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It's Olympic hockey time
http://www.e-sports.com/articles/2323/1/It039s-Olympic-hockey-time/Page1.html
Jo Ann Lawery
Jo Ann Lawery now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. When she isn't writing for eSports and other web sites, this avid hockey and baseball fan works in, where else, a casino as a "slot club ambassador."
 
By Jo Ann Lawery
Published on 02/11/2010
 
The 2010 Winter Olympics began last night, February 12, with the spectacular opening ceremonies in Vancouver. Now it is time for the Games to begin. Who will bring home hockey medals? Here's a quick preview.
The contenders and the pretenders in Olympic ice hockey.

Hockey has its own version of the Olympic Dream Teams and they just don't play for the United States.

With the start of the Olympics Friday night, February 12, in one of the most scenic and liveable cities in the world, Vancouver, British Columbia, die hard and casual hockey fans will see hockey's version of "the Dream Team."

The hockey tournament has 12 dream teams. Some are contenders for gold, silver and bronze medals, a lot are pretenders. So, who's who in the tournament?

Here's a look at the teams playing in the Olympic hockey tournament, listed in the four following categories…

1. Definitely will get a medal.
2. Possibly will get a medal.
3. Snowballs chance in hell to get a medal.
4. When flying pigs break the sound barrier will get a medal..

Definite Contenders
* Sweden
* Russia
* Canada

Since hockey is Canada's national obsession, if Team Maple Leaf gets the gold medal in hockey, everybody from Vancouver to Prince Edward Island will have a national holiday. If they don't, there will probably be a day of mourning instead.

Possible Contenders
* Finland
*  Czech Republic
* Slovakia
* USA

Sorry, Team Red, White, and Young is filled with the new generation of American hockey players. The team will be lucky to be in medal contention, let alone contend for bronze, gold or silver. The theme song for the USA team might be Aerosmith's "Dream On."

Snowballs Chance in hell to medal
* Latvia
* Germany
* Switzerland

Bet you didn't know the Swiss even had a hockey team. They do and in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino they finished in sixth place behind Slovakia. Germany finished in 10th place, while Latvia didn't even qualify.

Finally, those two countries that will only get a medal when Flying Pigs Break the Sound Barrier:
* Norway
* Belarus.

Neither of those two teams qualified for the last Olympics . So, not much of a chance this time around.

So, who will get the gold this Olympic year?

Will it be Sweden again? Or, will the host team do if for the people in their homeland?
Or, will Team Russia, with their awesome scoring power, remind hockey fans of the Soviet Red Army Teams of past Olympics? Or, maybe everyone, except hockey fans in the lower 50 states, get another "Miracle on Ice?"

The answer comes in two weeks, so let the Games begin!