Looking ahead: What to expect at the Games

Canada's elusive gold: Canada has hosted the Olympics twice- the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary - and on both occasions, the Canadian team surprisingly failed to win a single gold. In 2010, at Canada's third home Olympics, that semi-dubious distinction has a strong chance to decisively change. Two likely candidates to usher in a long overdue celebration: speed skater Cindy Klassen (five Olympic medals, including one gold, in Torino) and 2006 Olympic moguls champion Jennifer Heil.

The chase for hockey gold: For Canada, winning the Olympic title in ice hockey is not mildly important. It is not of medium importance. It is enormously important. In 2002, the Canadian men's team won gold (its first Olympic title in 50 years) with the women's team claiming the Olympic title as well, with some superstitious assistance from a lucky loonie (Canadian one-dollar coin) hidden beneath the Salt Lake City ice. In Torino, the Canadian women won their second straight gold, but the men's team finished a disappointing seventh. In Vancouver, anything less than gold will be a disappointment for Team Canada, which will center its chase for the Olympic title around NHL MVP Sidney Crosby. Elevating the stakes even higher is that Vancouver may be Crosby's only Olympic appearance - it is unclear whether or not the NHL will permit its players to compete at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.