NHL players fought to return to the Winter Olympics. This week, they\u2019ll get their wish.<\/p>\n
And the Colorado Avalanche will be well represented.<\/p>\n
Eight members of the burgundy and blue have landed in Milan with the honor of representing their respective countries when the tournament gets underway Wednesday. It\u2019s a new stage for all but one and 14 days that none of them will soon forget.<\/p>\n
Team Canada<\/p>\n
The favorites in the tournament will see three Avalanche players play key roles for them just like they did a year ago during the 4 Nations Face-Off.<\/p>\n
Cale Makar, who was named an assistant captain for Canada on Sunday, led that tournament in time-on-ice and there\u2019s a good chance that will be the case again at the Olympics. Barring a major surprise, he\u2019ll be paired with his usual partner Devon Toews, who also played heavy minutes at the 4 Nations.<\/p>\n
All eyes will be on Nathan MacKinnon, though. The 30-year-old center was named the MVP of last year\u2019s tournament and will have another opportunity to cement his legacy in Milan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited,\u201d MacKinnon said last week. \u201cThe first thing is just playing with the best players in Canada and being a part of something much bigger than the Avalanche or any NHL team, really. Obviously, hockey in Canada, there\u2019s nothing quite like it. It\u2019s kind of like football down here, so it\u2019s a big deal. A lot of pressure on us and it\u2019s exciting and it kind of brings the whole country together no matter what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team USA<\/p>\n
There were some folks questioning why Brock Nelson was named to Team USA back in early January. It\u2019s safe to say he\u2019s silenced the doubters. <\/p>\n
Since Jan. 1, no NHL player has more goals than Nelson\u2019s 13. He\u2019s been red-hot with the puck on his stick and just as good without it. That two-way play will come in handy for the U.S. coaching staff. It\u2019s unlikely that Nelson will be a member of their top six, despite his heater, but his ability to take care of business in his own end will earn him important minutes at the Olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to go in with the mentality of doing whatever,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cI feel part of my game is just the ability to be flexible. I played a little bit on the wing before and bounced around, different things like that \u2026 but I think for the opportunity that we have to go over there, everybody\u2019s kind of willing to sacrifice and do whatever it takes to be a part of the group and build the chemistry wherever you settle in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nelson is a third-generation American Olympian in the sport. His uncle, Dave Christian, was a member of the 1980 \u201cMiracle on Ice\u201d team that won gold and his grandfather Bill Christian won gold in 1960.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s special. Anytime you get to represent your country, it\u2019s a great honor,\u201d Nelson said.<\/p>\n
Team Sweden<\/p>\n
Back in June, Sweden let it be known, at least internally, that Gabriel Landeskog would be their captain at the Olympics. Imagine their panic when the 33-year-old went barreling into the goalpost last month in Florida. Fast forward to Sunday, and Sweden made it official: Landeskog is in Milan and he will wear the C for the Tre Kronor.<\/p>\n
Unlike the rest of his Avalanche teammates, Landeskog has done this before. As a 21-year-old, Landeskog was an assistant captain on the 2014 Sweden team that lost in the gold-medal game. Given everything Landeskog has overcome the last few years, they knew exactly who they wanted to be their captain.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the symbolics of Gabe\u2019s journey coming into the tournament, where he has been, what he has done, I know that the rest of the team respects him a ton,\u201d Team Sweden coach Sam Halam told NHL.com.<\/p>\n
Landeskog has not played a game since Jan. 4 and there\u2019s no guarantee he\u2019ll be ready for Sweden\u2019s first game Thursday against Italy, although he admitted last week he\u2019s \u201cpretty confident\u201d he\u2019ll be good to go. Like every other member of the Avalanche playing in the Olympics, he\u2019s excited to get the tournament started.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s best-on-best. It\u2019s at the Olympic stage. That\u2019s very exciting,\u201d Landeskog said. \u201cAs a kid, I have very fond memories of watching 2006 in Torino and Team Sweden beating Finland in the finals. Those are some really fond memories of mine. I was too young in \u201994. Having the opportunity to do that for your country and create memories for new generations of hockey players and really, athletes, that\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team Finland<\/p>\n
Landeskog might remember 2006 fondly. His two Finnish teammates have another view of that game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t really remembered anything else other than the heartbreaking loss vs. Sweden in Torino,\u201d Joel Kiviranta said. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of the only memory. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s a good memory or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kiviranta and Artturi Lehkonen will represent Finland, a proud nation that takes international tournaments very seriously. Lehkonen making the team was a given. Since arriving in Colorado, he\u2019s been a mainstay in the top six and had the most productive seasons of his career. Kiviranta, however, was not a given to make the team. That\u2019s why this tournament means a little bit more to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a special moment (to be named),\u201d Kiviranta said. \u201cI knew that there was a possibility, but at the same time, there\u2019s so many good wingers in the NHL already. And (I) didn\u2019t make 4 Nations last year, so that was (a) big surprise, but it was a special moment. My family was here so it was definitely nice to share that moment with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kiviranta didn\u2019t put the call on speaker phone. Instead, he gave his family universal signal for good news.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just (fist) pumping,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n
Kiviranta doesn\u2019t know what kind of role he\u2019ll have on the team, but he\u2019s ready for anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they told me to pick up the pucks, then I\u2019ll pick up the pucks,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll do whatever. Happy to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Missing their top center in Alex Barkov, the Finns are underdogs in the tournament. Don\u2019t count them out, though.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ve got a really good team,\u201d Lehkonen said. \u201cWe know it\u2019s a short tournament. Anything can happen and I think we got a really, really good shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team Czechia<\/p>\n
Martin Necas is expected to be healthy and ready to play for the Czechs when they get their tournament underway Friday against Canada. The winger missed the final three games for the Avalanche prior to the break due to a lower-body injury, but it\u2019s not believed to be serious.<\/p>\n
Although the 27-year-old has never played at the Olympics, he has won and played an important role for his country on the international stage. Necas and the Czechs took home gold at the 2024 World Championships, with the speedy winger putting up seven points in the five games he was able to play after his Carolina Hurricanes were eliminated from the postseason.<\/p>\n
The Czechs don\u2019t quite have the stable of talent they had well over a decade ago, particularly on defense, but if anything is going to be keep them in this tournament, it\u2019ll be their goaltending. Lukas Dostal and Karel Vejmelka have the ability to steal games if they get hot.<\/p>\n
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