Sweden’s decision to have their players stay inside the Olympic Village allowed Karlsson and Rakell to meet some of the other athletes, like the speed skaters and figure skaters.
For someone like Karlsson, who represented Sweden in 2014, the last time NHLers participated, the Olympics are always different based on where they’re at but are always something special.
“It’s just a different atmosphere and experience in general, you know? It’s very, very rare that you get the opportunity to be a part of that,” Karlsson said. “Even when you’re there, there’s not much to complain about, and you just kind of go with the flow, and everybody is happy.”
“The city was full of different countries, different jerseys, and all sorts of things,” Rakell said. “Overall, it was just a really cool experience.”
Sweden won two out of three games in the Preliminary Round, which set them up to face their Penguins teammate, goaltender Arturs Silovs, and Latvia in the Qualification round. After beating Latvia 4-1, Sweden faced the United States for the Quarterfinals.
In a back-and-forth game, the United States ultimately won after Quinn Hughes scored in overtime, eliminating Sweden.
“Obviously, in a short tournament like that, you got to get together as a group fast and make things work both individually and as a team,” Karlsson said. “Obviously, we didn’t really reach the potential that we had and the inspiration that we came in with. That’s unfortunate. Unfortunately, that’s sometimes the way that it is, and not everybody can win.”