7 a.m.: The calendar says February 13th, but for hockey fans in the U.S., it might as well be Christmas Day.
That's because today the U.S. men's hockey team begins its quest for Olympic gold, opening its schedule with a game against Zdeno Chara, Marian Hossa and Slovakia.
The U.S. has hopes for gold after coming up one goal short of that prize four years ago in Vancouver, and though this year's team may not have the same top-to-bottom talent, there remains the chance that the Americans wind up there.
And though we're still a ways from knowing the final result of that quest, today's match against Slovakia should be a good test. Somewhat lost to history is the fact that Slovakia pushed Canada to the brink in the semifinals in 2010, ultimately losing 3-2 in a hard-fought contest. With Chara on the blue line, any team will be tough to play against, and with Jaroslav Halak (and Peter Budaj backing up) in net, the Slovaks could make a run themselves.
It'll be Jon Quick between the pipes for the Americans, and he'll have to be excellent. The major reason the U.S. made it to the gold medal game in 2010 was the outstanding play of Ryan Miller in net, and Quick is going to have to be just as good this time around for the U.S. to compete with the best the world has to offer.
As far as the big picture, today is not a must-win for the U.S. Every team advances to the next round. What is at stake is the chance for a bye in the next round. Most likely, the U.S. is going to need two wins to earn that bye, and forcing themselves to beat Russia (as well as Slovenia) would be a tough way to start that endeavor.
So follow along right here in the live blog as the Americans make their 2014 Olympic debut against Slovakia. We'll have updates and analysis right through the final horn.
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