CANADA
Coach: Jon Cooper
Most recent medal: Bronze, 2018
Gold medals: 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1948, 1952, 2002, 2010, 2014
Schedule: Feb. 12, Czechia (10:40 a.m. ET); Feb. 13, Switzerland (3:10 p.m. ET); Feb. 15, France (10:40 a.m. ET)
Outlook: As always, winning gold is the goal and expectation for Team Canada. It has finished first in each of the past four international best-on-best tournaments; gold medals at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 2014 Sochi Olympics, at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, and it captured the championship at the 4 Nations Face-Off one year ago. The Canadians are loaded with stars, led by centers Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) and Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), the top two scorers in the NHL this season with 96 and 93 points, respectively. Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks) is fourth in the NHL with 81 points (28 goals, 53 assists). The 19-year-old will become the youngest NHL player to play for Canada in the Olympics. Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is tied for fourth in the NHL among defensemen with 57 points (15 goals, 42 assists). Two-time Olympic gold medalist Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), who is 38 years old, will reprise his role as Canada’s captain for the fourth straight best-on-best competition. Nineteen of the 23 players who competed for Canada at 4 Nations are on the Olympic roster. Canada was even able to replace injured Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli with two players who played at the 4 Nations — Sam Bennett (Florida Panthers) and Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes). However, not surprisingly Canada’s biggest question mark is in goal, even though it has three Stanley Cup winners in Jordan Binnington (2019), Darcy Kuemper (2022) and Logan Thompson (2023). Binnington is the likely favorite to start the tournament considering he led Canada to the championship at the 4 Nations Face-Off. However, he has struggled this season in 32 games with the St. Louis Blues, posting eight wins, a 3.65 goals-against average and .864 save percentage. Binnington is last in all three categories among the 12 Canada-born goalies who have appeared in at least 20 NHL games this season. Thompson has 19 wins, a 2.45 GAA and .912 save percentage in 39 games with the Washington Capitals, and Kuemper has 14 wins, a 2.59 GAA and .900 save percentage in 36 games with the Los Angeles Kings. “Everyone on the team is an unbelievable player, and they’ve all dealt with pressure and high-pressure moments, and everyone on Team Canada thrives under the pressure, so I don’t see that being an issue,” said Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, a two-time Olympic gold medalist. “Yes, it’s a fail if we don’t win gold, but we’re going in there and we’re just going to play our butts off and whatever happens, happens.”