Canada's Olympic men's hockey team will hit the ice for the first time on Thursday, facing Norway in an effort to defend its triumphant gold medal from the 2010 Games.
The puck drops at 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT) as Canada, ranked a surprising fifth heading into the tournament, ices a team of NHL heavyweights against a ninth-ranked Norway squad that's a long shot to succeed in the 2014 Olympics.
Though considered a favourite to win the gold, Canada trails Sweden, Finland, Russia and the Czech Republic in the international rankings after failing to advance past the quarter-finals at the last four World Championships, the IIHF reported.
But Canada nevertheless brings a dominant roster to the Olympics including captain Sidney Crosby, defenceman Shea Weber and goaltenders Carey Price, Roberto Luongo and Mike Smith.
More recently, the team had to replace injured centreman Steven Stamkos with his Tampa Bay Lightning teammate Martin St. Louis.
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