"The last time NHL players were at the Olympics was in 2014. That year, the likes of Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews would earn Canada its second-consecutive gold medal; a 3-0 victory over Sweden in the gold medal game would secure that honour for the Canadians. Twelve years later, a new generation of Canadian NHL players will take the ice in Milan. But don't worry, Sidney Crosby will still be there."
"There are going to be a lot of unknowns heading into this year's Winter Olympics, especially as eight of the twelve teams set to contest the tournament did not take part in last winter's Four Nations Faceoff. That means that we only have a fair idea of what four teams will look like heading into this tournament, which should only add to the excitement and the competitive nature of this year's men's Olympic hockey tournament."
"One of the teams which has a sample size of international games for us to work with? Canada. In last year's Four Nations Faceoff, Canada and the United States qualified for the gold medal game out of the four-team round robin; the other two teams in contention were Sweden and Finland. In overtime of the gold medal game, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid would score the winning goal (call it a golden goal if you will) to beat the United States by a score of 3-2."
The last NHL participation at the Olympics was in 2014 when Canada won gold 3-0 over Sweden. Twelve years later NHL players return to Milan with a mix of veterans and new stars; Sidney Crosby remains on the roster. Eight of the twelve Olympic teams did not play in last winter's Four Nations Faceoff, creating many unknowns about team form. Canada and the United States reached the Four Nations final, with Connor McDavid scoring an overtime winner to beat the U.S. 3-2. Many members of that Canada roster return, including McDavid, Cale Makar, Mitch Marner and Nathan MacKinnon, preserving offensive and defensive strengths.
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