I dabble in all three of those pursuits, but this time, I'm going to resist the temptation. Team Canada has the best forwards by a large margin, a good group of defensemen and, for all the navel-gazing about its goaltending, the solid-enough combo of Carey Price and Roberto Luongo.

Look at it this way: They're going to either play John Tavares on the third line or the wing. MVP candidate John Tavares. Third-in-the-NHL-in-points John Tavares. Part of the reason for that: the guys ahead of him in points, Sidney Crosby and Ryan Getzlaf, are on the team, too. Sure, Chris Kunitz was a questionable pick. He's also far from a liability and, sorry, is great with Crosby. Patrice Bergeron is a fourth-liner. I'm not picking against that.

Furthermore, the D-pairings actually look good. Marc-Edouard Vlasic will allow Drew Doughty to be Drew Doughty. Jay Bouwmeester is in the lineup in large part because he's left-handed, but he's playing with Alex Pietrangelo. Shea Weber and Duncan Keith are pretty, pretty good.

SILVER: UNITED STATES

Why not? Ryan Miller and/or Jonathan Quick will be fine. The lines, after some initial weirdness, look good, particularly James van Riemsdyk-Joe Pavelski-Phil Kessel. The defense is high-end. Also, the United States of America is the greatest country on Earth.


 


BRONZE: SWEDEN


They have the best group of defensemen in the tournament — despite Henrik Tallinder making the roster over Victor Hedman — but Henrik Lundqvist hasn't looked himself, and the forwards have been hit hard by injury. Otherwise, they'd at least have a shot at starting the tournament as co-favorites.

OTHERS:

It'd be a blast to see Alex Ovechkin lead Russia to the podium, but a subpar group of defenseman isn't going to help. … The Czech Republic is fun if only because of the David Krejci/Jaromir Jagr pairing and the mere existence of Petr Nedved, but they don't have a goalie. … Finland is worth watching for Sasha Barkov and Olli Maatta, and Tuukka Rask gives them a chance to repeat at the podium.

As always, these picks are guaranteed! Bet a million dollars on them.

Here's a group listing and schedule. "Have fun out there!"™ — Pierre McGuire.

Group A Russia Slovakia United States SloveniaGroup B Finland Canada Norway AustriaGroup C Czech Republic Sweden Switzerland Latvia Feb. 12-16: Group play Feb. 18: Playoff qualifications Feb 19: Quarterfinals Feb 21: Semifinals Feb 22: Bronze Medal Game Feb 23: Gold Medal Game

QUICK TO START FIRST GAME


Jonathan Quick was sitting and stretching before practice when U.S. hockey coach Dan Bylsma skated toward him. Bylsma leaned over and told him he was starting against Slovakia in the Americans' Olympic opener Thursday.

"I'm fortunate for the opportunity," Quick said. "And I'll just try to make the most of it."

Bylsma declined to say who will be the team's goaltender for the other preliminary-round games, which includes a key matchup with Russia on Saturday.

"We have plans for Game 1," Bylsma said Wednesday after practice.

Quick is getting the nod instead of Ryan Miller and Jimmy Howard.

Miller helped the Americans win silver and was the Most Valuable Player of the hockey tournament at the 2010 Olympics when Quick was their No. 3 goalie.

Quick won the Conn Smythe as MVP of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs when he helped the Kings become the only eighth-seeded team to win a championship.

"He's a great goalie and he's going to do great for us," Miller said. "We'll see where it goes from here and I'll be ready to play."

Quick hasn't been at his best this season.

His save percentage ranks 29th among NHL goalies and he was out for nearly two months with a groin injury before returning to play in early January.

Miller ranks 10th in save percentage despite playing for the Buffalo Sabres, who easily have the worst record in the league.

Howard, who has been out during two stretches of the season with an injured left knee, is not expected to be in uniform much if at all during the Sochi Games. He ranks 24th in the NHL in save percentage, but has four-plus years of experience as a No. 1 goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings.

"We're dealing with a position of strength when it comes to the goaltender decision," Bylsma said.

Quick said it was a casual conversation with Bylsma when he found out he would make his first Olympic start.

"We've got a few great goalies here," Quick said. "Each one probably deserves to play and can make a case for each of them in their own right. So, regardless of what his decision was, whatever your role is, you're just trying to do what you can to help your team."


PRICE-LUONGO SPLIT FOR CANADA


Goalie Carey Price will start Canada's Olympic opener against Norway on Thursday, and Roberto Luongo will start Friday against Austria.

Canada coach Mike Babcock announced his rotation Wednesday after practice in Sochi.

Babcock and both goalies attributed no significance to the order. The coach had previously said both goalies likely would start at least once in the preliminary round.

Price is a three-time All-Star with the Montreal Canadiens. The British Columbia native will make his Olympic debut against Norway.

The 34-year-old Luongo is a three-time Olympian who already earned a gold medal in 2010. He won four straight elimination games in Vancouver, making 34 saves in the overtime final against the United States.

Canada is expected to dominate its weak preliminary-round group, which includes Norway, Austria and Finland.


CANADIAN WOMEN TOP U.S.


And Round 1 goes to Canada.

The Canadian women's national hockey team, behind three third-period goals, beat the United States 3-2 in their first matchup of the 2014 Winter Olympics. The countries are prohibitive favorites who are beyond likely to meet again in the gold-medal game.

Wednesday's game, when it counted, was Canada's; coming into the third period down 1-0, it held the U.S. without a shot until less than four minutes were remaining. Meghan Agosta's breakaway goal with 5:05 left held up as the game-winner. She also scored Canada's first goal — and on her 27th birthday, no less. Hayley Wickenheiser added an assist and a controversial goal for Team Canada.

Anne Schleper scored with 1:05 left for the U.S., setting up a wild, 6-on-4 finish after Canada was penalized for too many players on the ice. Hilary Knight had opened scoring for the United States late in the second period.

Wickenheiser, a five-time Olympian, set up Agosta, then put Canada ahead 2-1 with a shot U.S. goalie Jessie Vetter initially stopped, then had trickle out from her pads. The Americans argued that the whistle had blown, but the officials did not agree.

With the win, Canada takes Group A and earns a better seed for the semifinals.

Contributors: Sean Gentille, The Associated Press