Olympic Preview #1

I want to be serious for just a little while. With the big news in hockey currently revolving around Team Canada's Training camp (well, that and the Phoenix Incident), I thought it would be fun to toss out some of my early thoughts on the upcoming world tourney for supremacy of the ice.

At first glance, at least from the average North American's perspective, Team Canada looks incomparably stacked. I mean like the worlds tallest tower of pennies stacked. However, as is one of my favorite past times, I will rain on everyone's parade. Team to beat in the upcoming olympics? Russia.

I can hear the collective "Oh yeah..." Think about it. Even without a terrible amount of depth, at the very least you have Malkin and Ovechkin top line, and toss Federov (Sergi, not Fedor) with them, drop Gonchar and for lack of another player, Sergi Zubov on defense in front of Khabibulin, and well...I really think you're talking one of the most dominant lines in the history of the game.

Now, I realize that this isn't NHL '97, and you can't just turn line changes off, but all of the players on that line averaged over 20 minutes per game last season. Even if they're all out there for just 20 minutes, you have to think that's something like 2-3 goals per game if they can mesh well. Then, you can fill the rest of the lineup with the best remaining, and if they can keep the puck out of their own net, Russia leads a dominating force into the medal rounds.

Of course, I'm certainly not writing off other teams being able to shut them down. Canada will obviously give them a solid run. The USA could perform well if they two generations that should make up the team can play some good blue collar hockey. Sweden will probably surprise a few people as well...I mean, they broke the country's record for number of Swedes picked in the first round.

Still, even will plenty of talented competition, Team Russia will likey dominates, composing a team of some of the best players in two of the highest levels of the sport (NHL and KHL). Expect them to perform well and likely medal in the 2010 olympics.