“Surreal”: Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon top Canada’s roster as next-gen NHL stars return to Olympics after a decade

For Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and an entire new generation of superstars in the NHL, the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 represents more than just a competition to win, as it is an opportunity they thought might not be possible. Missing the PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, the world’s best hockey players are back to compete on the Olympic ice once again.
Connor McDavid was only 17 when the last NHLers laced it up in Sochi in 2014. Nathan MacKinnon was an 18-year-old rookie. Leon Draisaitl and David Pastrnak were undrafted youngsters. Auston Matthews was only 16. What was once an inevitability—multiple Olympics in their primes—became toast due to decisions made on the league level and the global pandemic.
And now, more than a decade later, that wait is over.

NHL superstars headline Olympic Men's Hockey as Canada, USA enter as gold favorites

The favorite to win, with all the expectations, is Canada. Boasting three gold medals in the five Olympic tournaments in which they have participated since 1998, including the 2010 and 2014 tournaments, winning anything short of gold is unacceptable in the north.
Now, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon will unite with Sidney Crosby, arguably the greatest trio assembled by Canadians in hockey history. “Surreal,” McDavid called this moment, one long anticipated and repeatedly postponed. “It’s been a long time. Been a long time coming,” he added.
The United States comes right behind as a co-favorite with a strong, explosive skillset. Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews lead the forward case, which includes the Brady and Matthew Tkachuk brothers, while Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, and Zach Werenski lead the defensive charge. Sweden appears as a dark horse, despite the fact that key players are out due to injury. Victor Hedman finally gets his start for the Olympics, and the Swedes return to the experience of their 2014 silver medal run. Finns, Czechs, and Germans, with Draisaitl, round out another strong group.
The format ensures that each of the 12 teams has three preliminary games, as no team gets eliminated. The winner of each group, along with the best second team, qualifies directly for the quarterfinals. The scoring system ensures that every shift produces points, thus the excitement of overtime. With the 4 Nations Face-Off providing a glimpse of what kind of competitiveness to expect from this generation on the ice internationally, Milano Cortina shows promise to be a higher-standard tournament.
After waiting for what seemed to be forever, the brightest stars of the NHL finally have the chance to shine at the Olympics, and they’re certainly making the most of it.


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