If You’re a Fan of Hockey…

…then take a seat on the couch and enjoy. Today boasts the most exciting slate of matchups of the Olympic games. Russia vs. Czech Republic, Canada vs. USA and Sweden vs. Finland, in that order. All six teams are medal contenders and could be playing for gold a week from today. The only potential contender left out of that bunch is Gabby’s Slovak team, but let’s not get too caught up in that.

I’ve been fortunate enough to see a couple games so far this Olympics, including Canada’s shootout win over Switzerland. Being at a Canadian game reminded me of a college hockey atmosphere. As much as I love the Garden and its environment, it’s still a professional arena. You have your businessmen after a day’s work, your die-hard fans, your families, etc. Here a Canadian hockey game feels like you’re in an arena with a bunch of rowdy college students at a Cornell hockey game — and that’s only having seen a game against Switzerland. Needless to say, today’s crowd will be electric and bragging rights are on the line. My shifts should allow me to make it to Russia/Czech and Canada/USA, so that’s what I’m hoping for.

While much of the spotlight is on the Canada/USA game, and rightfully so, don’t lose sight of the other two games. The early game boasts the arguably the world’s greatest player in Alexander Ovechkin and a hungry Russian team after getting upset by Gabby’s Slovak team. It’s also another chance to check out the ageless Jaromir Jagr, who hasn’t seemed to lose much pep in his step even at the ripe old (almost) age of 38. Ranger fans, and any fan of hockey for that matter, can appreciate what he has done over his career and this is (or should be) his final Olympic hoorah.

After the Canada/USA game, it’s a rematch of the 2006 gold medal match with Lundqvist and Sweden against Jokinen and Finland. Both teams are 2-0 and looking for a top seed heading into the elimination round. I got a chance to see Sweden against Germany and I wasn’t overly impressed. Hank got the 21 save shutout, but the Germans missed a couple of great chances to score. With that said, the Swedes still managed to win and not yield a goal even while not playing their best game. Definitely don’t sleep on them because the team is absolutely loaded. Finland looks like it’s also for real.

I know there has been some talk about stopping the NHL season to have the players in the Olympics, and that Gary Bettman hasn’t yet committed to Sochi. I love the idea of it though. I’ll take this over an all-star weekend any day. I know it creates a longer break and can make it difficult with scheduling, but it only happens once every four years. Today’s games are enough to make me want to see it again in Sochi. Every single team playing today could win the whole tournament. The fans are certainly into it, and the city is going nuts over it. If the only medal Canada won this Olympic games was gold in men’s hockey then I’m pretty sure this city, and country, would still be beside themselves with pride and excitement.

Whether you like the Olympic break or not, enjoy the three games today. It’s going to be fun.