Five For Howling, a Phoenix Coyotes community

How's it going on the other side of the pond, for Lightning players and in the tournament as a whole?

SB Nation sites made mock selections for 2014 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey team one year before play begins in Sochi. Five for Howling's managing editor was among those who voted on who should make the squad.

Countries like Hungary, Japan and Ukraine don't usually bring up thoughts of Olympic hockey, but those three nations will host tournaments this weekend to try and make it to Sochi 2014.

Could hockey's World Cup (yes, there is one) build into a tradition like the FIFA World Cup? Or does the sport need the Olympics to get that level of exposure? A look at where the NHL stands in international best-on-best tournaments.