Sidney Crosby of Pittsburgh Penguins is the only current NHLer with an opportunity to play in his third Olympic Games when the NHL returns to the global competition in 2026 for the first time since 2014.
Crosby, of course, scored the ‘Golden Goal’ for Canada in 2010 at the Vancouver Olympics, and then was part of the Canadian entry in 2014 at Sochi, where Canada defeated Sweden in the final for another gold medal. Politics and NHL team ownership greed prevented the NHL players from competing in 2018 and 2022, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced in early February that details had been ironed out, and the NHL would send its best players to the 2026 Olympics in Milan, Italy.
So how will the Canadian roster look? Will Crosby, who is having an outstanding season with the Penguins this year — but who will be 39 years old in 2026 — be given a chance for a three-peat? Canadian fans almost unanimously say yes, for reasons based on both skill and sentimentality.
Rosters will include 25 skaters — 14 forwards and 11 defencemen — and three goalies. Canada’s weak spot is expected to be in goal, where there is no Carey Price, no Roberto Luongo or no Mike Smith. Instead, the leading candidates are Adin Hill of Vegas Golden Knights, Tristan Jarry of Pittsburgh, Connor Ingram of Arizona and Stu Skinner of the Oilers, none of whom conjure up memories of Jacques Plante or Patrick Roy.
Of course, things could drastically change in two years. Will projected No. 1 draft pick Macklin Celebrini be one of Canada’s top 14 forwards? There are a few slam-dunk choices: Connor Bedard, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon up front; Cale Makar and Josh Morrissey on defence.
Here’s how my roster of 14 forwards, 11 defencemen and three goaltenders would shape up:
Forwards — McDavid, MacKinnon, Bedard, Sam Reinhart, Brayden Point, Celebrini, Brad Marchand, Zach Hyman, Robert Thomas, Travis Konecny, Mitch Marner, Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone and Quinton Byfield.
Defence —Makar, Morrissey, Evan Bouchard, Morgan Rielly, Thomas Chabot, Dougie Hamilton, Drew Doughty, Shea Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo, Jacob Chychrun, MacKenzie Weegar.
Goaltenders —Hill, Jarry, Skinner.
This will be a floating roster for the next 18 months. Players will come and go. Perhaps Crosby will continue to not show his age, and we’ll have to add him to the team. Perhaps some young phenom will come out of nowhere.
Just missing the cut were the likes of Vince Dunn and Noah Dobson on defence, Steven Stamkos, Dylan Cozens, Matt Barzal, Brandon Hagel, Carter Verhaeghe and Jeff Skinner up front, and Jordan Bennington, Logan Thompson and Ingram in goal.
So much can change in two years, but let the arguments start today.
- Headline from fark.com: “After having the worst season in the NFL, Carolina Panthers plan to a) rebuild through the draft; b) bring back some favourite former players; or c) raise ticket prices? (The answer, of course, is C).”
- Joseph LaMagna of TheFriedEgg.com., discussing golfers in the running for ‘Most Money Won Without Winning a Tournament’: “Off the top of my head, it at the very least beats the hell out of Least Money Earned Without Actually Winning A Tournament.”
- Sportswriter Herb Gould, on the controversy over the Players being golf’s fifth major: “No fifth major until baseball adds a fifth base. As in Grand Slam.”
- Super 70s Sports: “How to have a great high school basketball team in one step: Step 1: Larry Bird enrols at your school. The End.”
- Another one from Super 70s Sports: “Former Cowboys’ coach Tom Landry used to blow out the candles on his birthday cake each year simply by looking at them.”
- Comedy guy Torben Rolfsen of Vancouver: “The Montreal Canadiens will play in Paris in October 2025. It’s not 100 per cent set yet; so far, Youppi! refuses to take off his Expos cap for a passport photo.”
- F.P. Santangelo Sr., on Twitter, after a United Airlines plane dropped a wheel shortly after takeoff: “Always remember if you catch a foul tire give it to a kid.”
- RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “Reuters reports a Chinese firm is selling bottles of forest fresh air to customers tired of foul smells. Don’t laugh; you get a free one if you buy a Washington Wizards ticket.”
- RJ Currie again: “Five reasons why TV ratings for the Brier rose 13 per cent and why TSN says it’s one of their most popular sporting events: 5. Curling is a good draw; 4. The Brier does well in the sweeps; 3. It’s great with takeout; 2. The game has a peel; 1. The action is end to end.”
- Fark.com headline after a questionable call on a buzzer-beater in a New Jersey high school basketball game cost one team a trip to the state championship: “Bad buzzer-beater semi-final to be settled in court, not on the court.”
- Fark.com again, after the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match was announced: “Jake Paul announces his suicide will be televised on Netflix and carried out by Mike Tyson.”
Care to comment? Email brucepenton200@yahoo.ca
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
