"You want to know why I picked an image of Italian speed skater Francesca Lollobrigida, who won gold in the women's 3000 metre speed skating event while setting a new Olympic record for the event, for the cover of this article? For one, she's representative of Italy's start to the Winter Olympics. In just the first two days of the Winter Olympics, Italy has accumulated nine medals."
"But of those events, Francesca Lollobrigida's gold arguably stands out as Italy's biggest medal triumph thus far. That said, all of those triumphs together should serve as fuel for an Italian men's hockey team that might be significantly outnumbered on paper, as all of the players named to the roster have European playing experience. Italy does have the advantage of a home crowd, which could help to alleviate some of the concerns associated with their roster."
"And we do see runs happen by outmatched-on-paper teams both on the international stage and at the domestic level. The 2021 Montreal Canadiens are an example of this happening at the NHL level and we did see the Columbus Blue Jackets sweep a dominant Tampa Bay Lightning side out of the playoffs in 2019. Internationally, Czechia's junior men's hockey team has owned an often-superior Canadian team in recent years, while Finland took advantage of an NHL-less Beijing Olympics to secure gold."
Francesca Lollobrigida won gold in the women's 3000 metre speed skating and set a new Olympic record. Italy accumulated nine medals in the first two days of the Winter Olympics. Riccardo Lorello won bronze in the men's 5000 metre speed skating event. Matteo Rizzo secured Italy's first team medal in the figure skating event to the tune of the Imperial Orchestra's soundtrack for the movie Interstellar. Lollobrigida's gold stands out as Italy's biggest medal triumph so far. The Italian men's hockey roster has European experience and a home crowd advantage. Historic upset runs show deep tournament runs remain possible if chemistry and momentum align.
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