Despite the flurry of tweets from journalists showing how not good the Sochi Olympics are behind the scenes, as well as the still-hilarious fifth-ring failure, the Winter Olympics are captivating.
Canada is predicted to win 33 medals at Sochi 2014. With 221 Canadians representing their country this year, as well as countless others who are working with athletes from other nations, excitement couldn’t be higher. Shoutout to Tom Coolen of Fredericton, who is assistant coach of the Latvian men’s hockey team under Ted Nolan – another Canadian.
Some events are more popular than others at the Winter Olympics, and this year is no exception. Here are some of your best bets for Sochi 2014:
All medal predictions are provided by Infostradasports
Hockey: This is an obvious choice. Both Canadian teams are defending gold medallists from their chilling Vancouver 2010 wins. The women’s team has already won their first game versus Switzerland. They also played Finland on Monday, but at time of publishing we don’t know the result. Championship games start on Saturday. As always, you’ll see great hockey from these ladies. Medal prediction: silver.
Men’s hockey will be the biggest event for Canadians at this year’s games. With a roster chock-full of superstars (Chris Kunitz excluded – sorry Pens fans) they’re no doubt going to go all the way again at Sochi. There’s been lots of talk about this team, especially with Steven Stamkos deciding not to go and a couple notable players being snubbed, but the hopes are high for the men. Canada’s first game is on Thursday at 1 p.m. Please professors, cancel class. It’s for the country. Medal prediction: silver.
Curling: If hockey is your number one choice, curling is your number two. On the outside it looks boring. But once you get into it, what a world it opens up! The rules are sort of crazy and hard to follow if you’ve never seen the game before. I used to play curling and I still find myself asking stupid questions sometimes. Canada has two great teams this year. Both the men and women typically do well on the national stage. They men are defending their gold from Vancouver and the women grabbed silver, although the teams are made up of completely different people. Which is sad, because John Morris is the most attractive curler in the world.
And god, look at those outfits. Even if you don’t like the sport, it’s worth it for the fashion. Medal predictions: men – gold, women – bronze.
Figure skating: If you’re not looking forward to Scott and Tessa, I’m afraid you don’t have a heart. The pair captivated everyone in Vancouver with their amazing skills and aww-worthy romance. The pair snatched up gold in 2010 and are looking to do the same in ice dancing, which is new to the Olympics this year. Six skaters mix and match in different events and the country with the most points at the end, wins. Don’t ask me any more than that. Mix team medal prediction: bronze.
Freestyle skiing: This stuff is badass. Not only are the different events actually interesting to watch, it’s where Canada grabbed its first gold medal of Sochi 2014. Justine Dufour-LaPointe won gold in women’s moguls on Saturday and her sister Chloé won silver. It was such a feel-good event for everyone, including the third sister who came 12th. You’ll be seeing it on highlight reels forever and quite deservedly so. There are loads of different styles for both men and women, including the ski halfpipe and slopestyle that are new this year. They started out at the Winter X Games and now they’re at the Olympics. You dream big, kids. Various skiing events run until the 21st, with finals starting on the 18th. Medal predictions: various.
