For the second straight Olympics, the NHL won’t be participating at the Winter Games, but that doesn’t mean Canada won’t be icing a medal-contending men’s hockey squad.
The team, which will be announced this morning at 11 a.m. ET during a press conference that will be carried live on CBCSports.ca, is expected to include a mix of championship-winning veterans and talented youngsters ready for a taste of pressure-filled hockey.
Potential players include Eric Staal and Owen Power.
Staal, who hasn’t played in the NHL this season, is among┬аa select group of players that have┬аcaptured Olympic, Stanley Cup and world championship titles. The 37-year-old was also part of a┬аMontreal Canadiens team that reached the Stanley Cup final in 2021.
Power, 19, who was the Buffalo Sabres’ No. 1 overall pick in the most recent draft, has already helped Canada win a 2021 world hockey championship title, and was part of the 2022 world junior team before the tournament was cancelled due to rising COVID-19┬аcases.
The NHL and its players announced in December that they would not attend┬аthe 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The league said the decision was made due to the disruption in the regular-season schedule as a result of increased case counts of COVID-19 detected┬аthroughout the NHL.
At the time, Doug Armstrong of the St. Louis Blues was the general manager, with the Tampa Bay Lightning’s┬аJon Cooper serving as┬аcoach.
But with the league┬аannouncing its withdrawal from the Games, the responsibilities fall to Shane Doan (GM) and Claude Julien (coach).
Even with NHL players away four years ago in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Canada still managed to capture a bronze medal.
In the five previous Olympics, which had NHL participants, Canada won three gold medals.
