SOCHI – If its not Canada, it could be the inspired bunch from the host-country. If its not the Russians, it could be the Swedes, Finns, Czechs or Americans. The gold-medal winner likely will come from this group in Sochi, but forecasting the Olympic champion in the mens hockey tournament has never been easy. Since the participation of NHL players in 1998 there have been three different winners in the Czech Republic, Canada, Sweden and Canada again in four Winter Games. Its a short-term event and things can go wrong in a hurry for the top teams. A hot goaltender can steal a game in the medal round and all of a sudden a favourite is sitting on the sidelines. Just ask Hockey Canada. Were the Canadian teams that won gold in Salt Lake City in 2002 or in Vancouver in 2010 any better than the 1998 group that was stoned time and time again by Dominik Hasek in Nagano? Just ask Sweden about 2002, when goalie Tommy Salo surrendered that fluky late-game winning goal off his bean from 70 feet out off the stick of Belarus defenceman Vladimir Kopat. Who would have thought Switzerland could have pulled off its surprise run to the final at the world championship last spring? Like the sophisticated watches the Swiss are known for, the hockey teams timing was impeccable. It peaked at the perfect moment for wins over the Czech Republic and United States in the quarterfinal and semi-final, respectively, only to lose to Sweden in the finale. So, with all that in mind, what country will give Canada the biggest challenge in its gold-medal defence at the 2014 Winter Games? Here are the odds as of Monday night from bodog.ca. • Canada 19-10 (about 2-1)• Russia 12-5• Sweden 9-2• USA 6-1• Finland 11-1• Czech Republic 12-1 And, if you like to play the long odds: • Switzerland 25-1• Slovakia 33-1• Norway 200-1• Latvia 400-1\• Austria 750-1• Slovenia 1,000-1 Alexei Kovalev Canadiens Jersey .Y. -- Syracuses streak lives on -- barely. Charles Hudon Jersey . Among the teams moves was trading one of the teams two third round picks, no. 83 overall, to the Chicago Blackhawks for Brandon Bollig, a six-foot-two, 223-pound left-winger who had seven goals, seven assists, and 92 penalty minutes in 82 games last season. http://www.canadienssale.com/authentic-m...nadiens-jersey/. The injury could land Machado on the 15-day disabled list, but its not as serious as it looked on Monday night, when the third baseman crumpled in a heap at the plate after taking an awkward swing in a game against the New York Yankees. Pierre Turgeon Canadiens Jersey . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Paul Byron Canadiens Jersey . The Brazilian heads into Saturday afternoons race coming off a close runner-up finish to Ryan Hunter-Reay in the Indianapolis 500.Every night of the Stanley Cup playoffs, TSN hockey analyst and former NHL goaltender Jamie McLennan breaks down each goalies performance. Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins (3) - The first goal that beat him was seeing-eye shot that got past him on the blocker side. He was late to react on Rene Bourques five-hole shot in the second period. He came up with a huge left pad save on Brandon Prust at the end of the second period to keep it at 2-0. Overall, he was not as sharp in this game in regulation; he looked to fight the puck in situations and his rebound control was not a premium as it usually is with him. Conversely, he was great in overtime, he looked more dialed in and more composed.dddddddddddd Rask made a huge save on Eller and couldnt have made a better glove save on Plekanec. He simply did not have a chance on PK Subbans screen shot winner. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens (5) - Price was the best player on ice tonight for either team. His saves on Krug and Campbell in first period were terrific and his ridiculous saves on Iginla and Eriksson in the second period on penalty kill were the only reason this game stayed close. As the pressure continued heavily in third period, he was beat on three screen shots as the Bruins did a great job of getting traffic in front of him. He continued his outstanding play in overtime with saves on Marchand, Krejci and Chara. ' ' '