Monday in Sochi : Five things to watch

1. Get Your Curl On: The curling round robin kicks off. The men’s draw will feature the first two rounds, in which skip Brad Jacobs and his crew will take on the ninth-ranked Germans and fifth-ranked Swiss. Meanwhile the first women’s round robin competition will see Canadian skip Jennifer Jones and her team face fifth-ranked China. 1 a.m., 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. AST

2. A new era in women’s alpine skiing? At the FIS World Cup on Jan. 12, Lac Etchemin, Que.’s Marie-Michéle Gagnon took home her first gold in the Super Combined Slalom—the first time in 30 years a Canadian won the event. She’ll look to build on that competing for a medal on the Sochi slopes. Fellow Canadian Erin Mielzynski is a dark horse to keep an eye on in the race as well. 3 a.m. AST

3. Team Canada’s (second) biggest test: The preliminary round in women’s ice hockey continues, with Canada squaring off against Finland in Group A action. Finland is considered by many to be the third-best ice hockey nation behind Canada and the U.S. A strong outing can bode well for Canada’s chances against the heavily favoured Americans later in the tournament. 11 a.m. AST

4. Potential podium sweep? As busy a day as it is, you can expect much of the focus to fall on the Rosa Khutor extreme park in the mountains, where the men’s moguls qualifications and, later, finals will be staged. Canada has three of the top participants in the field: defending gold medallist Alexandre Bilodeau; 21-year old reigning FIS World Championship gold medallist Mikael Kingsbury; and Montreal’s Marc-Antoine Gagnon. 10 a.m. AST

5. Hamelin’s first medal chance: And so Charles Hamelin’s quest to become the most decorated Olympian in Canadian history begins. The only multiple-medallist for Canada at the 2010 Games, he’ll kick things off with the 1,500m event, which was his poorest outing in Vancouver, finishing seventh. Charles’s brother, François, who also took home gold in Vancouver (5,000m relay), will also be competing. 5:45 a.m. AST