Hockey a tougher road for U.S. men than women

It's not often that either the United States' men's or women's hockey teams enter an Olympic tournament as a favorite, this year being no exception. For the men, there are a few countries who have deeper rosters and better gold-medal chances; for the women, Canada still stands in the way of Team USA.

In Vancouver, both U.S. teams will relish their underdog roles, perhaps more so because the host country has even more pressure on it to win gold in its most popular sport.

"It will definitely be interesting to see how they handle that pressure," said Rangers forward Ryan Callahan, who will be making his Olympic debut. "At the same time, you're playing in front of great crowds. That will be something to feed off of."

The men's team faces an uphill challenge not just due to the talent pool on the Canadian, Russian, Swedish and Czech rosters, but because of the relative inexperience of its own roster.

There are only three returning Olympians on the men's team: Devils forward Jamie Langenbrunner, Rangers center Chris Drury and Red Wings defenseman Brian Rafalski. Eight of the 23 players are 25 and under.

This could be a serious detriment, but it could also be a blessing. The U.S. development program has made incredible strides in the last few years, culminating in a World Junior Championship gold medal last month. The Devils' Zach Parise, the Leafs' Phil Kessel and the Hawks' Patrick Kane are among the young scorers.

"A lot of these young guys have more international experience than the rest of us," said Drury, who will make his third Olympic appearance. "For the veterans, I think there isn't a whole lot to do except get out of their way."

One of the failings of the U.S. squad since Mike Richter helped the U.S. to a silver medal in Salt Lake City in 2002 is a lack of goaltending. Rick DiPietro was the main man in net in Turin, but the thin squad only managed a quarterfinal loss to Finland.

That's changed now. Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller, who was miffed he was passed over for a spot on the 2006 squad, will likely be the No. 1 goaltender in Vancouver, with young Kings rising star Jonathan Quick backing up.

Goaltending carried Sweden, with Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, and Finland, with 2006 Olympic MVP Antero Niitymaki, to the gold-medal game in Turin. There are question marks in net for a few of the elite teams, like Russia, Finland and the Czechs; the U.S. may be able to steal a game or two.

"We've really come a long way in goal," Miller said. "I think we're as deep as anyone there."

For the women, expectations are higher in an eight-team tournament that features two elite squads, the U.S. and Canada, and two up-and-comers, Sweden and Finland. Sweden upset the U.S. in the semifinals in Turin, and the Americans have ramped up their preparations this time around.

Mark Johnson, member of the "Miracle On Ice" 1980 men's team, is coaching his first Olympics. Veterans like Angela Ruggiero and Jenny Potter, who will play their fourth Olympics, are alongside rookies like twins Jocelyne and Monique Lamoreux, 20-year-olds from the University of North Dakota.

"We're not in this to finish second," Johnson said.

Ruggiero was on the team in Salt Lake City that lost, 3-2, in overtime to Canada in the gold-medal game. She knows what it's like to have the weight of the home crowd on a team.

"I'm sure they're going to feel it when they get there," she said of Canada. "It's there, and it's real."