The return of ice hockey\u2019s biggest stars to the Winter Games could spark a renaissance for the sport on the global stage, as gold-medal favorites United States and Canada handpicked top NHL talent for the Milano-Cortina Olympics.<\/p>\n
The National Hockey League has not permitted its athletes to participate in the Games since 2014, putting a damper on the men\u2019s Olympic ice hockey tournament as the world\u2019s best players were forced to stay home in 2018 and 2022.<\/p>\n
This year, however, celebrity sheen and extraordinary talent return to the Olympic ice hockey tournament as Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel and Quinn Hughes will lead the 25-man US team, while Canada\u2019s squad includes Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.<\/p>\n
\u201cNHL players bring a level of star power that elevates everything. It\u2019s not just hockey – it\u2019s hockey with the best players in the world,\u201d said Molly Solomon, executive producer & president, for NBC\u2019s Olympics and Paralympics Production.<\/p>\n
North American players make up the majority of the NHL, with hockey-mad Canada leading the pack and their longtime foes United States second, setting the chance for one of Olympic hockey\u2019s great rivalries to renew in Milan.<\/p>\n
Broadcasters will hope to make the most of that opportunity, after a politically charged 4 Nations Face-Off final between the United States and Canada delivered a record 9.3m viewers on ESPN last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cA USA-Canada medal-round matchup? That\u2019s appointment viewing,\u201d Solomon told Reuters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith NHL players back and the buzz from the 4 Nations tournament, hockey becomes one of those tentpole events that everyone talks about.\u201d<\/p>\n
The United States men have not won gold since the 1980 tournament that featured their \u201cMiracle on Ice\u201d triumph over the USSR and pre-dated the NHL\u2019s participation in the Games by 18 years.<\/p>\n
Canada most recently won the tournament in 2010 and 2014.<\/p>\n
The United States filled out their 2022 team with collegiate talent and players competing in international leagues after the NHL abruptly pulled out weeks before the Beijing Games.<\/p>\n
But the availability of American NHL players will be a game-changer, said USA Hockey Executive Director Pat Kelleher, who boldly predicted a US gold medal sweep across the men\u2019s, women\u2019s and Paralympic competitions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat this means is we get our best players,\u201d Kelleher told reporters during a recent \u201cInside Edge\u201d media summit hosted by Aggregate Sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t take a back seat to anybody in hockey anymore.\u201d The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee welcomed 44 players from 24 different NHL teams to a camp in August, after the US men\u2019s team picked up their first world championship gold medal in 92 years in May.<\/p>\n
While the US roster contains just two returnees from the 2022 Beijing Games, thanks to the long NHL hiatus, the USOPC has taken a \u201chands-off approach\u201d to the men\u2019s team, according to Rocky Harris, the NGB\u2019s chief of sport and athlete services.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled that NHL is back in the Games. We think that\u2019s going to do a lot, not only for the sport of hockey, but for our country to get excited about the Games in a way that we haven\u2019t seen in quite some time,\u201d Harris said at a recent USOPC media summit.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow it\u2019s about the right coaching and the right game plan. And USA Hockey has that in place right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
US men\u2019s team pick 4 Nations-heavy roster for Olympics<\/p>\n
Tage Thompson and Clayton Keller helped the US win the world hockey championship for the first time since 1933<\/a>, while Seth Jones was a key part of the Florida Panthers\u2019 second consecutive Stanley Cup run.<\/p>\n