Olympic Champs too Hot to Pass on!

Look for the leaders of the Gold medal winners to comeback stronger than ever. No matter who comes away with gold, they will be playing for their respective NHL team with more confidence than they've ever had before. Sure, more games means more fatigue, but don't expect to see that. In fact, the opposite will be true.

The Olympics can be even more important to the players representing their respective countries. Remember, Mario Lemieux had a chance to play in the Canada Cup with Gretzky and other greats? Lemieux dominated the tournament and came back to the NHL with a confirmed belief that he was the best player in the world.

Shortly after, Mario scored nearly 200 points in a season and captured back to back Stanley Cups for the Pittsburgh Penguins. If Canada gets gold, Crosby will come back with the same fire.

The Russians? While gold isn't likely, if the Russians are able to pull it off Ovechkin and Malkin will be the two reasons why they do so. If this happens it will be hard denying Ovechkin his shot at the Stanley Cup and another scoring title.