Olympic Men's Hockey Schedule

The time of year has arrived. Every four years, the best athletes in the world converge to one place for the Winter Olympic games. There are so many different events to pay attention to during the games, that its hard to be able to watch them all, or even know when there all on for that matter. So we are here to help, with one event at least. That event is Men's Ice Hockey. The NHL is on break at the moment for the games, with most of their players over in Russia for the games. So with that in mind, here is the TV schedule for all Men's Hockey games during the Olympics.

2014 Olympic Hockey Schedule
Wednesday, Feb. 12 Noon C Czech Republic vs. Sweden USA
Wednesday, Feb. 12 Noon C Latvia vs. Switzerland MSNBC
Thursday, Feb. 13 3 a.m. B Finland vs. Austria NBCSN
Thursday, Feb. 13 7:30 a.m. A Russia vs. Slovenia MSNBC
Thursday, Feb. 13 7:30 a.m. A USA vs. Slovakia NBCSN
Thursday, Feb. 13 Noon B Canada vs. Norway USA
Friday, Feb. 14 3 a.m. C Czech Republic vs. Latvia MSNBC
Friday, Feb. 14 7:30 a.m. C Sweden vs. Switzerland NBCSN
Friday, Feb. 14 Noon B Canada vs. Austria USA
Friday, Feb. 14 Noon B Norway vs. Finland MSNBC
Saturday, Feb. 15 3 a.m. A Slovakia vs. Slovenia MSNBC
Saturday, Feb. 15 7:30 a.m. A USA vs. Russia NBCSN
Saturday, Feb. 15 Noon C Switzerland vs. Czech Republic NBCSN
Saturday, Feb. 15 Noon C Sweden vs. Latvia USA
Sunday, Feb. 16 3 a.m. B Austria vs. Norway USA
Sunday, Feb. 16 7:30 a.m. A Russia vs. Slovakia USA
Sunday, Feb. 16 7:30 a.m. A USA vs. Slovenia NBCSN
Sunday, Feb. 16 Noon B Finland vs. Canada USA
Tuesday, Feb. 18 3 a.m. Qualification Round NBCSN
Tuesday, Feb. 18 7:30 a.m. Qualification Round USA
Tuesday, Feb. 18 Noon Qualification Round NBCSN
Tuesday, Feb. 18 Noon Qualification Round MSNBC
Wednesday, Feb. 19 3 a.m. Quarterfinal NBCSN
Wednesday, Feb. 19 7:30 a.m. Quarterfinal NBCSN
Wednesday, Feb. 19 Noon Quarterfinal USA
Wednesday, Feb. 19 Noon Quarterfinal MSNBC
Friday, Feb. 21 7 a.m. Semifinal NBCSN
Friday, Feb. 21 Noon Semifinal NBCSN
Saturday, Feb. 22 10 a.m. Bronze Medal Game NBCSN
Sunday, Feb. 23 7 a.m. Gold Medal Game NBC

So there you have the full hockey slate for Men's Hockey for the Olympics. In the preliminary round there are a few intriguing matchups to look at. The ones that stand out to me the most are USA vs. Russia on the 15th and Canada and Finland on the 16th.

The Russia and USA battle is probably going to be a medal round preview, both teams being talent loaded. The US got a tad unlucky being put in the same group as Russia, who is a favorite in the tournament. Then again just look what happened between Canada and the US in the Vancouver games in 2010. From a pure talent perspective, it is tough to beat Russia. The Russians boast some of the most dynamic offensive players in the world in Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk. Because of that and the home ice factor, former Russian Olympian Sergei Fedorov believes there is a great deal of pressure on Russia to succeed, according to the Associated Press. "Just like the Canada guys in Vancouver 2010, a lot of pressure," Fedorov said. "Maybe more. Our fans might be a little tougher." It's tough to argue with Fedorov's assertion, especially since Russia hasn't tasted gold since the Unified Team won it all in 1992. Winning it all at home would be sweet, but falling short would be bitter. Russia has a chance to set the tone by beating one of its biggest rivals; however, Team USA will have something to say about that. The Americans won't be able to match Russia's top-flight scoring, but they will have the edge in net with either Ryan Miller or Jonathan Quick. Whichever goalie starts will have to be on top of his game.

That's what could be the deciding factor for the USA this year is if the goaltending can hold. I only say that because because of how off Ryan Miller looked this year. Miller hasn't really looked like his old self, but that may have something to do with the Buffalo team playing in front of him. Miller should be able to find his game, same thing with Jonathan Quick. The US should still be able to medal.

Canada and Finland could also be another medal round preview. Much like the USA having to deal with Russia in their group, Canada will have the same kind of trouble with Finland in their group. Sure Canada is probably going to be coming into this game a confident bunch, but Finland is no slouch. The Finns have a ton of talent and have some of the best goalies in the tournament, including one of the best in the NHL Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins. At least on third of the Fins roster is coming from non-NHL clubs, but they are still a very talented team and could make a lot of noise in this tournament. With Canada, they are the most talented team in this tournament, having a deep forward core and just as deep a defense crop. The question at the moment, just like the US is the goalies. Carey Price hasn't been playing that great as of late, so there is a question mark with him. But you also have the goaltending hero from the last Olympics in Roberto Luongo still on the roster, so if Price begins to faulter, you could see Luongo step in and possibly steal the show again like he did last time.

So there is your Olympic schedule, so sit back relax and enjoy the games!