No Olympic Village in history has seen a group like this - multimillionaire hockey players mingling with unheralded lugers, curlers and snowboarders with little more than a dream of gold between them.

National Hockey League stars are staying seven to a four-room suite at the village, grabbing meals

"This is great, to be in the Olympic village," said Sweden's Peter Forsberg, who takes home $4 million this season.

"I was brought up in the north of Sweden, so I know all of the cross country guys, like Torgny Mogren. I have been watching him since I was 13 years old."

Unlike the 1996 US Olympic basketball Dream Team, which cited security fears in staying at a posh Atlanta hotel and mingled not at all with the common-man competitors, NHL players revel in their surroundings.

"Being in the village is like being in a dorm at college," US captain Chris Chelios said. "It makes one feel younger."

"You can have meals with the other athletes, congratulate them on their performances and make new friends," said Canadian captain Eric Lindros, who just signed a contract that makes him the NHL's highest-paid player.

US forward Jeremy Roenick found the women's team took inspiration from having the NHL stars around. "They had heard we really didn't want to stay there," he said. "It made them feel good to know we were staying there because we wanted to."

For Canadian defender Ray Borque, the biggest surprise was how many people knew NHL hockey.

"It's amazing how many people here collect hockey stuff," he said. "You wouldn't think they would know much about the NHL, but they seem to be very well informed."