SOCHI, Russia -- Canada ruled the ice at the Sochi Olympics, winning gold in men's and women's hockey and curling.

The country's Paralympians are hoping to keep that momentum going and complete a pair of unique three-peats.

No country has ever swept either sport at an Olympics and Paralympics, but the players on Canada's sledge hockey and wheelchair curling teams say they aren't dwelling on the possibility of making history with action set to get underway in both competitions on Saturday.

"It's cool to think we could do a three-peat, but realistically from our own standpoint we've got to really be focusing on that one gold medal we need to win," said Canadian sledge hockey assistant captain Brad Bowden. "When it's all said and done and hopefully everything goes as planned, then we'll really come down to earth and realize what we've achieved, but we've got to get there first."

The sledge hockey team also had a chance to complete a gold-medal trifecta in Vancouver four years ago but lost the semifinal to Japan before falling to Norway in the bronze-medal game.

Although the players say they have put that disappointing fourth-place finish on home soil behind them, it's clear the sting remains on some level.

"We had the opportunity in Vancouver and we didn't get it done," said Canadian captain Greg Westlake. "I just look at it as an opportunity. We put so much pressure on ourselves in Vancouver to get that three-peat. Not to sound down on the whole thing, but whether or not Sidney Crosby has two gold medals or 10 gold medals, I want mine.

"I don't have a Stanley Cup to go home and play for and I don't go back to that $7-million contract -- this is what I'm here for. If both those teams lost every tournament from now until the end of time, I still want to win every time. I think you get older and you stop worrying about other people."

Bowden and Westlake are part of the core leadership group that has seen a lot of turnover since the Vancouver Games. In fact, Canada has just one gold medal -- a 2006 victory in Turin -- since the sport made its debut at the Lillehammer Paralympics 20 years ago.

"There's no more or less pressure. I want to win because I want to win," said Westlake, who had both of his legs amputated below the knee when he was 18 months old. "If I was born a different nationality I think I'd bring a competitive nature to that team, too. We have this aura being from Canada that we're the only team that wants it that badly, but there's some hungry teams here.

"The whole story about the Paralympics is everyone has a story and everybody has fought hard to be in this position to fight for a gold medal."

Canada, which comes into the tournament having won both the 2013 world championship and world sledge challenge, opens its schedule on Saturday against Sweden.

"As far as 2010 is concerned we just learned what we had to learn from that experience and we just chose to forget about it and start a clean slate and move forward," said Bowden, who was born with a spinal deformity. "Guys are focused and I think the fact that we had that experience has helped guys stay focused on what we're here to do."

Canada's wheelchair curling team has been equally successful on the world stage in recent years. The 2006 and 2010 Paralympic gold medallists are coming off a world championship last year and boast a veteran lineup led by skip Jim Armstrong.

"As I've always said, I would prefer to come in as a favourite as opposed to someone that doesn't have a chance. That said, there is pressure that comes with it," said Armstrong, who was an able-bodied curler before transitioning to the wheelchair game following knee and back surgeries. "Curling is a slippery game. You're going to have the odd bad game, you just hope that it doesn't come at the wrong time."

Canadian wheelchair curling coach Joe Rea said he doesn't expect the hype of a possible three-peat to get in the way of his players when they open their schedule on Saturday with back-to-back games against Britain and Russia, just hours after Friday's opening ceremony.

"I've never been on or been involved with a more resilient team," said Rea. "If you take a look at these guys when they're playing, you couldn't tell what the score is by the look on their face -- which is an amazing talent to have. They just go out there and give it their best and we sort of let the chips fall where they may.

"Usually their best is pretty good."

Sledge hockey head coach Mike Mondin said the pressure of the Paralympics is something Canadian players at any level are used to.

"When Canada comes to any international hockey event, whether it's men's, women's or sledge, there's a lot of expectations," said Mondin, whose team meets Norway on Sunday and the Czech Republic on Tuesday. "We have to be prepared and I think we are at this point."

Bowden said the sledge hockey team watched both Olympic hockey finals together and cheered Canada on like the rest of the country.

Those back-to-back victories didn't change the job they have to do in Sochi.

"We don't feel any pressure. We're just happy that they won," said Bowden. "It's great to see our men and women win gold and now it's up to us to try to follow suit."