ESPN Olympic Sports

PARK CITY, Utah -- The United States men's hockey team has enjoyed a lot of success on North American ice.

The Americans won gold at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley, Calif., and, as you might recall, upset the Soviets en route to the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid. The team won silver in 2002 (Salt Lake City) and 2010 (Vancouver), losing to Canada each time.

Playing elsewhere has been the problem. The U.S. has never won gold outside its own country and has medaled outside of North America only once since 1956. Even with NHL players, the U.S. team was, shall we say it, underwhelming at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano and the 2006 Olympics in Torino, finishing sixth and eighth.

Which does not exactly bode well for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.

St. Louis Blues right winger David Backes, who was on the 2010 team, said Monday that the U.S. recently talked about this pattern and how to change it. He said playing on Europe's larger rinks and playing somewhere outside their comfort zone are the major issues. (All teams played on an NHL-sized rink in the Vancouver Games.)

"Collectively, they're the biggest challenges," he said at the Olympic media summit. "I know that's a politician's answer to the question, but I think that they're the difference between success on North American soil and not a lot of success on European soil. Those two things combine for a little bit of adversity before you've even dropped the puck.

"On top of that, the other guys are swinging the other way. [In Salt Lake and Vancouver], they were going from living in their comfort zone to coming over to North America and not being comfortable with our culture, our society, our food, whatever," Backes added. "Now they're back on European soil and are as comfortable as can be. That tilts the table a little, but preparing for that and being aware that it's going to happen and taking it in stride will be a big factor in whether we have the success we hope to have or whether we don't."

"We have to come to grips with that," said Nashville Predators GM David Poile, who is also serving as the general manager of the 2014 U.S. men's team. "People were very comfortable in Salt Lake and Vancouver. They had their families there. Socially, they were comfortable because they could go out after a game or on an off-day and go out to a restaurant. Sochi will have a totally different dynamic. Sochi is not really close to anything -- the city is 35-40 minutes away. It's going to be a different experience for all the athletes."

Adapting to the ice and a less physical game is also important, Poile said.

"There has to be some adjustments," he said. "Whether it's angles for goalies or what a defensemen does in going back and getting a puck or what position a forward plays, there have to be some changes. Maybe it just seems obvious, but it needs to be pointed out to the players and put into the strategy of the game."

USA Hockey unveiled its jerseys for the men's, women's and paralympic national teams will wear for the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi, Russia. Here are some photos from Tuesday's announcement at the men's U.S. Olympic orientation camp in Arlington, Va.:

Do you like the new Olympic jerseys? Cast your vote here!

CALGARY, Alberta -- A little ball hockey, eh?

Team Canada took to the floor-covered ice Monday for "walk-through" practices, which is the coaching staff's unique solution to a tough situation given the inability to actually get on the ice for real practices.

The 45 players were split into two groups and ran around with their sticks in their hands playing out drills from the coaching staff while wearing track shorts, T-shirts and running shoes.

Kudos to head coach Mike Babcock for the clever solution for a tough predicament.

"I thought it was a real good day for us,” Babcock said. "Obviously, I have never done this before. We've put a lot of planning into it. I spent a lot of time talking to people to gather the information -- [head coach] Tom Izzo in particular with Michigan State basketball. He talks about the walk-throughs, and [they are] part of the reason that he believes they've been to six Final Fours in the last 15 years. Todd Downing is a quarterback coach with the Lions. He talked about the plays they walk through each and every day and the muscle memory and the timing and spacing that's going on.

"This is a big sheet, and guys aren't used to it. It's even bigger when you can't move very fast, and you couldn't go very fast today. But I thought it was a good teaching tool. The other thing is when you've got 23 guys on your team, you usually got to teach 23 different ways. Everybody learns different, so when you see it on video, it's one way you see it. In a book, it's another way. You've got a posting on the wall, you walk through it again and then you talk about it. To me, what we're trying to do is get them to understand the way we're going to play, so it meets the comfort for them when they arrive in Sochi."

It’s early, folks, but, for the heck of it, here were the lines:

Chris Kunitz-Sidney Crosby-Patrick Sharp
Eric Staal-Jonathan Toews-Rick Nash
Logan Couture-John Tavares-Steven Stamkos
Andrew Ladd-Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry
Jeff Carter-Mike Richards-Martin St. Louis
Milan Lucic-Matt Duchene-James Neal
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jordan Eberle
Taylor Hall-Jordan Staal

"Don’t read anything into the lines," Babcock cautioned.

Joe Thornton’s absence from the camp (family illness) left Hall and Jordan Staal lined up with a University of Calgary player, Dylan Walchuk.

Talk about a thrill for the college player.

"I know. It's pretty sweet. Maybe I'll see myself on TV tonight if I get lucky," Walchuk said.

So much is going to play out over the next few months before Team Canada picks the team. It’s hard to tell a whole lot from these lines when you consider that most of the line combinations at the camp four years ago didn’t hold water come the Olympics in Vancouver four months later.

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Team Canada stars Sidney Crosby and Shea Weber talk about being a part of the NHL Players' Association's You Can Play initiative and their thoughts on Russia's anti-gay law:

USA Hockey on Monday released the names of the 28 players who were invited to next month's U.S. women's national team training camp.

The camp, which will take place March 25-31 at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, N.Y., will help determine the final U.S. roster for the IIHF Women's World Championship (April 2-9 in Ottawa).

Here is complete training camp roster, which includes 12 Olympians:

Forwards

Kelly Babstock
Alex Carpenter
Julie Chu
Kendall Coyne
Brianna Decker
Meghan Duggan
Sarah Erickson
Lyndsey Fry
Amanda Kessel
Hilary Knight
Jocelyne Lamoureux
Monique Lamoureux
Jen Schoullis
Haley Skarupa
Kelley Steadman

Defensemen

Kacey Bellamy
Megan Bozek
Caitlin Cahow
Lisa Chesson
Jincy Dunne
Alyssa Gagliardi
Gigi Marvin
Michelle Picard
Anne Schleper
Lee Stecklein

Goaltenders

Brianne McLaughlin
Alex Rigsby
Jessie Vetter

While Sochi organizers have promised snow will be on the ground despite warn temps in the coastal town (on Thursday, it was 66 degrees there and 59 in the mountains), one thing we can say for sure: The venues for the 2014 Winter Olympics will be there.

Here's a look at some of the locales you'll see next year:

Shayba Arena

The Shayba Arena will host ice hockey games and is in close proximity to other ice skating venues. Capacity: 7,000.

Fisht Olympic Stadium

The Olympic Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies, and most medal ceremonies. Capacity: 40,000.

'Ice Cube' Curling Center

You guessed it -- curling competitions will be held here. The venue is in the center of the "Coastal Cluster," where all of the ice-based venues are located. Capacity: 3,000.

Bolshoy Ice Dome

The ice hockey venue is said to be modeled after a "frozen water drop," but spectators may think it resembles a disco dance floor when they see the roof light up in multiple colors at night. Capacity: 12,000.

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Will Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma lead the USA Hockey team in the 2014 Sochi Olympics?

It seems like the answer would be "yes" if Bylsma got his way.

While there is still no decision about whether NHL players will be allowed to participate in the Games, Bylsma has done some work with USA Hockey this summer and seems interested in being the team's head coach.

"I'd be more than willing to be a part of a staff, but my goal isn't just to be a part of a staff," Bylsma said at the Research, Development and Orientation Camp this week, according to NHL.com. "At least, the written goal is not just to be part of the staff."

Bylsma worked with coaches at the USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., last week. Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero told NHL.com that working with USA Hockey has been a goal of Bylsma's since he joined the Penguins' organization.

"For me, there is a great deal of passion and energy and I get jacked up about going to Lake Placid and being with those kids," Bylsma said, according to NHL.com. "And it was the first time for me to wear the USA Hockey on my jacket. I took it home and I'll be wearing it proudly."

Shero added that Bylsma has been on the radar of USA Hockey executive Jim Johansson.

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After leading Team USA to the gold medal in the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's Championship, Katey Stone will remain the team's head coach through the 2011-12 season.

Stone is also the head coach of Harvard University's women's ice hockey program.

"With Katey continuing to lead our team through 2011-12, she will gain the opportunity to both leverage and build on all of the work that she and our players invested this past season," Reagan Carey, director of women's hockey for USA Hockey, said in a statement. "She is dedicated to maximizing the potential of our players and we are eager to see the continued results of her strong efforts."

In 2010-11, Stone led Team USA to a second-place finish at the 2010 Women's Four Nations Cup and its third consecutive world title.

Stone has a 356-155-31 record in 17 seasons with the Crimson and is the winningest coach in Harvard's women's hockey history.

USA Hockey will host 26 of the top female hockey players at a development camp from June 11-17. All 21 members of the team that won gold at the 2011 world championships will be in Colorado Springs, Colo., for the camp. In addition, five players from the preliminary roster for the world championship will be there.

Finland's Mikael Granlund scored a lacrosse-style goal in the hockey world championships semifinals against Russia. Was he showing off or showing skill?

Although there is still no decision on whether NHL players will compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, one decision has been made.

The IIHF council confirmed Thursday that the Olympic ice hockey tournaments for men and women will be played on international-sized rinks (200 feet by 98 feet) instead of North American-sized rinks (200 feet by 85 feet).

The 2010 Vancouver Games were the first Olympics played on the smaller rink.

"This decision was not as obvious as it may have been some years ago," IIHF president Rene Fasel said in a statement released by the organization. "In our thorough evaluation of Vancouver 2010, we received very positive feedback about playing on the small surface, and the IIHF has today recognized both surfaces as fitting for international hockey.

"What we know today from our extensive research dating back to 1972 is that ice size does not benefit one hockey style over another. The experience shows that the best team wins regardless of which rink you play on. So this decision carries nothing political, the reason is solely based on respecting the tradition and also practicality."