I was glued to my TV in 1980 when the U.S. pulled off one of the greatest upsets in all of sports history. C&Lers know I love the sport and I'm interested to see what happens this year. The U.S. women's hockey team has a great shot to win the gold, but the men are still the underdogs.

Canada is the favorite to win it all, with Russia right there at 2-1 odds. They both have incredible teams while Sweden sets out to defend their 2006 gold medal and they do have Henrik Lundqvist as their net minder so they still are a factor.

Canada will be devastated if they don't win the gold on home ice. The crowds will be rocking because hockey is like football, baseball and basketball all in one to the Canadians. Heck, over 12 million people watched the IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal hockey in January.

An astounding 12.3 million viewers – or more than one in three Canadians – tuned in to some part of the IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal hockey game on TSN between Canada and the U.S.A.

Over the course of the entire game, ratings agency BBM Canada reports that an average of 5.3 million Canadians were watching the game at any one time making it the most-watched program on Canadian television since 2005.

That's as big as the Super Bowl rating are here in America. The Olympics mean an awful lot to the international stars of the NHL. Alexander the Great told Gary Bettman to f*&K off if he thinks he's stopping him from playing in 2014.

It appears as though Capitals' Russian superstar Alexander Ovechkin has drawn a line in the sand with the NHL in terms of Olympic participation. ESPN.com is reporting that the reigning Hart Trophy winner plans on participating in the Olympic hockey competition at the 2014 Winter games in Sochi, Russia, stating that he will risk suspension to play for his country even if the NHL is not formally involved.

"Nobody can say to me you can't play for your country in the Olympic Games," Ovechkin told ESPN.com.

"I don't care," Ovechkin continued. "I'll go play in the Olympic Games for my country. If somebody says to me you can't play, see ya."

We have a ton of hockey fans on C&L, so tell me what you think -- and let the games begin!

You won't hear about much of this on ESPN or any major American news service, but it should be big news in the sports world. Yea, I know it's hockey so it gets the short straw most of the time. I've never watched a hockey game that wasn't either from the Olympics or the pros in the NHL and late night before I went to bed I happened to find yesterday's championship game on the NHL network so I decided to check it out for a few minutes. What I saw was an instant classic game played by kids in the U 20 bracket and some of who have been drafted by many pro teams. Canada had won the Gold for 5 years in a row---they were heavy favorites and it was played in their building.

The talent level was incredible and the action was end to end all game. Canada made a great comeback after they got a break by the refs who called a bad penalty with five minutes left and they scored two goals to send it into overtime. With the crowd roaring in Saskatoon it looked like the USA had no chance, but rushed out of their zone and scored the overtime winner on a goal by John Carlson.

John Carlson scored his second goal of the night 4:21 into overtime to lead the U.S. to the 6-5 upset over the five-time defending champs.

Carlson's shot from the left circle beat Martin Jones to end Canada's winning streak and give the U.S. its first WJC gold medal since the Americans beat Canada in the 2004 title game in Helsinki, Finland.

"Jack (Campbell) made a good save, and all I saw was the puck going up the ice," said Carlson, Washington's first-round pick in 2008 who was on loan to the junior team from the AHL Hershey Bears. "I was looking to dish right away (but) the guy was taking it away. I got lucky with the shot."

America has really been developing some fine young hockey players and this was a huge lift to the US hockey movement. The Olympics are coming up next in February and that should be an incredible battle too as Russia, Sweden, Canada and the USA will go for the Gold.

It's hockey time and I'm really into the race for the Stanley Cup. The players smash everything in sight and every shift is played to the max. I'm rooting for the NY Rangers, but Ovechkin is a freak of nature. In the East, Pittsburgh has really come on strong since the late season trades and might be playing at a higher level than they did last year. Tim Thomas of the Bruins and the man, Martin Brodeur will have something to say about that. Jeff Carter can score with the best of them and Mike Richards is a rock. Oh, and Carolina never loses at home.

I haven't watched a lot of hockey in the West, but San Jose had a tremendous year. Anaheim is one of those deadly #8 seeds and is going to take them to the mat. And what can you say about the Red Wings? It all falls on the shoulders of Chris Osgood and his goaltending because offensively they are as deadly as ever and now have Hossa. It's good to see Chicago back in too and you can't count out the Canucks.

Anyway, who are you rooting for and why will your team win?

I'm taking a few days off, but I have to say that Alex Ovechkin is one of the greatest hockey player's I've ever seen. He single handedly destroyed the Rangers in NY last week.

And the Eagles spanked TO and the Cowboys to get into the playoffs. I'm a huge Giants fan, but Philly is very tough to play.

Deion Sanders should not be an analyst for the NFL Network if he stays as connected to the Cowboys as he has. He's the biggest Dallas apologist on TV and really embarrasses himself defending Pacman and TO every chance he gets.

UPDATE: Good for TD:

NFLN's Terrell Davis had this to say Monday on "Total Access" when the discussion turned to fixing the Cowboys: "The first guy that's got to go is T.O..." T.D. said. "T.O. I'm sorry you are a cancer. You got to go."

I forgot to mention Plaxico's idiocy. He might have cost the Giants a chance to go to Tampa.

TS here. Lassen Sie uns fortfahren, meine Freunde!

On balance, I’m not nostalgic for the university. The women were gorgeous and plentiful, the hockey team was in its heyday, but all was not bread and roses: the math classes were a real pain in the ass and the administration a mite autocratic. The latter two were the cause of sleepless nights and innumerable semesters on probation.

One in particular – a girlfriend, not an academic torment – was, let’s say, creative to a fault and an incurable Dylan fanatic. She even, to her everlasting credit, made a good case for Bob’s Christian period. I am grateful and tip the cap each time I listen to Saved.

Others were a source of frustration. C. was 23 and spoke French, which, since I was 20, seemed like surefire indicators of maturity. Not so. You’d think after x-number of years my college roommate might let me forget that C. once went through the motions of fellating a Star Market banana.

Good times.

That roommate, in fact, has returned to our undergrad city, and says that we had it pretty good. (He’s got lots of degrees, and is an erudite fellow, so I can’t contradict him without further evidence.) “What the hell happened to us?” he asked me recently. “If I knew,” I said, “I wouldn’t be on Jdate.” Anyway, we do agree that dry spells, which, as it happens, I’m experiencing as I write, are a fact of post-college years and should’ve been foreseen.

You can get me at instaputzen [at] gmail [dot com].

Jane passed the ball to me. Roy, to Kevin Drum, to Digby, to Peter Daou, , Barbara O'Brien, Yellow Dog

Four jobs you’ve had in your life: bank teller, computer parts sales, musician, music teacher.

Four movies you could watch over and over: The Godfather, Casablanca, Chinatown, Psycho

Four places you’ve lived: Brooklyn & Queens, NY, San Jose & Los Angeles, CA,

Four TV shows you love to watch: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Homicide, "Life on the Streets," Lost, The Daily Show.

Four places you’ve been on vacation: The Bahamas, Paris, Italy, Germany.

Four websites you visit daily (I'll name a few different ones): Jesus General, Talk Left, FireDogLake, WaPo

Four of your favorite foods: penne pasta with red sauce, popcorn, Ice blended Mochas (that's a food group as far as I'm concerned), anything on a barbeque grill.

Four places you’d rather be: New York, Fitzgerald's office, Hawaii, Lake Tahoe.

I'm passing to JC of Jesus General. Blogger's- I'll add more as I see them.

Update: David E's Fablog's Four-SteveAudio has his Four-Talk Left has her Four.

Mike from the Blog Round Up joins the Four :

Four jobs you’ve had in your life: newspaper boy, caddy, locker room attendant, musician

Four movies you could watch over and over: Lawrence of Arabia, Double Indemnity, On the Waterfront, Citizen Kane

Four places you’ve lived: Troy,Ohio; Wichita,Kansas; San Francisco, Los Angeles

Four TV shows you love to watch: Monk, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, NHL Hockey

Four places you’ve been on vacation: Caribbean cruise, Hawaii, Cape Cod, Ireland

Four websites you visit daily: Think Progress, The Poor Man, War and Piece, Bushwatch

Four of your favorite foods: Barbecued Ribs, Pork roast, Pasta, Ice Cream

Four places you’d rather be: Rome, Paris, Quebec City, Greek Islands

The great frenchman-JC has his list of FOUR----Matt Stoller---SeeingtheForrest--Effect Measure--