Men's hockey teams from around the world are vying for gold in the Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 and for Canada and the U.S. - they are starting their match-ups this week. The fierce competitors will be facing off against a number of other strong teams in the coming days, which could determine how far the two nations can go in this year's Olympics.

While Austria faces off against Canada, and Russia against the U.S.A. is there any indication of which of these teams are heading for the final throw down on Feb. 22?

Team U.S.A will be facing strong opposition from Russia on the 15^th at 7:30 a.m. Eastern time. The Russian team has the full-fledged hopes of the Russian nation weighing heavily on their shoulders.

Team U.S.A has Minnesota Wild star Zach Parise as team captain. In 2010, Parise sent the Olympics championship into overtime with just getting in a goal in the final minute, though Canada stuffed their hopes of taking home the gold when Canadian Sidney Crosby knocked in the tie-breaking score.

Canada holds an all-star team roster of Sidney Crosby, Corey Perry, Rick Nash, Duncan Keith, and Ryan Getzlaf. But no one is counting the talent of the U.S.A team out. Be sure to watch their progress as the championships progress. Here is the full schedule of the Winter Olympics 2014 Men's Ice Hockey:

Thursday, Feb. 13 - Men's Prelims, Group A

Russia vs. Slovenia, 7:30 a.m. ET

USA vs. Slovakia, 7:30 a.m. ET

Thursday, Feb. 13 - Men's Prelims, Group B

Finland vs. Austria, 3 a.m. ET

Canada vs. Norway, 12 p.m. ET

Friday, Feb. 14 - Men's Prelims, Group B

Canada vs. Austria, 12 p.m. ET

Norway vs. Finland 12 p.m. ET

Captain Sidney Crosby and Team Canada hope to repeat as Winter Olympic Men's Hockey champions.

Friday, Feb. 14 - Men's Prelims, Group C

Czech Republic vs. Latvia, 3 a.m. ET

Sweden vs. Switzerland, 7:30 a.m. ET

Saturday, Feb. 15 - Men's Prelims, Group A

Slovakia vs. Slovenia, 3 am ET

USA vs. Russia, 7:30 a.m. ET

Saturday, Feb. 15 - Men's Prelims, Group C

Switzerland vs. Czech Republic, 12 p.m. ET

Sweden vs. Latvia, 12 p.m. ET

Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers will lead Sweden throughout the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

Sunday, Feb. 16 - Men's Prelims, Group A

USA vs. Slovenia, 7:30 a.m. ET

Russia vs. Slovakia, 7:30 a.m. ET

Sunday, Feb. 16 - Men's Prelims, Group B

Austria vs. Norway, 3 a.m. ET

Canada vs. Finland, 12 p.m. ET

Tuesday, Feb. 18 - Men's Playoff Qualification

Teams: TBD

Start Times: 3 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 12 p.m. (All Eastern Times)

Wednesday, Feb. 19 - Men's Quarterfinals

Teams: TBD

Start Times: 3 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 12 p.m. (All Eastern Times)

Friday, Feb. 21 - Men's Semifinals

Teams: TBD

Start Times: 7 a.m. & 12 p.m. (All Times Eastern)

Saturday, Feb. 22 - Men's Final

Teams: TBD