All four members of the Colorado Avalanche who played in the gold medal game of the 2026 Winter Olympics were back in Denver on Tuesday morning, according to a team source.
Brock Nelson, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Devon Toews did not practice Tuesday with the team, but are expected to be with the club Wednesday in Salt Lake City when the Avs play the Utah Mammoth in their first game after the break.
Avs coach Jared Bednar said some players, presumably those four who played in the gold medal game, are going to stay behind Tuesday night in Denver and then fly to Salt Lake City on Wednesday morning. Bednar did not say if any of the quartet will play for Colorado against Utah.
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Nelson had the opportunity to fly Tuesday morning to Washington, D.C., with the rest of his United States teammates. They were invited to the White House by President Donald Trump on a phone call shortly after the Americans defeated Canada, 2-1 in overtime, in the gold medal game in Milan.
The call, during which Trump made a joke about being obligated to invite the gold-medal winning U.S. women’s hockey team as well, along with FBI director Kash Patel joining the team in the locker room to celebrate, has generated significant criticism across the country.
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Nelson instead flew back to Denver with his family and so he could join the Avs on the road in Utah.
Bednar did say that new trade addition, defenseman Brett Kulak, will join the team in Utah and will play Wednesday night against the Mammoth.
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