Olympics are here for many NHL stars who waited half their careers or more for this

"Nathan MacKinnon knew he wouldn't make Canada's 2014 Olympic team as an 18-year-old NHL rookie, while Germany's Leon Draisaitl and Czechia's David Pastrnak were still a year away from being drafted. Canadian Connor McDavid and American Jack Eichel were just 17 and Auston Matthews 16 when the best hockey players in the world went to Sochi. They all figured they'd get their chance four years later, and it never came as the league chose not to go to Pyeongchang in 2018 and then a global pandemic wreaked havoc and wrecked the chance to play in Beijing in 2022."

"We've been waiting, our generation, pretty much whole of our careers to play at the Olympics, Pastrnak said. Victor Hedman, inexplicably snubbed by Sweden a dozen years ago, is making his Olympic debut in Milan. And the moment has finally arrived for McDavid and MacKinnon to team up with Sidney Crosby for Canada and for Eichel and Matthews to join forces in the hopes of delivering the first U.S. gold medal in men's hockey since the 1980 Miracle on Ice."

"Surreal, McDavid said, repeating himself in disbelief. Surreal. It's been a long time. Been a long time coming. The first games are Wednesday, with Finland and Slovakia kicking things off before Sweden faces host Italy in the nightcap. I don't know if I'm going to feel great or awful, but I'm going to be flying for the first shifts, Sweden's Adrian Kempe said. United States forward Auston Matthews takes part in a men's ice hockey practice during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP) Who's favored to win gold in men's hockey at the Olympics? Canada is just over an odds-on favorite, with the U.S. a little under 2-1 on BetMGM Sportsbook."

Top NHL stars who missed earlier Olympic chances are finally competing in Milan after the league opted out of 2018 and the pandemic canceled Beijing 2022. Players such as Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak and Victor Hedman are participating, some making Olympic debuts. Canada enters as a slight favorite while the United States pursues its first men's Olympic hockey gold since 1980. Opening games include Finland vs. Slovakia and Sweden vs. host Italy, and players describe the moment as long awaited and emotionally significant.

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