Olympic Gold

With the closing ceremony scheduled for tonight in Vancouver, there are still 2 more medals to be given away.

First up is the men's 50-kilometer mass start in cross country, which is designed as the Olympics' ultimate endurance test. It is a marathon on skis, except a little longer in terms of the distance covered. It's always a signature event for the Winter Olympics.

The final event, of course, is one that's been buzzed about for a week in Vancouver, and for much longer in some circles. It's been a week since the U.S. upset Canada 5-3 in men's hockey, and today both teams get a rematch for the gold medal. It is a chance for revenge for Canada, and an opportunity for the Americans to prove that the result in pool play was no fluke. Either way, it's been a fantastic tournament for the young U.S. squad, which is unbeaten and comes off a 6-1 trouncing of Finland in the semifinals.

Canada defeated the U.S. for the gold medal in Salt Lake City in 2002. The Americans haven't won gold since 1980 in Lake Placid. I've mentioned plenty of times before about how the men's hockey tournament is the single most important event of these Games to the Canadian public, and they expect their all-star squad to win gold. Period. Add in the rivalry factor between the teams, and this should be a classic matchup. The game gets under way at 2:00 CT.