The National Hockey League is returning to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games for the first time in 12 years. There is significant and excitement in Canada to say the least. This season three of the top four scorers in the NHL are Canadian. They are Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks.
The overall skill that this Canadian men’s hockey team has the potential of showcasing is simply off the charts. We saw a glimpse of this team at the Four Nations Faceoff a year ago. The interest now is significantly higher. Canada is in Group A alongside the Czech Republic, France and Switzerland.
As for the Canadian women’s hockey team, you could argue there is more concern. That is because of a poor performance by Canada defensively in a 10-4 loss to the United States in an exhibition game in Edmonton on December 11. The Americans are the ones with excitement and momentum now. Team Canada begins their Olympic title defense on Thursday afternoon against Finland at 1pm MT. It is the second intriguing game of the day. The first is at 8:40 am MT when the United States will play the Czech Republic.
