But the day's most highly anticipated event may be a preliminary round men's hockey game. The U.S.-Russia contest may have no bearing on the final standings, yet it's sure to generate a lot of passion and interest in those countries and beyond.
Russia vs. U.S. highlights men's hockey slate
It's been a long time since Lake Placid.
That New York community will forever be associated not just with the 1980 Winter Olympics, but its signature moment: The underdog American men's hockey team besting their Cold War rivals from the Soviet Union en route to a gold medal.
Sportscaster Al Michaels wasn't the only person who considered that win a miracle. That description probably wouldn't be apt if the 2014 incarnation of the American team beats the Russians (alas, the closest you can get to the Soviets nowadays) on Saturday in Sochi.
Still, it will be a big deal.
The U.S. team is fresh off a 7-1 trashing of Slovakia, a win that suggested that the Americans are a legitimate contender to win their first gold in this competition since Lake Placid. The Russians, paced by Alexander Ovechkin, beat Slovenia by a 5-2 score.
The continued icy relations between Russia and the United States ratchet up the tensions a bit, and history counts for something, too. Russia's coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov was on the 1980 Soviet team, and that squad's goalie, Vladislav Tretiak, now heads the Russian Hockey Federation.
This isn't the only preliminary round match-up in men's hockey Saturday: Slovakia and Slovenia, Sweden and Latvia, Switzerland and the Czech Republic also face off on the men's side.
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