The Mag's E.J. Hradek snuck his laptop into Russia for the World Junior Championships. Here's his first salvo.

Greetings from Moscow! The weather here is what you'd expect -- cold and gray -- but it hasn't been too bad ... yet. For some reason, it snows only at night. At least that's my observation.

As I feared, Moscow's center -- dominated by Red Square and the Kremlin -- has a McDonald's on every other corner. Everywhere you turn, big neon signs pitch Coke, Pepsi or any number of Western products. Uncle Sam is definitely making his presence felt in the former Soviet Union.

Almost everybody smokes. Moscow is a tobacco-maker's dream come true. The Marlboro Man can be found peering from signs all over the city. I walked into a men's room at the main ice rink on my first day and thought I had entered a burning building. Someone should tell these people smoking can be hazardous to your health.

Also, the driving can be a little crazy. Think New York with no rules. During my first day in town, I sat in the back of a cab as it rolled along the sidewalk. I just closed my eyes and hoped for the best.

Knowing no Russian, I've had a few problems getting around. The language uses a Cyrillic alphabet. To an American, the big block letters on signs and billboards look like they were typed with an oversized manual typewriter by a Bug driver on an LSD trip.

Despite my ignorance, I was still able to make the stroll to Red Square on New Year's Eve. Well, almost to Red Square. The place was jam-packed, so I stopped about a block from the Square. The experience was much like New Year's Eve in Times Square (minus Dick Clark) -- a lot of laughing and drinking. Fireworks went off everywhere. But soon after midnight, the monstrous crowd turned and headed home.

The hockey has been great. The U.S. team competed hard, but lost a heartbreaking 2-1 quarterfinal game to Canada. The loss knocked them out of medal contention. To their credit, the Americans bounced back the following day to edge Team Slovakia, 3-2.

After beating the U.S., the Canadians dropped a 5-2 semifinal decision to Finland. Goalie Ari Ahonen, a first-round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils, was the difference, outdueling Flyer pick Maxime Ouellet.

The Finns meet the Czechs in the final on Friday. The Czech Republic, the only unbeaten and untied team in the tourney, advanced by squeaking out a 1-0 win over Sweden. Many NHL general managers and scouts didn't enjoy the Czechs' defensive game plan, but it's the same style that helped them capture the gold medal last year.

My pick? I'll take the Finns because of Ahonen. The Canadians will play Sweden for the bronze, while Team USA plays surprising Switzerland for fifth.

One last busy day of hockey, then it's off to the airport on Saturday for the long trip home. This time, hopefully, Lufthansa won't lose my luggage.

E.J. Hradek, an associate editor at ESPN The Magazine, appears regularly on NHL 2Night. E-mail ej.hradek@espnmag.com.