Hockey

1932 Games
Economic problems worldwide caused the men's hockey tournament at the 1932 Games in Lake Placid to shrink to a mere four teams: Canada, Germany, Poland and the United States.

The International Olympic Committee had planned for a six-team, 18-game event. In order to complete that scheme, each team played each other twice in a round robin event, and then the IOC allowed organizers to permission to schedule enough exhibition contests to fill out the schedule, including games involving McGill University.

The main Olympic competition was clearly a two-team affair, pitting the defending champion, Canada - represented by the amateur senior-level Winnipeg Hockey Club and bolstered by Walter Monson and Norm Malloy of the Senior A Selkirk Fisherman and Junior A star Bert Duncanson - against the host United States.

The Canadian team, known as the The Winnipegs, opened action with a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over the U.S. It then went on to rout Germany and Poland twice.

In the final game of the tournament, Canada and the U.S. played to a 2-2 tie that couldn't be resolved with three overtime periods. It was the first time in Olympic history that Canada failed to win a game. But with the result, Canada secured another gold medal.

It was one of many noteworthy achievements for the team that year. It also won the Allan Cup, The Keane Memorial Cup as Winnipeg champions, and the Pattinson Cup as Manitoba champions.

Foreign Affairs

Finland
Four years ago, when Finland won the silver medal in Turin, Italy, Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff was roundly criticized for bowing out the tournament to rest a chronic hip problem. Antero Nittymaki stepped in for the goalie-rich Finns and did a credible job, helping them get all the way to the gold-medal game.

This year, Kiprusoff says he's planning to play, if he stays healthy.
"It's a big competition and there are a lot of good goalies, but definitely, I'm interested to go," said Kiprusoff, who noted that the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver will represent a last hurrah for a generation of Finnish-born players, including the Anaheim Ducks duo of Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu. With not a lot of impact youngsters on the horizon, it may be their last best chance for some time to win a gold.

"Yeah, we talk about it. Finland is not a big country, but it's been pretty successful in those tournaments - like World Cup (second place in 2004) and Olympics (second in 2006). You have to play as a team to win against these bigger countries. Canada is always the favourite. Russia and Sweden - there are so many good countries.

"It's going to be, what seven games this year? So it's not like Stanley Cup playoffs, best-of-seven, you win or lose one game, it's okay. So it's real different. So I think, every one of those top countries has a chance to win."


Stock up
Patrick Marleau
The San Jose Sharks' former captain is second in the NHL in points (21) and goals (11) and leads all Canadian-born players in both categories. Beyond his production, Marleau's value is greatly enhanced by his versatility. He can play both left wing and centre and has switched seamlessly back and forth this season, because of injuries to key top-six forwards Devin Setoguchi and Joe Pavelski. Marleau is also a dangerous and effective penalty killer. Overlooked for the past two Olympic teams, Marleau is making a strong bid for inclusion this time around - and responding well to no longer wearing the C in San Jose.

Stock down

Simon Gagné
Unlike Marleau, Gagné made the last two Olympic teams and actually saw some first-line duty when Canada won the gold in Salt Lake City in 2002. But Gagné had to leave the orientation camp early when a chronic groin injury flared up - and he hasn't been right since. Gagné spent most of the past week gathering a variety of medical opinions about how to treat two small sports hernias. With so much competition ahead of him, Gagné's absence from the Flyers' lineup means he is no longer a viable candidate to crack the lineup.