Athlete(s): Men's hockey team. Sport: Hockey. Why they're a favourite: Canada is always a medal favourite in hockey at the Olympics. Looking to avenge a seventh-place finish at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Canada will rely on players like first-time Olympian Sidney Crosby and veteran Martin Brodeur (above) in Vancouver. (LYLE ASPINALL/QMI Agency)

Athlete(s): Women's hockey team. Sport: Hockey. Why they're a favourite: Canada's women's team is a dominant force on the world stage. Under the leadership of captain Hayley Wickenheiser (centre), Canada will be going for its third consecutive Olympic gold medal in Vancouver. (RYAN REMIORZ/The Canadian Press)

Athlete(s): Men's curling team. Sport: Curling. Why they're a favourite: Canada has won a medal in every Olympic curling event since the sport was added to the Games in 1998. Kevin Martin's team has emerged as the top dog on the Canadian curling scene in recent years, and high hopes are being placed on the shoulders of Martin (centre) and the rest of his team. (ANDREW VAUGHAN/The Canadian Press)

Athlete(s): Women's curling team. Sport: Curling. Why they're a favourite: After a huge upset at the Canadian Olympic curling qualifier during which skip Cheryl Bernard (right) and her team defeated heavily-favoured Jennifer Jones, Canada's curling hopes rest on their shoulders. (JASON FRANSON/QMI Agency)

Athlete: Patrick Chan. Sport: Figure skating. Why he's a favourite: Chan is the 2009 World Championship silver medalist and hopes to become the first Canadian to win Olympic gold in men's figure skating. He will need to overcome the recent loss of his long-time coach if he hopes to medal. (PAUL CHIASSON/The Canadian Press)

Athlete: Joannie Rochette. Sport: Figure skating. Why she's a favourite: The 2009 World Championship silver medalist is looking to add an Olympic medal to her trophy case after placing fifth at the Turin Games in 2006. (DAVID J. PHILLIP/The Associated Press)

Athlete(s): Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. Sport: Ice dancing. Why they're a favourite: The reigning bronze medalists in the world championships, Virtue and Moir will aim for the podium with their fancy footwork in Vancouver. Familiarity will go a long way towards a medal -- they've been skating together since 1997. (MIKE CASSESE/Reuters)

Athlete(s): Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison. Sport: Pairs figure skating. Why they're a favourite: This Canadian duo won bronze at the 2008 World Championship and will be looking to improve upon their 10th-place finish at the Turin Olympics in 2006. (LUCY NICHOLSON/Reuters)

Athlete: Cindy Klassen. Sport: Long track speed skating. Why she's a favourite: Klassen is Canada's most-decorated Olympian, with six career medals -- five of which she won at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics. It's not really a question of whether Klassen will win a medal in Vancouver, more what colour will the medal be. (MAX ROSSI/Reuters)

Athlete: Kristina Groves. Sport: Long track speed skating. Why she's a favourite: Groves has qualified in five events and is looking to improve upon her Olympic medal haul after winning two silvers in Turin. (PETER DEJONG/The Associated Press)

Athlete: Christine Nesbitt. Sport: Long track speed skating. Why she's a favourite: Nesbitt has started the season strong and will be looking to carry that into the Vancouver Games. Nesbitt won a silver medal at the 2006 Turin Olympics. (JEFF McINTOSH/The Canadian Press)

Athlete: Clara Hughes. Sport: Long track speed skating. Why she's a favourite: Hughes, a five-time Olympic medalist, is one of only four athletes to have top-three finishes in both the Summer and Winter Games. Vancouver will be the 37-year-old's fifth Olympics (two summer, three winter). (JASPER JUINEN/The Associated Press)

Athlete: Charles Hamelin. Sport: Short track speed skating. Why he's a favourite: A threat at the 500m, 1,000m and 1,500m distances, Hamelin has won 12 medals at the international level since 2005. He is the current world champion in the 500m event. (DMITRY LOVETSKY/The Associated Press)

Athlete: Jennifer Heil. Sport: Freestyle skiing (moguls). Why she's a favourite: The defending Olympic moguls champion will be aiming to repeat on home soil in Vancouver. Heil could be the first Canadian to win a medal in Vancouver -- and the first to win gold on home turf -- because her event is scheduled for the day after the opening ceremonies. (JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press)

Athlete: Steve Omischl. Sport: Freestyle skiing (aerials). Why he's a favourite: Omischl has won 40 World Cup medals over his career, but failed to finish in the top 10 in two Olympics appearances -- Salt Lake City and Turin. He'll be looking to remedy that in Vancouver. (XINHUA, XU JIAJUN/The Associated Press)

Athlete: Alexandre Bilodeau. Sport: Freestyle skiing (moguls). Why he's a favourite: The 2009 World Cup moguls champion was only 18 years old when he competed in Turin and finished 11th. This time in Vancouver, with four more years of experience and maturity under his belt, he'll be shooting for gold. (TODD BISSONETTE/The Associated Press)

Athlete: Ashleigh McIvor. Sport: Ski cross. Why she's a favourite: Ski cross will be making it's Olympics debut in Vancouver, and McIvor is the reigning World Champion. That alone puts her at the top of the list of favourites to win gold in the sport. (LAURENT CIPRIANI/The Associated Press)

Athlete: Erik Guay. Sport: Alpine skiing. Why he's a favourite: Guay missed out on a bronze medal in the Super-G event at Turin by one-tenth of a second. Guay has 10 career World Cup podium finishes under his belt. (FRANK GUNN/The Canadian Press)

Athlete: Mellisa Hollingsworth. Sport: Skeleton. Why she's a favourite: Hollingsworth won bronze in Turin and has been outstanding on the World Cup circuit this season. She has two World Cup wins, two silver and two bronze medals in seven races. (STUART DRYDEN/QMI Agency)

Athlete: Jeff Pain. Sport: Skeleton. Why he's a favourite: Pain won the silver medal in Turin and has two gold medals and a silver in his career at the World Championships. Pain has been in the top 10 in five of six World Cup races this winter. (FABRIZIO BENSCH/Reuters)