Canada, Sweden favorites in Beijing

WARSAW－Canada and Sweden will be favorites to win the men's ice hockey title at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and pandemic restrictions could work in favor of less-experienced teams, former NHL player Mariusz Czerkawski has told Xinhua.

"Obviously, Canada, Sweden, and the team with Russian players will be very strong in any case. If the competition is played without NHL stars, teams like the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany or Switzerland will have their chance to get to the final," the Pole said.

Czerkawski is considered Poland's greatest-ever ice hockey player. Now 48, he spent 12 seasons in the league, making his debut in 1994 and playing for the likes of the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers. After surpassing 30 goals in a season for the Islanders, he earned a selection for the 2000 NHL All-Star Game.