As the United States men\u2019s hockey team visited the White House after winning an Olympics gold medal, there was a familiar face missing from the photos and videos: Brock Nelson.<\/p>\n
Nelson, along with Canadian Olympians Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews, and Cale Makar, did not practice with the Avalanche on Tuesday but are expected to meet the team in Utah on Wednesday when Colorado takes on the Mammoth. Whether they all play remains to be seen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to leave some guys back and they\u2019re going to join us in Utah tomorrow,\u201d Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said after Tuesday\u2019s practice. \u201cThey\u2019re going to fly in (Wednesday) morning, (and we will) try to give them as much rest as they can. The bulk of the team\u2019s going now, and the rest of the guys will come in (Wednesday) and we\u2019ll go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The majority of the gold medal-winning hockey team was seen on social media Tuesday meeting President Trump after returning back to the United States from Milan. For undisclosed reasons, Nelson was one of the gold medalists who did not join the team in Washington, D.C. Nelson and other U.S. players, including Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, instead opted to rejoin their NHL squads.<\/p>\n
The Avalanche will need all hands on deck coming out of the break. Starting Wednesday in Utah, they\u2019ll play five games in seven days after not having been able to hold a full practice for weeks. Although there\u2019s a chance some of those Olympians won\u2019t play against the Mammoth, it\u2019s unlikely they miss more games barring injury.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we make a decision to sit guys on Wednesday, then we\u2019re back to business (the next day),\u201d Bednar said. \u201cIf we\u2019re fighting for first place, they\u2019re going to need to play. Our guys are going to have to play.\u201d<\/p>\n
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