Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympic men\u2019s hockey tournament, Team Canada\u2019s players were asked by popular TSN-affiliated outlet BarDown to create their \u201cUltimate Team Canada Player.\u201d<\/p>\n
To do so, the players needed to select eight Canadian players they believed best fit the following categories: speed, hands, style, IQ, toughness, heart, clutch, and shot.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson, representing Canada for the first time at the senior level, was one of the participating players in the survey. Wilson had an easy time picking Nathan MacKinnon for speed and Connor McDavid for hands, but admitted that he \u201cmight need some help\u201d choosing a player who had the best on-ice style.<\/p>\n
After being prodded to make a pick, Wilson tried to give Canadian citizenship to his good friend and longtime Capitals teammate, legendary Russian winger Alex Ovechkin.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I put a Russian in there?\u201d Wilson asked. \u201cOvi, with his tinted visor and yellow laces. Honorary [Canadian].\u201d<\/p>\n
Ovechkin is a hockey-style icon, particularly always opting for the flashy options earlier in his career. When he first arrived in North America, the NHL\u2019s all-time leading goal scorer popularized wearing yellow skate laces, big chains, a mirror-tinted visor that made him look like RoboCop<\/a>, and a distinctive jersey tuck only he could pull off.<\/p>\n Juxtaposed next to most Canadian and American players from his era, Ovechkin looked like a Lamborghini playing against a bunch of Honda Civics.<\/p>\n After moving past the initial style discussion, Wilson then proceeded to finish picking the rest of his \u201cUltimate Canadian\u201d before eventually relenting and adding Wayne Gretzky\u2019s name next to Ovechkin\u2019s. \u201cI\u2019ll go Ovi\/Gretz, the two GOATs,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n Tom Wilson\u2019s Ultimate Team Canada Player<\/p>\n Speed: Nathan MacKinnon Wilson himself was also selected by some of his Canadian teammates for the toughness category, receiving recognition from a few Eastern Conference rivals he regularly faces.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll go, Wilson,\u201d Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett said.<\/p>\n \u201cGuy that scores 30 and be tough, gimme Willy,\u201d Tampa Lightning winger Brandon Hagel answered.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t get much tougher than Willy, we\u2019ll go, Tom Wilson,\u201d Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis said.<\/p>\n
\nHands: Connor McDavid
\nStyle: Alex Ovechkin\/Wayne Gretzky
\nIQ:\u00a0Steve Yzerman
\nToughness:\u00a0Chris Pronger
\nHeart:\u00a0Jarome Iginla
\nClutch:\u00a0Sidney Crosby
\nShot:\u00a0Shea Weber<\/p>\n