Team Canada Hockey 2010

One of the favorites to win the gold for men's ice hockey, team Canada is facing a lot of pressure. With a disappointing 7th place finish in the Olympic Winter Games in 2006, team Canada is prepared to avoid another embarrassing loss on its home soil as Vancouver plays host to the winter Olympics.

Even while captain Steve Yzerman insists that the pressure is on the Russians, hockey fans know that the Canadians are the true favorites. Anything short of gold would be considered a massive failure. Regardless of expectations, this team is built to win. Let's talk about their chemistry. Canada's '06 team was packed with stars, but little went into how the individual players played as a team. This time is drastically different. Yzerman has made sure to include NHL teammates on this team: Thornton, Marleau and Heatley come from the San Jose Sharks' top line and they'll need little time learning each others' quirks on the ice. Then we have the Chicago Blackhawks' top defensive pairing in Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. Two more familiar pairings include Getzlaf and Perry of the Ducks and Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, also from the Ducks special 2007 season. Then there's the last line of defense, the goalies. Looking at Team Canada's goalie trio, it's hard to find a better lineup. Roberto Luongo, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Martin Brodeur bring experience, talent, and leadership.

And finally when it comes to home-ice advantage, especially when it comes to hockey, Canada's got serious pride. Remember Vancouver couldn't even handle an NBA team despite home grown Steve Nash being 2-time MVP. But Hockey means everything. Canada dominated the Olympics in the tournament's early years, shutting out everyone else for six of seven gold medals between 1920 and 1952. Then came the Soviet era that eventually came tumbling down like the way when NHL players were allowed to compete in 1998. Then, team Canada took its first gold in nearly half a century. Needless to say, this team is getting more eyeballs in Canada, percentage-wise, than the Super Bowl in the US.

After an impressive first game destruction of Norway, 8-0, team Canada expects a few more road bumps before facing their US rival team this Sunday. Canadians can grab their prided Canada Hockey Jersey, and other hockey fans can revel in watching this anticipated match-up.