Uncle Sam? Or Captain Connor?
Who do they cheer for?
Sunday’s gold medal game between Canada and the United States will be a morning of emotional conflict for a handful of American-born Edmonton Oilers.
On one hand they are deeply proud of their home country and want to see the U.S. capture its first Olympic title since the Miracle on Ice in 1980. On the other hand, they know how much this means to Connor McDavid and would hate to see their leader return to the Oilers after a heartbreaking defeat.
“I want America to win, I’m an American through and through,” said forward Jack Roslovic, a native of Columbia, Ohio. “But I was talking to the guys about it today and I would really like to have Connor come back in a good mood.
“So for me it’s a win-win, to be honest. I’m excited for him from an individual standpoint and from a country standpoint I want the USA to win.”
So, no matter what happens, the American Oilers will have something to be happy about, it just remains to be seen whether they’re celebrating for their country or for their captain.
“It’s kind of a balance, all of the guys here are obviously really close with Davo and we have a lot of Canadians in the room, you can definitely feel a shift that way,” defenceman Spencer Stastney of Woodbridge Illinois, adding the dressing room chirps are heating up as the game gets closer.
“A few of us American guys are getting it from them, but first and foremost we’re excited for our teammate and excited for the game.”
The Edmonton Oilers’ Spencer Stastney (24) celebrates his goal against the Anaheim Ducks during second period NHL action at Rogers Place, in Edmonton Monday Jan. 26, 2026.
Canada-USA. Once and for all. Sunday’s final figures to be one of the most epic showdowns in hockey history, right up there with The Summit Series in 1972 and Sidney Crosby’s golden goal in Vancouver 2010.
Few hockey games have ever registered on the Richter scale the way this one will. The collision course played out the way every one hoped it would with NHL players returning to the tournament for the first time since Canada beat Sweden to win gold in 2014.
“This is what everyone wanted when the NHL players were pushing to go to the Olympics,” said Wisconsin’s Ty Emberson. “This is what you wanted to see. The best on best. It’s going to be a really fun game.
“Everyone wants their home country to win, so I’m cheering for the Americans, but I’m also cheering for Connor.”
Does it turn the stomach a little to be cheering for a team that has a shameless turtle like Matthew Tkachuk on it?
Emberson paused a moment before he answered.
“I like our flag,” he said. “I’ll just leave it at that.”
While they love their country, Emberson, Stastney and Roslovic all admit that there is nothing better than playing hockey in Canada. From the atmosphere in the rink to the vibe on the streets, there is nothing like the Great White North.
“Having played in Nashville and Milwaukee, then my first game after being traded here was in Toronto on Hockey Night in Canada and it was an intensity I’ve never seen before,” said Stastney.
“You get a feel of that of that just walking around the city, seeing all the Oilers hats and merch. I’m obviously not a big name, I’m pretty new up here, but people still recognize me every now and then. It’s crazy. It’s a different feel when you see how big hockey is up here. Nowhere in the US is like that.”
And nowhere in Canada is like Edmonton.
“That’s the fun part of it,” said Emberson. “Any given night at Rogers is a crazy fan base. They love the team, they love the sport and they’re passionate about it.
“Honestly it’s cool to see. When they play the Canadian national anthem before the games you can see the Canadians have a lot of pride in their country. It’s cool to see. And overall it’s just a great hockey market up here. It’s fun to play in.”
E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com
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