2013 World Championship. Goaltender Nadezhda Alexandrova blanked the Finns and earned best goalie honors at the tournament with a 0.29 goals against average, .986 save percentage and two shutouts. Captain Yekaterina Smolentseva tied for the team lead with three goals and five points. Expect Russia to take a run at a medal on home soil.</p><h2><b>8. BACK IN THE GAME</b></h2><p>Germany and Japan return to the Olympics after failing to qualify for Vancouver. Germany last played at Turin in 2006, while this is Japan&rsquo;s first time actually qualifying for the tournament. As the hosts in Nagano in 1998, they had an automatic berth for those Games. While both countries&rsquo; programs are weaker than the rest, they&rsquo;re on the rise. A couple Team Germany players skate for college teams in North America. Japan, meanwhile, proved equal to college competition as they tied St. Cloud State University in an exhibition last September before losing in a 10-round shootout.</p><h2><b>9. STILL IN THE GAME</b></h2><p>Canadian veterans Wickenheiser, 35, and Jayna Hefford, 36, are back for one last Olympics as they go for a fourth gold medal. Wickenheiser and Hefford were on the team that lost the first Olympic gold medal to Team USA in 1998, but they were major players in capturing gold in 2002, 2006 and 2010. And they&rsquo;re not the only returning vets, as 40-year-old International Ice Hockey Federation Hall-of-Famer Riikka Nieminen-Valila will skate for Team Finland after a decade away from hockey. Nieminen-Valila was the top scorer at the inaugural 1998 Olympic tournament.</p><h2><b>10. FOREVER RIVALS</b></h2><p>It always seems to come down to Team Canada versus Team USA in the deciding game of the women&rsquo;s tournament and this year looks like it&rsquo;ll be no exception. After winning the first Olympic gold in 1998, the Americans have lost twice to Canada in the gold medal game and missed the matchup entirely in 2006 when Sweden beat them for a spot in final. While Canada has dominated at the Olympics, Team USA has won five of their past seven meetings at the World Championship, including the last one in 2013. As always, it&rsquo;s anyone&rsquo;s game.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02883/9896099-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="1091" height="981"><figcaption class="caption-body">NOORA <b>RATY</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KESSEL+RATY: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0036-01

UNFRIENDLY FOES

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02946/9896144-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SWEET SIXTEEN</b></p><p>Finland is the best under-20 team in the world for the first time in 16 years.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(LUDVIG THUNMAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>M</span>ALMO, SWEDEN &ndash; FOR THE PLAY</b>-ers on Finland, it was a storybook ending. For the raucous Swedish fans at Malmo Arena, it was a grisly nightmare. Finland beat the host country 3-2 in overtime to win gold at the world juniors for the first time since 1998.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011351/9896151-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="151" height="281"></div><p>After years of being one piece short or self-destructing at the wrong time, Finland put it all together when the team had excuses to fail. The &lsquo;Lions&rsquo; were missing their best eligible defenseman, Olli Maatta, who was busy playing for a team called the Pittsburgh Penguins. An injury shelved top 2014 prospect Kasperi Kapanen, son of ex-NHLer Sami Kapanen and they had to play in a loaded Group B with Sweden and Russia. But Finland beat the Russians, avoiding a quarterfinal match against the U.S., and things fell into place from there.</p><p>According to the players, first-year coach Karri Kivi gave them the perfect framework for the stunning gold-medal upset in a pre-game pep talk. &ldquo;He said, &lsquo;Go out there, we haven&rsquo;t written the last page of our story,&rsquo; &rdquo; said New York Islanders prospect Ville Pokka. &ldquo;We believed we could win if we played as a team. That was our ending.&rdquo;</p><p>Defense was the key for Finland in a lopsided 5-1 win over Canada in the semifinal and again against the Swedes, who had beaten the Finns in the roundrobin. With loads of talent up front, the Swedes looked like college basketball&rsquo;s Princeton offense on ice at times, setting up deadly tip plays and backdoor passes that would have beaten most goalies, but not Nashville pick Juuse Saros, who was outstanding. &ldquo;I felt good,&rdquo; Saros said. &ldquo;Sweden made some good screens, but we blocked a lot of shots and the defense was amazing, very sacrificial again.&rdquo;</p><p>And though Chicago Blackhawks prospect Teuvo Teravainen was again a difference-maker, the final glory belonged to Buffalo Sabres pick Rasmus Ristolainen. He and Swedish defenseman Robert Hagg made rushes in the last two minutes of regulation in an attempt to break the 2-2 deadlock, but the final score wasn&rsquo;t determined until Ristolainen swooped in front of the net and past Hagg in overtime, beating goaltender Oscar Dansk and silencing the Swedish crowd. &ldquo;Just amazing,&rdquo; Saros said. &ldquo;Every time he was on the ice in overtime it was a dangerous situation in the offensive zone.&rdquo;</p><p>What makes the victory all the more incredible is the Finns almost blew it in the quarterfinal, finding themselves down 3-1 midway through the second period to the Czech Republic before a timeout led to a 5-3 comeback win. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a perfect story,&rdquo; Ristolainen said. &ldquo;We played pretty bad against the Czechs, but we trusted that we could win the game because we were the better team still. It was big emotions after that game, then we played a very good 60 minutes against Canada, but our team didn&rsquo;t want to just come for silver. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of winning players and we just gave it all.&rdquo;</p><p>The coach was pragmatic about that turning point in the Czech game. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s hockey,&rdquo; Kivi said. &ldquo;If you want to go to the end, you also need luck. You have to have confidence because the game is 60 minutes. Anything can happen.&rdquo;</p><p>Looking ahead to next year&rsquo;s tournament, it will be tough for the Finns to repeat as this may have been a case of the right kids coming together at the right time. Top scorers such as Teravainen and linemate Saku Maenalanen will age out, as will the entire defense corps, except 2014 draft prospect Julius Honka.</p><p>But the Finns will get Saros back and no one expected them to triumph in Malmo, so maybe lightning can strike twice when the next gold is handed out in 2015 in Toronto.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-02

NO EXCUSES

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011238/9896189-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DIMINISHING RETURNS</b></p><p>The AHL would develop Scott Laughton better than another year dominating the OHL has.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(FRANCOIS LAPLANTE/HHOF-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b><b>HERE IS MUCH SOUL-SEARCHING AMONG</b>Canada&rsquo;s world junior ranks again, as the Canucks bombed out of the tournament for the second straight year, losing their final two games to finish out of the medals.</p><p>Much ink has been spilled trying to flesh out why the producer of most of the NHL&rsquo;s talent is getting further from gold at the under-20 level. It&rsquo;s worth noting Canada still dominates the summer&rsquo;s under-18 Ivan Hlinka tournament and consistently challenges for gold (winning last year) in the spring&rsquo;s world under-18s, even though most of Canada&rsquo;s best players miss that shindig because major junior playoffs are in full swing.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02838/9896182-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="176" height="243"></div><p>Instead of looking inward, however, perhaps Hockey Canada should look outward. Other countries aren&rsquo;t afraid of the big, bad Canadians anymore and the fact the Canuck kids are forced to stay in major junior if they don&rsquo;t make the NHL may be a factor.</p><p>Canada is the only country that restricts its trade in this manner. Through an agreement between the NHL and the Canadian Hockey League, players drafted out of major junior cannot go to the American League until they have exhausted their CHL eligibility. Though this also affects Europeans (Russia&rsquo;s Nikita Zadorov and Radek Faksa of the Czech Republic, for example), it overwhelmingly hurts Canada&rsquo;s WJC teens, all of whom came from major junior this year.</p><p>Finland won gold and the heroes were Teuvo Teravainen, Juuse Saros and Rasmus Ristolainen. The first two play against men in Finland&rsquo;s highest league, the SM-Liiga. Ristolainen has split his time between the NHL&rsquo;s Buffalo Sabres and AHL Rochester. &ldquo;The best way to get ready for this tournament is to play, for example, in the SM-Liiga, in a big role,&rdquo; said Finnish coach Karri Kivi. &ldquo;Of course the NHL is all right, but you&rsquo;ve got to get there.&rdquo;</p><p>Ristolainen actually played against men for two years before he even got to Buffalo, so facing down teenagers in Malmo &ndash; no matter how skilled &ndash; was far from intimidating. Similarly, Edmonton Oilers pick Bogdan Yakimov had a great tournament for the bronze-medal Russians, playing a shutdown role on the team&rsquo;s third line, winning faceoffs and protecting leads. Yakimov plays in the Kontinental League for Neftekhimik and spent last year in Russia&rsquo;s version of the AHL, the Supreme League, also playing against men. &ldquo;I think I improved very much during this season,&rdquo; he said through a translator. &ldquo;It was very nice playing against men in the KHL.&rdquo;</p><p>Not only do all the major European teams have kids facing off against men back home, but even the American squad had tougher competition coming in. Connor Carrick and Stefan Matteau came from the AHL, while all but three others from major junior were from the college ranks, where they frequently play with and against older competition. Quentin Shore and Will Butcher, for example, are two of just six teens at the University of Denver, which boasts a 24-year-old defenseman and several 22-year-olds.</p><p>That takes us back to Canada, which still produces high-end talent in abundance, but can&rsquo;t seem to harness it properly. Matt Dumba was the only current NHLer on the 2014 roster, but his play in Malmo was shaky at best and may have been hampered by the fact he hadn&rsquo;t played a game for the Minnesota Wild since Nov. 23. After the world juniors, he was returned to the Western League. Canada surely would have benefitted had the Wild sent him back earlier.</p><p>Otherwise, you had a lot of players who could have strengthened their games even more in the AHL if they were allowed. How would Jonathan Drouin have progressed if Tampa sent him to AHL Syracuse instead of back to Halifax, where he has dominated the Quebec League to the tune of two points per game again? What would Flyers pick Scott Laughton look like if he had come from Adirondack instead of Oshawa? Maybe the team would have been mentally sharper in Malmo, because they know they no longer own this tournament. &ldquo;It has changed,&rdquo; Drouin said. &ldquo;Canada doesn&rsquo;t run through the tournament like they did 10 years ago. Teams are getting better, getting their own systems and they&rsquo;re getting players who play in the tournament more often, so you have to be ready.&rdquo;</p><p>Which is harder to do when you&rsquo;re prepping against boys and not men.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-01

BOYS VS. MEN

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02620/9896234-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="343" height="364"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03483/9896227-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="2335" height="1147"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ICE HOT CAPTAIN</b></p><p>Henrik Zetterberg returned from injury just before the Winter Classic and hasn&rsquo;t missed a beat offensively.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRIAN BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>NN ARBOR, MICH. &ndash; ONCE AGAIN, MOTHER</b> Nature smiled upon the NHL&rsquo;s annual New Year&rsquo;s Day outdoor game. The 13 degrees Fahrenheit/-11 degrees Celsius game-time temperature wasn&rsquo;t entirely comfortable weather for the 105,491 in attendance at Michigan Stadium to see the Red Wings host the Maple Leafs, but the league had to be pleased to showcase its product in the most idyllic setting possible.</p><p>Sooner or later, the environment is bound to be less cooperative. And on that day, the NHL will have even fonder feelings for how fortunate it&rsquo;s been with its marquee-event the past six seasons. One day, when it&rsquo;s too hot or moist to guarantee safe ice or too frigid to guarantee safe viewing, team owners and advertisers will remember how fantastic the experience was in this small University of Michigan town and curse their misfortune in a climatic roll of the dice.</p><p>But it&rsquo;s not always the case that you won&rsquo;t know what you&rsquo;ve got until it&rsquo;s gone.</p><p>Look at the Red Wings. They knew full well what Henrik Zetterberg meant to the team before he was sidelined in early December with a herniated disk, so when Detroit&rsquo;s fortunes went south in the 11 games their captain missed, it was hardly a revelation. But knowing what was coming didn&rsquo;t make it easier. The Wings were 14-7-7 at the time of his injury. Without him, they lost seven of their next eight games and went just 3-6-2 until he returned Dec. 28.</p><p>Though teammate Pavel Datsyuk is the player who has the most complete game of any current Red Wing, Zetterberg is the engine that pushes the franchise forward. That was apparent as soon as he came back from injury: at Michigan Stadium, Zetterberg was the driving force behind the first goal of the outdoor game when he threaded a perfect pass to teammate Daniel Alfredsson. &ldquo;Z&rsquo;s a special, special player,&rdquo; says coach Mike Babcock. &ldquo;But he&rsquo;s also a special man. His leadership ability and his ability to understand the game and demand a lot from others is because he gets so much out of himself. He&rsquo;s a huge part of our team. Every team has guys that drive the bus and he&rsquo;s one of them for us.&rdquo;</p><p>The partnership on that Winter Classic goal is part of an ongoing dream come true for Zetterberg, who was elated when Alfredsson signed with the Wings in the summer. &ldquo;When &lsquo;Alfie&rsquo; decided to come here, it was special for our group, but it was special for me, too,&rdquo; Zetterberg says. &ldquo;He was one of the players I&rsquo;ve looked up to my entire career. I&rsquo;ve played in the Olympics with him, I&rsquo;ve played in world championships with him, but I never thought I&rsquo;d have the chance to play with him on a club team. Just having him around is pretty special and something I&rsquo;ll always remember.&rdquo;</p><p>Zetterberg, 33, arrived on the NHL scene in 2002 from his native Sweden and instantly bonded with Datsyuk, which one teammate acknowledged by giving them nicknames like the &ldquo;Euro Twins&rdquo; and &ldquo;Wonder Twins.&rdquo; In the decade that followed, and in concert with a long list of current and future Hall of Famers, the duo helped Detroit to a Stanley Cup in 2008 and more playoff appearances than any other team.</p><p>Now, the incurious fan could point to the fact Datsyuk has won more individual NHL awards as an indication he&rsquo;s of greater value than Zetterberg (whose sole individual award came when he won the Conn Smythe Trophy in &rsquo;08), but management didn&rsquo;t give Zetterberg the captaincy as a consolation prize for taking a backseat to his Russian pal. No, Zetterberg is celebrating his first anniversary as Wings captain in mid-January because there&rsquo;s no better player or presence for the job. He&rsquo;s as consistent as anyone &ndash; a 20-to 30-goal-scorer and point-per-game player on track to do the same this season &ndash; and, more importantly, his even-keeled approach and expectant demeanor set the tone for his teammates.</p><p>Whereas Datsyuk is soft-spoken and just wants to play, Zetterberg is vocal in the dressing room and relentless in his desire to win. If he doesn&rsquo;t have the nearly perfect game his fellow Wonder Twin possesses, he makes up for it in determination and selflessness. When you consider he&rsquo;s had as many as 43 goals in a season, yet has always finished with more assists in each of his 10 NHL campaigns, it speaks to his willingness to sacrifice personal glory for team advancement.</p><p>If you examined Zetterberg&rsquo;s game in the early days, you might have focused on his skating as an area he could improve. He didn&rsquo;t move effortlessly across the ice like countryman and former Wings legend Nicklas Lidstrom (then again, how many do?) and in a league where every aspect of a player&rsquo;s game is broken down to its formative atoms, this was a knock. But in short order, Zetterberg allayed all doubt with superior on-ice vision and smarts. He isn&rsquo;t caught out of place. He thinks the game effortlessly, but acts on that thinking with maximum exertion. Every skating stride might look like work, but that&rsquo;s the important thing: he&rsquo;s working like a maniac with each leg extension and retraction. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I have the perfect stride or anything, but you just have to skate,&rdquo; Zetterberg said. &ldquo;Over my career, it&rsquo;s not like I&rsquo;ve been getting so much for free with my skating. You always have to skate and work hard and I kind of got used to that. That&rsquo;s helped me. You can&rsquo;t take off practices or games. When you have the same effort, when playoffs come around you&rsquo;re used to it.&rdquo;</p><p>Zetterberg, still called &lsquo;Hank&rsquo; by friends and teammates, isn&rsquo;t signed through 2021 because he&rsquo;s the flashiest guy on the ice. It&rsquo;s because he&rsquo;s the soundest investment Wings GM Ken Holland could make. He&rsquo;s always working, always thinking. And he&rsquo;s the right choice for a team that&rsquo;s specialized in appropriate choices of leaders. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s one of the things about our organization &ndash; they don&rsquo;t bring in just anybody,&rdquo; says defenseman Niklas Kronwall. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re very particular in knowing who fits in where in the room. In Hank&rsquo;s case, they sat him beside Steve Yzerman for years and then they had him close to Nicklas Lidstrom after Steve retired. So it&rsquo;s just been so natural for Hank to be our next captain. The organization picked the right person.&rdquo;</p><p>How appropriate, then, that on a day when the weather worked out for the game, Henrik Zetterberg continued to work out for the Wings.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02547/9896220-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="908" height="1192"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FOLLOW ME, FELLAS</b></p><p>Teammates know Zetterberg is the main man driving the Motor City&rsquo;s big red machine.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ZETTERBERG: GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0040-02

ZETTERBERG A CLASSIC WING

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03447/9896265-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="642" height="767"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SIDEBAR: JAMIE SABAU/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>F YOU WALKED</b> into the Winter Classic, you took over quaint Ann Arbor&rsquo;s downtown core the way more than 100,000 college football fans do seven times a season. And as long as you bundled your person properly, you understood why Wings coach Mike Babcock raved about the collegiate experience on New Year&rsquo;s Eve. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the best sporting event,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been to the Olympic Games, the World Series, the Stanley Cup. I&rsquo;ve been to a few things to say the least. (A college football game at Michigan Stadium) is probably the best sporting event I&rsquo;ve ever been to, bar none. Can it transfer into hockey? I assume it can.&rdquo;</p><p>It did. Families, friends and strangers intermingled on makeshift Wings and Leafs turf around the venue. Few, if any fans took things too far. Only two people were arrested and just 15 ejected.</p><p>But the outdoor game at Michigan Stadium didn&rsquo;t unfold without hitches. For starters, the collegiate city&rsquo;s infrastructure was woefully unprepared to be swamped by nearly 106,000 fans. Traffic heading into town was nightmarish &ndash; thousands missed the start of the game despite leaving hours before the 1 p.m. start &ndash; but leaving was worse. With no traffic officers in sight, it took more than two hours for drivers to travel less than a half-mile. The stadium had its share of chaos: washroom and concession lineups were monstrous and if you did make it to the front of the line, you could wind up disappointed when vendors ran out of food.</p><p>The challenges didn&rsquo;t drown out the tenor of the day, but they did show the NHL has operational wrinkles to iron out for future large-scale spectacles.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-03

CLASSIC CRUSH

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02574/9896338-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01876/9896345-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="75" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03454/9896331-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="1374" height="1044"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ANDREJ SEKERA</b> <span class="photo-credit">(COGLIANO+SEKERA: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>NDREJ SEKERA WEARS NO. 4 FOR</b> the Carolina Hurricanes, but no one confused him with Bobby Orr, at least until he caught Detroit in a line change and skated from his own side of the red line, through what seemed like the Red Wings&rsquo; entire team, turning around Todd Bertuzzi before cutting between Brendan Smith and Niklas Kronwall for an Orr-esque goal-scoring rush.</p><p>That moment, on Nov. 21, was Sekera&rsquo;s most dramatic to date with the Hurricanes, but his impact has been felt in many other ways.</p><p>Acquired in a draft-day trade with the Buffalo Sabres that attracted little attention, the Hurricanes sent Jamie McBain &ndash; who was once the organization&rsquo;s top defensive prospect before his development stalled in the NHL &ndash; and a second-round pick to Buffalo for Sekera, in what was widely perceived as two teams swapping issues. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s safe to say he&rsquo;s played beyond expectations,&rdquo; said Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller.</p><p>Turns out, a fresh start was all the 27-year-old who will represent Slovakia at the Sochi Games needed. The Hurricanes liked what they saw of Sekera in Buffalo and thought his mobility  would fit well with their style. Once he arrived, his professionalism and passion made a further impression, and he found a seamless fit with Team USA Olympian Justin Faulk on Carolina&rsquo;s top pairing. &ldquo;Maybe the system we play, maybe I get some more opportunities in different situations,&rdquo; Sekera said. &ldquo;All the guys I play with, they create space for me.&rdquo;</p><p>His big night in Detroit &ndash; he added a shorthanded goal later in the 4-3 loss &ndash; kick-started his offensive game and he hasn&rsquo;t looked back. After recording eight points in his first 21 games with Carolina, he had five goals and 16 points in his next 20, putting him in the top 20 in both goals and points among NHL defensemen.</p><p>On the Hurricanes, only Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner have more points. &ldquo;We were looking for puck-moving &lsquo;D&rsquo; and different things, but we gave him an opportunity to play on the power play with Faulk and they&rsquo;ve hit it off great,&rdquo; Muller said. &ldquo;Who would have known that chemistry would be there? They&rsquo;ve been a great one-two tandem. He&rsquo;s probably been our most consistent player from training camp to now.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04365/9896324-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="327" height="506"></div><p><b>Andrew Cogliano</b> doesn&rsquo;t like wasting time. He has never missed a game in an NHL career that spans seven years and more than 500 contests. The 26-year-old winger resisted testing the free agent market this summer by recently signing a four-year contract worth $12 million. Cogliano is on pace for a career offensive season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05309/9896317-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BERGERON: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Bruins stand an excellent chance of having at least one player come back from Sochi with a medal. Five players from five countries &ndash; <b>Patrice Bergeron</b> (Canada), David Krejci (Czech Republic), Tuukka Rask (Finland), Zdeno Chara (Slovakia) and Loui Eriksson (Sweden) &ndash; are Bruins playing at the Games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06273/9896310-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MILLER: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Sabres are one of three teams &ndash; Montreal and Detroit are the others &ndash; whose No. 1 goalie and backup will be at the Olympics. <b>Ryan Miller</b> will challenge for No. 1 for Team USA, while Jhonas Enroth will battle for the No. 2 job on Sweden. Zemgus Girgensons will not have to adjust to a new coach, with Ted Nolan coaching Latvia.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-07232/9896303-1-eng-US/f0042-072.jpg" title="f0042-07" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STAJAN: GERRY THOMAS/NHL VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s against the rules, of course, but <b>Matt Stajan</b> has it in his blood to be an Olympian for Team Slovenia. All four of Stajan&rsquo;s grandparents are Slovenian and were born there. Stajan himself was born and raised in Mississauga, Ont., and has played his almost 700 NHL games for two Canadian teams, Toronto and Calgary.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-08178/9896296-1-eng-US/f0042-082.jpg" title="f0042-08" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STAAL: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Eric Staal was one prominent name left off of Canada&rsquo;s Olympic roster, but given the nation&rsquo;s glut of centers it shouldn&rsquo;t have been surprising. Perhaps the national team noticed Eric wasn&rsquo;t even playing the best amongst his family on Carolina. <b>Jordan Staal</b> has a better Corsi rating than his brother and is playing tougher minutes.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-02

POINTS, PASSION, PROFESSIONALISM

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01853/9896425-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02598/9896418-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="74" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03497/9896411-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="1373" height="1055"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GABRIEL LANDESKOG</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>HILE THE MORNING OF JAN. 7</b> was a stressful time for many Olympic hopefuls, it was a relaxing one for Gabriel Landeskog. He could sip his morning coffee with no trembled hand, knowing he was already on the Swedish team. Landeskog had known for about 10 days after getting an email from one of the coaches. &ldquo;I told my family and close friends,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but I had to keep it a secret as best I could.&rdquo;</p><p>There was probably no need for that. It was always a foregone conclusion Landeskog would play for Sweden in Sochi. He&rsquo;s enjoyed a good season for an Avalanche team that had been one of the biggest surprises in the league entering the New Year.</p><p>Still, after a rough sophomore season that saw him miss time with a concussion and a downgrade in statistics overall, Landeskog had something to prove coming into 2013-14. He&rsquo;s proven he&rsquo;s still a very good player, skating on a top-six line at left wing, usually with Paul Stastny. At the halfway mark of the season, he had 12 goals and 34 points through the 42 games. &ldquo; &lsquo;Landy&rsquo; has been a very good, smart player for us and he deserved his selection,&rdquo; said coach Patrick Roy. &ldquo;He has done everything we&rsquo;ve asked of him.&rdquo;</p><p>Landeskog, who signed a seven-year contract extension with Colorado last year, isn&rsquo;t playing quite the bang-and-crash type of game he did his first two years with the Avalanche. Some of that has to do with getting a serious concussion early last season. Landeskog knows he&rsquo;s too valuable to Colorado to recklessly throw his body around, so now he plays a more conventional up-and-down game. But he&rsquo;s still not afraid to get his nose dirty around the net and in the corners.</p><p>Still only 21 years old, Landeskog is the youngest captain in the NHL. When he suits up for Sochi he&rsquo;ll be the youngest player on Sweden, though he does have experience representing his country in international tournaments. Landeskog has played for Sweden in two world championships, including helping the 2013 team to a gold medal, with three goals and one assist in 10 games. But this will be his first Olympics. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a new tournament, new country,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;For us, it&rsquo;s about a new start. We definitely want to get back to what we did in 2006 and get the gold medal.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04379/9896404-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LANDESKOG+SAAD: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Brandon Saad&rsquo;s</b>&nbsp;sophomore season is going swimmingly. After finishing third in 2012-13 Calder Trophy voting, he set a career high with his 11th goal in his 33rd game. He scored 10 times in 46 contests last season. Saad&rsquo;s strong two-way play, however, wasn&rsquo;t enough to earn him a spot on the American Olympic team.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05331/9896397-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MACKINNON: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Avalanche opted not to send the 2013 No. 1 overall pick, <b>Nathan MacKinnon</b>, to the world juniors with Team Canada. And for good reason. His 26 points at the halfway mark led NHL rookies and MacKinnon became the youngest player in Avalanche history with a multigoal game, doing it Jan. 4 at 18 years, 125 days.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06275/9896390-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JOHNSON: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>What will <b>Jack Johnson</b> do with his snub from Team USA&rsquo;s Olympic team? A &ldquo;Captain America&rdquo; type who made waves with the Kings for rushing to the opening ceremonies in 2010, Johnson&rsquo;s sometimes erratic play on the blueline was a probable reason why he didn&rsquo;t make the cut, despite his fervent patriotism.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07234/9896383-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CONNAUTON: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>A truckload of injuries to Dallas&rsquo; defense corps gave <b>Kevin Connauton</b> his first extended duty as an NHL starter. Playing upwards of 16 minutes a game, the rookie impressed coach Lindy Ruff with his speed in particular, but Connauton&rsquo;s tendency to freelance and gamble at the wrong times got him into defensive trouble.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-08182/9896376-1-eng-US/f0043-082.jpg" title="f0043-08" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JURCO: ABEL IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>As was the case in 2010, the Red Wings will have to deal with a case of Olympic fatigue once the Games end and they return to the grind of the NHL stretch run. The only difference is this time the Red Wings are fighting for a playoff spot. They have nine players going to Sochi, along with minor league right winger <b>Tomas Jurco</b>.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-01

SWEDE KEEPS SILENT ON SOCHI

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PAT HICKEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02492/9896498-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01755/9896505-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="75" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03374/9896491-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="1374" height="1054"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>P.K. SUBBAN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SUBBAN: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>OW THAT HE&rsquo;S OFFICIALLY A MEMBER</b> of Canada&rsquo;s Olympic team, P.K. Subban says he&rsquo;s ready to accept any role assigned to him. &ldquo;I know I can play with the best players in this league,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m confident in my ability, but it&rsquo;s about the team.&rdquo;</p><p>Two trips to the World Junior Championship taught Subban the value of patience and waiting for an opportunity to prove himself. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve represented my country before. The first year (2008) I didn&rsquo;t play a lot, but we won a gold medal and that&rsquo;s all that matters. The next year I came back and I led all defensemen in scoring.&rdquo;</p><p>The year after that, Subban spent most of the season with Hamilton in the American League. The Canadiens called him up when Andrei Markov was injured in the playoffs and Subban wound up playing a ton of minutes for Montreal.</p><p>Despite winning the Norris Trophy last season as the NHL&rsquo;s top defenseman, Subban wasn&rsquo;t an automatic choice for Steve Yzerman, the executive director of Canada&rsquo;s Olympic team. And even though he made the roster, he&rsquo;ll likely play in a limited role as a power play specialist. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy that I made the team,&rdquo; Subban said. &ldquo;I just want to do whatever is asked of me.&rdquo;</p><p>Subban has been a lightning rod for criticism over his career. His critics say he&rsquo;s too loud, chirps too much and gets caught out of position. But Subban takes his cue from his dad, Karl, an educator who was the principal of a middle school in one of Toronto&rsquo;s toughest neighborhoods. &ldquo;P.K. is like me,&rdquo; Subban&rsquo;s father said. &ldquo;He knows that if you listen to the criticism, you&rsquo;re wasting valuable energy that could be put to better use.&rdquo;</p><p>Subban becomes a restricted free agent July 1, but everyone expects that he&rsquo;ll sign a long-term deal before the season is up. There have been preliminary talks between GM Marc Bergevin and Subban&rsquo;s agent Don Meehan and both sides say they want to reach a deal to keep the 24-year-old defenseman in Montreal.</p><p>The Canadiens have been reluctant to sign a player for more than five seasons,  but they&rsquo;ll make an exception for Subban. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t paid much attention because the season&rsquo;s been busy and the Olympics are coming,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I love Montreal and I can&rsquo;t see myself playing anywhere else.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04295/9896484-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="327" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BELOV: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Anton Belov</b> making the Russian Olympic team ahead of Sergei Gonchar may have surprised some fans, but not his Beloved followers in Edmonton. The five-year KHL vet has made an impact on the blueline, averaging 18:23 of ice time. He&rsquo;s third on the team in hits, fourth in penalty minutes and fifth in blocked shots.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-05246/9896477-1-eng-US/f0044-052.jpg" title="f0044-05" width="328" height="505"></div><p><b>Aleksander Barkov</b> missed his chance to win a gold at the world juniors because he was in the NHL, so he&rsquo;ll have to settle for a chance to win a medal at the Olympics. Barkov, who was top 10 in rookie scoring as the calendar hit 2014 (seven goals and 22 points in 43 games), is the youngest NHLer going to the Olympics at just 18.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-06217/9896470-1-eng-US/f0044-062.jpg" title="f0044-06" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RICHARDS: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Mike</b>&nbsp;<b>Richards</b> was on a lot of all-snub lists after the Olympic rosters were announced. His strong two-way game, leadership ability and winning track record made him a candidate to return to Team Canada. But he was on pace for just 11 goals and Canada was already strong down the middle, which kept Richards on the outside.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-07186/9896463-1-eng-US/f0044-072.jpg" title="f0044-07" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BARKOV+SUTER: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Considering <b>Ryan Suter</b> has never scored more than eight goals in a season, his Jan. 4 hat trick against Washington was especially impressive. Suter also became the first Wild defenseman to accomplish the feat. He found twine twice on one power play stretch after the Capitals took minor penalties four seconds apart.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-08140/9896456-1-eng-US/f0044-082.jpg" title="f0044-08" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARKOV: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Only three teams &ndash; Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit &ndash; have more than the eight Olympians Montreal has in its lineup. Half of those players are from the Canadiens&rsquo; defense. P.K. Subban (Canada), <b>Andrei Markov</b> (Russia), Alexei Emelin (Russia) and Raphael Diaz (Switzerland) were selected to go to Sochi. This is Markov&rsquo;s third Games.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-02

KEEPING HIS CONCENTRATION

<div class="byline">&#x2013; STEVE ZIPAY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0045-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01664/9896585-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02448/9896578-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="74" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03380/9896571-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="1373" height="1041"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MATS ZUCCARELLO</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>F NORWAY LEAVES SOCHI WITH A GOLD</b> medal, mused Mats Zuccarello, it would be more of a miracle than the underdog Americans, coached by Herb Brooks, at the 1980 Olympics. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t have to be a scientist to know we&rsquo;re not going to win the Olympics, with the caliber of the NHL players on other teams,&rdquo; Zuccarello said. &ldquo;But at the same time, we&rsquo;ve qualified for a reason. We&rsquo;re excited to be there and we&rsquo;re going to do our best every game. We&rsquo;re probably going to come up short against the big teams, but if we can win a game, or somehow two, that would be great.&rdquo;</p><p>Now 26, Zuccarello was on pace for a 60-point season that should earn him a longer deal to stay in New York. He came to the Rangers as a free agent in 2010 and wants to remain in Manhattan, a message he sent to management last summer by accepting arbitration. He&rsquo;s become one of the best bargains in the NHL, already earning every cent of his $1.2 million salary.</p><p>Zuccarello, who at 5-foot-7 and 179 pounds bears the nickname &lsquo;The Hobbit,&rsquo; has adapted to the North American game from the European style, as Rangers coach Alain Vigneault noted when discussing both he and another winger who&rsquo;s been very productive recently, Benoit Pouliot. &ldquo;Both guys were having a really hard time, both sat out, both didn&rsquo;t complain to the world about sitting,&rdquo; Vigneault said. &ldquo;They rolled up their sleeves and got to work. They both analyzed their game and found a way to get it back on track.&rdquo;</p><p>The year didn&rsquo;t start well for Zuccarello and Vigneault made him a healthy scratch Oct. 24 in Philadelphia. Since then, Zuccarello had been an offensive wizard for the Rangers, with 10 goals and 30 points in 36 games.</p><p>For his part, Zuccarello is just trying to compete hard during each game and he plans on taking that attitude to Sochi. He had one goal and two assists in four games at the 2010 Winter Games, which included a tough 5-4 overtime loss to Switzerland. He knows the Norwegians will be an afterthought at the Olympics, but that doesn&rsquo;t damper his enthusiasm. &ldquo;(Our roster) is not that big of an announcement for Norway,&rdquo; Zuccarello said. &ldquo;And there won&rsquo;t be many Norwegian fans in Sochi. Russia is pretty far and there&rsquo;s some concern about security. But I&rsquo;m really looking forward to it.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04322/9896564-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HUTTON: GREGORY SH AMUS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Marek Mazanec and <b>Carter Hutton</b> were competent fill-ins for Pekka Rinne (infection) early on, but foundered to the point coach Barry Trotz could no longer back Hutton. Trotz said a game-winning goal on Hutton Jan. 5 &ldquo;wasn&rsquo;t much of a shot at all&rdquo; from Carolina&rsquo;s Jeff Skinner and that Hutton&rsquo;s effort was &ldquo;not good enough for this league.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-06244/9896557-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="326" height="505"></div><p>Despite having highly touted youngsters such as Adam Larsson and Jon Merrill on the blueline, the Devils must be wondering where they would be without rookie <b>Eric Gelinas</b>. Gelinas, 22, was earning more than 20 minutes of ice time and was tied for second among all NHL first-year D-men in points, with 16 in 33 games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-07213/9896550-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ZUCCARELLO+OKPOSO: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Kyle Okposo</b> is in the midst of a career season, notching around a point per game. In the past, Okposo&rsquo;s production hit big ruts, but this season the opposite is true. The Minnesota native hasn&rsquo;t been held off the scoresheet for more than three games in a row and welcomed in the New Year with an eight-game point streak.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-08140/9896543-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="328" height="507"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GELINAS+TALBOT: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Manhattan would be the last place you&rsquo;d expect to find a goaltending controversy, with Henrik Lundqvist inking a deal worth nearly $60 million for the next seven seasons. But rookie <b>Cam Talbot</b> was stealing thunder from and outplaying &lsquo;The King,&rsquo; winning nearly as many games while playing only one-third of the time.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-09104/9896536-1-eng-US/f0045-092.jpg" title="f0045-09" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KARLSSON: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>As is the case with the Senators, defenseman <b>Erik Karlsson</b> will be leaned upon heavily by the Swedish team at the Olympics. Only one Olympic-bound defenseman &ndash; Ryan Suter of USA &ndash; logged more ice time than Karlsson. Milan Michalek, who will represent the Czech Republic, is the only other Senator going to Sochi.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-01

REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; SHELLY ANDERSON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02443/9896658-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01670/9896665-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="75" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-03304/9896651-1-eng-US/f0046-032.jpg" title="f0046-03" width="1374" height="1047"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BROOKS ORPIK</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>T 33 YEARS OLD, BROOKS ORPIK IS</b> the second-oldest defenseman on the Pittsburgh Penguins and the oldest skater on Team USA&rsquo;s roster for the 2014 Winter Olympics.</p><p>Orpik tried to think back to summer 2000, when he was drafted 18th overall by the Penguins. What kind of player did he envision himself being when he got to the far side of 30? &ldquo;You&rsquo;re pretty naive at that age,&rdquo; Orpik said. &ldquo;Your goal is to just make it to the NHL. You&rsquo;re not thinking about having a long career or anything like that.&rdquo;</p><p>So he wasn&rsquo;t a typical hockey prospect dreaming of 20-goal seasons? &ldquo;I knew that was never going to happen,&rdquo; he said with a smile.</p><p>Orpik is the longest-tenured Penguins player, pushing 700 NHL games, and has never had more than two goals or 25 points in any season. Two qualities have primarily defined his hockey life: his play as a physical, stay-at-home defenseman and strong penalty killer with underrated skating ability and a willingness to give a no-frills, sometimes brutally honest, assessment of his team and himself.</p><p>That makes him a recognized leader, even if he doesn&rsquo;t categorize himself that way. &ldquo;As you get older, you learn when a good time to be assertive is and other times when you just take a step back and let things play out,&rdquo; Orpik said. &ldquo;The biggest thing is you&rsquo;ve got to be honest. Sometimes you don&rsquo;t always love to hear what a teammate or a coach says to you, but as long as they&rsquo;re being honest, you respect that. You just try to be yourself. It&rsquo;s pretty easy to identify when guys are being phony.&rdquo;</p><p>Orpik will be making his second appearance at the Olympics. He earned a silver medal at the 2010 tournament in Vancouver, which was played on an NHL-sized surface. These Games will be on the larger international ice.</p><p>He&rsquo;s played on the big sheets internationally before and has studied World Championship games, but he knows he won&rsquo;t be counted on for his offense. (Orpik had zero points in six games in 2010.) He&rsquo;s prepared to play a more patient game in Sochi, waiting as teams look for a good entry into the offensive zone, maybe even circling back through the neutral zone rather than feeling a need to dump and chase. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if it will be like that at the Olympics,&rdquo; Orpik said, &ldquo;but I wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised by it.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-04250/9896644-1-eng-US/f0046-042.jpg" title="f0046-04" width="327" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SCHENN: LEN REDKOLES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Old rink rats may tell you they&rsquo;ve seen it all, but a player catching a skate blade to the gut is new. The grisly injury belonged to <b>Brayden Schenn</b>, who took a slice to the tummy from Dainius Zubrus when the Flyers forward dumped the Devils veteran on a hit gone wrong. Somehow Schenn returned the same night.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-05197/9896637-1-eng-US/f0046-052.jpg" title="f0046-05" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DOAN: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Shane Doan</b> is back after missing 12 games in December with a strange case of Rocky Mountain Fever. Doan recalls pulling some burrs out of his dog&rsquo;s paw one day in Arizona and feeling a prick. A couple days later, he came down with fever and wound up in hospital on antibiotics. He said missing the month sapped his stamina.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-06172/9896630-1-eng-US/f0046-062.jpg" title="f0046-06" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ORPIK+JOKINEN: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>For a player who was acquired for short-term playoff depth, <b>Jussi Jokinen</b> has sure made himself tough to get rid of. Brought in at the deadline last season for future considerations, he has proven to be an excellent source of secondary scoring for the Penguins and a strong option on faceoffs, winning more than half his draws.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-07141/9896623-1-eng-US/f0046-072.jpg" title="f0046-07" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SCHWARTZ: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Coach Ken Hitchcock was always high on undersized prospect <b>Jaden Schwartz</b> and we see why. Schwartz caught fire in December playing with Chris Stewart and Vladimir Sobotka and later spelled injured Alexander Steen at left wing on the top line with David Backes and T.J. Oshie. Schwartz scored in six straight games at one point.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0899/9896616-1-eng-US/f0046-082.jpg" title="f0046-08" width="329" height="510"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(VLASIC: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Going to Russia for the Olympics will be the longest road trip of <b>Marc Edouard-Vlasic&rsquo;s</b> career. He&rsquo;s a reliable defenseman best known for a no-nonsense style that revolves around keeping his own zone tidy. And he&rsquo;s added an offensive bent this season that will challenge his career-high six goals and 36 points from 2008-09.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-02

AMERICA’S ANCHOR MAN

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0047-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02397/9896738-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01605/9896745-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="74" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-03313/9896731-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="1371" height="1058"><figcaption class="caption-body">OLLI <b>JOKINEN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JOKINEN: MARIANNE HELM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LLI JOKINEN DOESN&rsquo;T NEED A</b> soapbox to share his motivation for playing for Finland in his fourth Olympic Games in Sochi. Having collected a silver medal in Turin and a bronze in Vancouver, there&rsquo;s a color missing from his collection.</p><p>The Winnipeg Jets center, now 35, is eager for another Olympic experience. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a different feeling than going to world championships,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Staying in the Olympic village, you have a chance to catch other events. The fun part is to see the other athletes. They train for four years and this is the biggest competition of their lives.&rdquo;</p><p>Jokinen doesn&rsquo;t sound worried about Finland&rsquo;s prospects for the tournament, confident that there is always consistency of style and of buy in. At the Jan. 7 roster announcement, he said he didn&rsquo;t look long at the list. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a certain way the Finnish national team plays every year and somehow they&rsquo;re always able to compete against tougher talent if you look at lineups on paper,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve always been there. We rely on our team game.&rdquo;</p><p>Such foundation has not been as easily established in Winnipeg, where the Jets are inconsistent even though Joki-nen is having a bounce-back season.</p><p>The shortened post-lockout campaign, &ldquo;Wasn&rsquo;t good for me, let&rsquo;s put it that way,&rdquo; he said, yielding only 14 points in 45 games after his free-agency move from Calgary to Winnipeg. The layoff and unfamiliar surroundings on a younger team were factors. This season, he has 28 points in 46 games and has looked much more comfortable on and off the ice after an intense summer of preparation to prove he still had game. &ldquo;Last year, I was in the background, trying to get a feel from guys,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You try to earn respect from your teammates for doing things right. I&rsquo;m being a bit more vocal this year. I try to get ready for every practice, have good habits off the ice and on.&rdquo;</p><p>His consistent message was becoming a voice of leadership for the Jets, always spoken in quiet, measured tones. &ldquo;The only thing you should worry about going into a game is playing within the system and knowing where to go, because once you start knowing that your linemate is going to do the right thing, the game is definitely going  to slow down,&rdquo; he said earlier in the season. &ldquo;We can talk here all day but to me, it&rsquo;s pretty cheap.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-04239/9896724-1-eng-US/f0047-042.jpg" title="f0047-04" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(YZERMAN: ABELIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>You could tell by the look on <b>Steve Yzerman&rsquo;s</b> face the day the Canadian Olympic team was named that not including Martin St-Louis on the team was a difficult decision for the Lightning GM. He&rsquo;s confident St-Louis will be able to put it aside, but it was a perfect example of Yzerman as a player &ndash; always putting the team first.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-05185/9896717-1-eng-US/f0047-052.jpg" title="f0047-05" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KULEMIN: JANA CHYTILOVA/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPH Y/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>With all the firepower the Russians have in their lineup, they likely won&rsquo;t be looking for <b>Nikolai Kulemin</b> to provide a lot of goals for them. That would be wise. Since scoring 15, 16 and 30 goals in his first three NHL seasons, Kulemin had only 19 in 150 games since then, including just five in the first 32 games of this season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-06153/9896710-1-eng-US/f0047-062.jpg" title="f0047-06" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HAMHUIS: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>By coach John Tortorella&rsquo;s admission, <b>Dan Hamhuis</b> was terrible at the beginning of 2013-14. He was a minus-4 in six games and made rookie mistakes. But after rounding into form, Hamhuis was selected to represent Canada in Sochi. He played 30-plus minutes three times in the 10 games leading up to the roster announcement.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-07119/9896703-1-eng-US/f0047-072.jpg" title="f0047-07" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ERAT: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>When Washington traded 2012 first-rounder Filip Forsberg less than a year after drafting him, they were hoping for an offensive spark in <b>Martin Erat</b>. But Erat couldn&rsquo;t match his Nashville numbers last season and had zero goals halfway through 2013-14. At least the Capitals got youngster Michael Latta in the deal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0887/9896696-1-eng-US/f0047-082.jpg" title="f0047-08" width="326" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BYFUGLIEN: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Could <b>Dustin Byfuglien&rsquo;s</b> days in Winnipeg be nearing an end? He was hot and cold throughout the first half, being second in the league in giveaways and sixth in takeaways. And after his Team USA snub, Byfuglien popped up in trade rumors. His limited no-trade clause allows him to submit a five-team no trade list each season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-02

ROBUSTLY REJUVENATED

<h2><b>Guess</b>&nbsp;<b>WHO!</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01459/9896776-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="523" height="641"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GUESS WHO: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><i>&ldquo;I have more points than any NHL defenseman the past eight seasons.&rdquo;</i></p><p><i>&ldquo;I was the only undrafted player on Canada&rsquo;s gold medal squad at the 2010 Olympics.&rdquo;</i></p><p><i>&ldquo;Before San Jose, I played for both Florida teams. I won a Cup with Tampa in 2003-04.&rdquo;</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-01

LAST MINUTE OF PLAY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT LARKIN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-05208/9896876-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="888" height="850"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MASK: DAVEART.COM)</span></figcaption></div><h2>SHANNON SZABADOS | TEAM CANADA</h2><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>s Szabados tends goal for the Canadian women in Sochi, her mask bears similarity to the jersey crest from 2010 in that the Maple Leaf contains First Nations art within it. The Dave Gunnarsson design also discreetly includes a map of Canada.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-05

Behind THE MASK

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-06130/9896907-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="676" height="668"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: ALABAMA UNIVERSITY)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>labama-Huntsville is the little program that could in NCAA hockey. The southern-most program in Division I hockey, the Chargers were almost finished not long ago when an outgoing president felt the school didn&rsquo;t have the money for hockey, but the program was saved soon after by the new administration.</p><p>This season, the equine-themed Chargers have new uniforms and though simple, they&rsquo;re pretty sharp. The Indianapolis  Colts-style shoulder logo is a cool addition, while the simple color scheme and lettering works.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-06

Jersey HOUND

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02338/9896938-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="637" height="1003"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>RARE BREED</b></p><p>Elias Lindholm, a Carolina prospect, was an outlier at the world juniors, born in the latter half of the year.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(LUDVIG THUNMAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01447/9896945-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="200" height="238"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>NE NEWS ITEM THAT FAILED TO MAKE</b> the list of biggest hockey stories of 2013 was Hockey Canada&rsquo;s decision to eliminate bodychecking at all levels below bantam. That&rsquo;s understandable, what with the lockout ending, but it&rsquo;s a decision that will have farreaching effects on youth hockey in the world&rsquo;s most hockey-crazed nation for years to come.</p><p>Beyond the obvious, I mean. Regardless of where you stand on the issue of raising the bodychecking age from 11 to 13, there will be fewer injuries, particularly concussions. The implications of doing it can be debated, but more kids playing and fewer injured or driven from the game is nothing but good.</p><p>For the less obvious, you have to look a little deeper. Bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell touched a nerve when he pointed out the perceived inequalities between players born early in the year compared to those born in the last six months of the year in his book <i>Outliers</i>. (Truth be told, respected sports columnist Roy MacGregor has been banging this drum for 25 years, so Gladwell&rsquo;s observations were hardly novel.)</p><p>The thinking is that by having a cohort spanning the 12-month calendar year favors those whose birthdays are early in the year and discriminates against those who are born from July to December. Players born earlier usually have a physical and developmental advantage over those born later because they can be up to 11-plus months older. The differences are more pronounced the younger the players are and when you&rsquo;re picking elite teams as young as six and seven, it could start a cycle that leaves the later birthdays out of the elite group forever.</p><p>And when you look at the birthdates of the players at the recent World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, it&rsquo;s tough to dispute that theory. On the Ontario team alone, a whopping 18 players were born from January through June, with just four players who were born from July through December. The Western Canada team was 17-5, Pacific 17-6 and Atlantic Canada 15-7. But the one exception to the rule was Quebec, where 13 players were born in the first six months and nine in the second.</p><p>So what does that tell us about bodychecking? Well, it is interesting to note that until Hockey Canada imposed the blanket bodychecking rule this summer, Quebec was the only province where bodychecking was banned in peewee (11- and 12-year-olds) at all levels. It also might tell us that it&rsquo;s not a matter of when the player is born as much as it is when the player is subjected to the rigors of more physical play. If it&rsquo;s true older players have such a physical advantage, does it also not stand to reason that by keeping them on an equal plane &ndash; by keeping hitting out &ndash; it allows those players two more years to catch up before body contact starts in bantam?</p><p>Another team that bucked the trend was the Swedish team that finished second in the WJC. On that team, only eight players were born from January through June, with the other 14 being born in the last six months of the year. And what makes Sweden so unique? Well, of the 68 players from Sweden who have played in the NHL this season, 35 were born in the first six months of the year and 33 in the second half for a near 50-50 split.</p><p>Also, there&rsquo;s probably no country that dials down the competitive aspect of hockey at the young ages the way Sweden does. While a lot of kids in Canada have already been directed to an elite stream from as early as eight, Sweden doesn&rsquo;t allow competitive hockey into their system prior to age 10. All young players must go through the Three Crowns hockey school, which takes players  under 10 and has them play cross-ice games where no scores are kept. Then they take a modest approach to hyper competition, putting their players in elite situations only once they become teenagers. Rather than have their players on the ice 12 months a year, Sweden encourages its young athletes to develop their skills in as many sports as possible.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">INCREASING THE POOL OF ELITE PLAYERS IS NEVER A NEGATIVE THING, EVEN IN CANADA</blockquote><p>The result is skilled players. According to Tommy Boustedt, director of development for the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation, players such as Henrik Zetterberg and Peter Forsberg played in anonymity until their teenage years. Until then, they were undersized players who were late to hit puberty. Had they been left behind, as many players in North America are, perhaps they would have believed they could not compete with their peers and dropped out.</p><p>So will the ban on bodychecking at 11 and 12 produce a plethora of late-birthday players who stay in the game and give themselves a chance to catch up to their peers? You&rsquo;d have to think so. And increasing the pool of elite players is never a negative thing, even in a country with as many players as Canada. At worst, at least fewer of them will be sitting out with brain injuries.</p><p><b>CAN&rsquo;T GET ENOUGH CAMPBELL?</b> GO TO <b><a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></b> FOR DAILY UPDATES<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Search for your favorite player or team

January 27, 2014

Separated AT BIRTH

SMILE AND WAVE

MEN’S SCHEDULE

CROSSWORD