Breaking it down.

HOCKEY TIME! I watched both the US game against the Swiss and the Canadian game against the Norwegians. Watching the US game first, I felt like they were really strong for being a team so unaccustomed to each other… until I saw Canada. Wow. They really are going to be hard to beat. Good for Norway, staying with them for an entire period. One thing's for sure, our two teams meeting (on the 21st) will be both an interesting and exciting match.

Here’s my anger point. Jerome Iginla scores a hat trick for Canada, and the announcers somehow give the credit to Crosby. GAH! As if Iginla isn’t an amazing player in his own right. Crosby didn’t even touch the puck for at least one of Iginla’s goals. I truly cannot stand the Canadian attitude about that guy (Crosby)! He is so incredibly over-hyped. He’s a good player, but he is most certainly not the best player in the world. Oh, and they kept calling Crosby the Captain – which he so isn't. (That would be Niedermeyer, if you were curious.) I just know I’m going to be pulling my hair out over this before the end of these games.

Two of the US goals were pretty amazing no-assist goals. Though it was a tighter game in regards to the score, the did dominate and it felt more like they were just feeling out the other players on their lines. I mean Canada has an entire line (from the Sharks!) as well as defencemen that have or are playing together in the NHL. That makes a huge difference to gelling quickly on the ice. I think as the tournament progresses the US will find their cohesiveness and really shine.

Oh, and as a Sharks fan, I’m LOVING that Roenick, who finished his career with us, is doing the intermission commentating! He’s being too professional, though. He’s so much more fun off-the-cuff!

I’m really excited to see the Russians play later. I’d like to see the Swedes, too, (tomorrow) but the Russians are one hot team – especially with Sharks’ goaltender Nabokov, Malkin (who makes Crosby a better player on the Pens), Kovalchuk, and the player who REALLY IS the best in the world, Ovechkin. He truly does make the players around him better.

Yes I’m biased. Deal with it.

Another thing that’s irritating is to have the Most Hated Player, Pronger, be on the ice with so many players I respect. He’s considered great, but really he’s just plain dirty. He hits to injure. He’s nasty. And, as all Sharks fans know (if they actually know why we boo him every time he touches the puck), he is a great big whiner. There are other players I don’t like (Perry) or for whom I don’t have respect (see above), but there are none as completely loathed as Pronger.

I know most of you could care less about any of this – but (obviously) hockey is something for which I have great passion. It is such an exciting sport which takes skill on several extra levels than most sports do. In these Olympics I’m enjoying so many sports for so many reasons, but summer or winter, for me nothing compares to my beloved hockey.

Can't wait to see what happens next!