Olympic Updates

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Crosby. Ovechkin. Jagr. Selanne.

At most Olympic events, you can't tell the players without a scorecard, but the men's hockey tournament is a different story. The NHL is taking a break in the middle of its season, and hockey's biggest names are on hand at the Vancouver Games.

The preliminary round begins Tuesday, with the U.S., Canada and Russia all in action on CNBC and USA. Although the knockout round doesn't start until next week, intensity will be at a fever pitch from the beginning.

"It's kind of cool to have the whole country at your back and not just your city but the country rooting for you," American forward Patrick Kane said. "I think that's exciting."`

Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's two top players, are the biggest stars here as well. Crosby is being counted on to lead Canada back to the top after a seventh-place finish at the 2006 Olympics. Ovechkin and the Russians will try to end their own slump. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia's best finish was a silver medal in 1998.

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