USA USA USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am routing for my country aka the team that beat CANADA in Toronto, CANADA and Bern, Switzerland at the last 2 World Champinionships. North America Kiss my Russian ASS

eh we still have the miracle on ice, and i personally know the guy who scored the second goal to win in that game. so yeah.

it'd be like if the russians put together an american football team and then beat the american allstar team.

Now lack of expousure to a sport is different from sucking at a sport. You American have
just as much exposure to hockey as football but you just suck
at hockey.

You know Canada is going to kcik everyone's asses right? we suck at every other sport so we have to be good at at least one.

Exposure doesn't matter as much as money. Very few Americans want to spend the money on hockey, same as football. Though Galaxy is doing well and many Canadians are finding their way onto state teams. I won't be following the world matches, as no Leaf players made the team.

The Czechs are going to surprise, exactly like in 1998 :-)

Russia- you make me LAUGH!

We've beaten you before, and we'll beat you again!

Miracle on Ice Forever!

(And go Team Finland too... Teemu Selanne, my favorite player ever... go Ducks!)

USA! USA! USA!

dont say that guy, canada has some sick curling skills

You know, people pick on me for it butI love curling. The skill involved in throwing the stones and scrubbing the ice... It's such a great strategic game requiring athleticism combined with finesse. It really is cool to watch.

@Draugnar - curling is one of the reasons I love the Winter Olympics. Until the recent rise of 500+ cable channels, the Olympics was the only time you ever got to see some of the more obscure sports. Curling was always at the top of my list simply because it didn't fit the general theme of most of the winter sports - being the fastest to complete a given course

Let's go Canada! Bring home the Gold in Vancouver!!

This is ice hockey, rather than hockey, right?

The worlds mean nothing. It just depends on who makes or didnt make the playoffs. Canada has won gold everytime they have had a full roster.

The point to remember is that Canada could easily ice three Olympic squads, including an over 30 squad, and sweep the podium. There would STILL be arguments over players not selected.

The other nations simply do not have that depth of talent.

Per capita, however, Slovakia kicks ass.

Canada is #1. mapleleaf got it right, Canada has great players that don't even make the team.

i want USA to win, but realistically, canada has the best chance--homefield advantage in the olympics, top 5 internationally at hockey...just too much talent

We kicked youre Canadian Asses in Canada two years ago so we did it once we can do it again. Canada you failed your Prime Minister atthe Game two years back and you failed. And we owned you again this year so third year in a row woudn't be too bad, eh?=P

USA all the way, (Wisconsin is big on hockey, my school team kicks ass, Americans do NOT suck at hockey whoever said that)

otto I didn't say that americans suck I just said Russians are better! and Wisconson Canada big difference.

Were you not listening denis? The world championships don't field top talent. Sidney Crosby was too busy winning stanley cups to play on the team. Kovalchuck looks pretty good because all the other good players are busy in the playoffs. The only legitimite contests come every 4 years. The last time that happened? Canada won. The time before that? Canada won. These are just facts!

The American squad, this year, will be exciting. They are a very young team, unlike the past twenty years when beating the Americans in hockey was like kicking the cane out from under your grandfather. They will also have one of the hottest goalies in the NHL right now, Ryan Miller. Remember Mike Richter?

My Toronto Maple Leaf braintrust (GM Brian Burke, and coach Ron Wilson) are certain to fuck it all up though.

Centurian, Kovalchuk is the best sniper in the game apart from Ovechkin. It doesn't matter if he's in the playoffs or not.

You know, I'm Canadian, yet I'm going to cheer on Sweden to win. They have all my players from the Red Wings, anyways.

It's not like febuary is a random month in the NHL it's very important so who says the players won't be playing for their team? and Russians play in the NHL as well. We have ovechkin, Malkin, and Nabokov and I think that outwieghs the US's Sidney Crosby 100 times in itself not to mention the rest of the Russians that do and do not play in the NHL

My personal predictions for the final four are
Canada Sweden Russia and Cezch republic

I'm with Skies. As a Red WIngs fan, I have to root for Sweden.

I agree with Denis. I don't think Sydney Crosby is going to help team USA at all.

:)

@denis. First off, Sidney Crosby does not play for USA, but Canada, and second off, xRussia does not have that many excellent players outside of the NHL. If they were that good they would be foolish not to enter the NHL.

Anyway, after looking at some of the probable rosters, I don't really see how Canada can lose.

Well, wydend, Canada's really good at finding creative ways at losing. There was that game against Switzerland last Olympics, I believe, where we got shut out.

@Denis. That's actually how I expect the final four to be, with the top three being Sweden, Russia, and Canada (in any particular order). If Hasek were still playing, the Czech Republic would definitely be up there, though...

the finns might just suprise you... if it's not us, i hope it's neither sweden or usa.

@Skies. I know Kovalchuk is amazing. Thats why I mentioned him. He played for Russia in the world championships because Atlanta sucks hard. It was an example.

@denis, clearly you don't know what you are talking about. There is an Olympic break in the NHL so everyone can play. Crosby is from Nova Scotia and since this isn't the nineties (with Jagr and Hasek) the Czechs stand no chance against the States or the Finns

@Centurian. Atlanta will probably make the playoffs this year, so that won't be an issue. I still think the Czechs can place in the top four, because they have two good goalies in Pavelec and Vokoun.

Zdeno Chara = epic win.

Russia's defense in nonexistant. Nabby chokes in the clutch. Ovie's increasingly dirty play will not fly internationally. Kovy is a goal scoring God, but a floater, otherwise.

Sidney Crosby is, obviously, Canadian, and YOU, denis, are a moron. He's the best hockey player in the world, jackass. Memorize his nationality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f32FgChkskg

Malkin and Datsyuk still play for Russia, mapleleaf. Datsyuk plays good two-way hockey, and Malkin's just as good as Crosby. With the top-two lines that Russia has, who needs defence?

The only good Russian defenceman who's playing is Gonchar, so you've got a point there. If Nabokov ever falters, they also have Varlamov in net, so it won't be as much of a problem.

Canada has the best chance of winning, but they have to show up and get some chemistry. Otherwise, they're just a normal team with a bunch of big egos.

Skies. Are you aware of the existence of Andrei Markov and Ilya Bryzgalov? They are the best Russian players at their respective positions.

Right now, Bryz is probably the best goalie in hockey.

I disagree with your "who needs defense?" position. At this level of play, a team needs to bring it at every position.

Hockey is a team sport, after all.

USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CAN-A-DA, CAN-A-DA, CAN-A-DA! No doubt about it Men's and Women's Gold.

As for other Canadian sports that we're good at besides Curling, Speed skating anyone remember Catriona Lemay Doan or Jeremy Wotherspoon? Track - what about Donavan Bailey or Perdita Felicien? What about Rowing? What about Triathlon does Simon Whitfield ring any bells? Does anyone remember that Lennox Lewis won gold for Canada in '88 before he adopted the phoney British accent?

@mapleleaf: Yes, I know who they are. Right now, I'm not counting on Bryzgalov maintaining his level of play, and Markov just came back from an injury, so he won't be as good as he usually is.

The 1980's Oilers would be a good example of a team that didn't play defence and won. Granted, the Russian team isn't as good, but they're pretty good in their own right. Also, many of the forwards on Team Canada don't really play defensively at all (Toews, Crosby, Spezza, St. Louis, etc.), so they aren't much better.

As much as hockey is a team sport, I'd like to point out that goaltending alone can win you championships (Dominik Hasek in 1996). Sometimes, all you need to win is one player stepping up to make the difference.