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10 Olympic hockey players to watch

WITH THE Olympic cauldron being lit tomorrow night - possibly by former hockey star Wayne Gretzky - and the men's hockey-puck drop just 5 days away, we wanted to give you 10 players to watch during the most anticipated hockey tournament since Salt Lake City in 2002:

Associated Press
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WITH THE Olympic cauldron being lit tomorrow night - possibly by former hockey star Wayne Gretzky - and the men's hockey-puck drop just 5 days away, we wanted to give you 10 players to watch during the most anticipated hockey tournament since Salt Lake City in 2002:

1 Ryan Miller, United States: It's arguable that no player will have a bigger impact on how his team finishes than Miller. The U.S. team has no chance to medal without Miller being at the top of his game. The Sabres goalie has been at the top of the NHL in save percentage all season.

2Alex Ovechkin, Russia: The world's most exciting player led Russia to a world-championship upset over Canada last spring. Can he do the same this month? Ovechkin leads the NHL with 42 goals and 86 points.

3Peter Forsberg, Sweden: Will Foppa be healthy enough to play in the Olympics? The bigger question: Will Forsberg, who hasn't played in the NHL since 2008, be able to make an impact for the 2006 gold medalists?

4 Kimmo Timonen, Finland: This is Timonen's third Olympics. The Flyers defenseman helped carry Finland to a silver medal in Turin in 2006 - but his Finns lost to rival Sweden in the gold-medal game.

5 Sidney Crosby, Canada: Crosby has competed for Canada before - but never in the Olympics. He was famously left off the 2006 team. Many are wondering whether Crosby, who will have as much pressure as anyone in Vancouver, will stand out or blend in with Canada's other stars.

6 Oskars Bartulis, Latvia: The Flyers' rookie defenseman is one of two NHL players suiting up for Latvia. As such, he'll be required to do much of the heavy lifting for Latvia, which opens with Russia on Tuesday night.

7 Jaromir Jagr, Czech Republic: Jagr hasn't skated in North America since 2008 with the New York Rangers. He will be one of his team's leaders. Jagr has been reportedly contemplating a return to the NHL. Scouts and general managers will get a good look at him in Vancouver.

8 Martin Brodeur, Marc-Andre Fleury and Roberto Luongo, Canada: Canada's goalie situation is a complex one. Team Canada coach Mike Babcock hasn't named a starter. Brodeur is expected to start. That leaves Luongo as his backup. Is Fleury, last year's Stanley Cup winner, really going to be sitting in street clothes?

9 Marian Gaborik, Slovakia: The Slovaks finished fifth in the 2006 Games. Gaborik is having a phenomenal season with the Rangers and will be counted on to score heavily without much secondary help in Vancouver. With a solid defense, Gaborik could push Slovakia higher.

10 Jonas Hiller, Switzerland: The Ducks goalie, who wrestled the No. 1 spot from J.S. Giguere in Anaheim, did the same with Switzerland's Martin Gerber. If you remember, the Swiss stunned Canada, 2-0, and the Czechs in 2006 behind Gerber. Can Hiller do the same? *