Part of the charm and experience of the Olympic Games is the athletes’ village itself. It’s an opportunity for athletes from many different sports and nations to network with one another, form new friendships — some more intimate than others — and just truly be among their fellow athletically-elite peers.
This, along with food to die for, is a major appeal of staying in the village, and makes the discomfort of dorm-style living that the athletes endure in the village a fair trade-off.
If you’re trying to win, however, the importance of proper rest and recovery might entirely trump all of those benefits.
According to a report from Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, the Canadian men’s hockey team will be “testing out hotel life” after spending the first couple nights in the athletes’ village dorms.
“I don’t think we’re doing it as an insult or anything like that,” Canadian goaltender Logan Thompson told Sportsnet. “We want to win gold, and we want to give ourselves the best opportunity to do so.”
Though well intentioned, the optics of Canada’s big hockey stars deciding to separate themselves from the rest makes the team seem a little bourgeois, especially because their American counterparts are all-in on the village experience.
“I’ve had some great times hanging out with the rest of the athletes, playing cards, watching the other Olympians,” Team USA’s Matthew Tkachuk said. “It’s been just an unbelievable experience.”
Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics – Press Visit at the Olympic and Paralympic Athletes’ Village – Milan, Italy – February 3, 2026 General view outside the Olympic and Paralympic Athletes’ Village REUTERS/Yara Nardi
(REUTERS / Reuters)
In all fairness to Canada, Thompson also said they’re also looking for some of that same experience, mentioning that he’s “still gonna be going to the village as well, going back and forth” and that “it’s cool to meet other athletes, and I want to be able to do that as well as see other Olympic events.”
However, with a gold medal — and likely Canada’s entire national identity — on the line, it’s understandable that the men’s hockey team is looking for some kind of edge.
In his report, Fox mentioned that Team Canada’s leadership group will ultimately make the final call on where the team ends up staying.
“We’re gonna make the decision that we feel is giving us the best chance to win,” said Darcy Kuemper, another of Canada’s goalies.
Considering the preview that Canadian women’s hockey star Sarah Nurse gave to the public of just how small some of the village living spaces are, odds are likely in favour that the Canadian men will opt for a posh five-star hotel with all the amenities and a king-size bed to sleep in.