Canada and the United States are the top contenders for Olympic gold in men's hockey, but Gary Pearson explains why he thinks the Canadians have the edge on paper.
Canada and the United States' men's hockey roster reveals last week ramped up excitement for the first Olympics with NHL participation since 2014 in Sochi.
It also provided a glimpse, at least on paper, of why Canada's roster is the cream of the Olympic crop, far superior to even their closest rivals, Team USA.
Canada's Winning Pedigree Stands Alone
No other team comes close to matching Canada's winning pedigree, which becomes clearer when considering how many Stanley Cup champions coach Jon Cooper will have at his disposal.
Just eight players on the Canadian roster – Nick Suzuki, Bo Horvat, Mitch Marner, Travis Sanheim, Thomas Harley, Josh Morrissey, Connor McDavid, and Macklin Celebrini – haven't won a Stanley Cup.
Celebrini gets a pass, considering he's still a teenager, and we all know how agonizingly close McDavid has come to his ultimate goal.
Of the Stanley Cup winners, seven have sipped from the Holy Grail multiple times: Sam Reinhart, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, Brad Marchand, Anthony Cirelli, Sidney Crosby and Drew Doughty.
Team USA, meanwhile, heads to Italy with only four Stanley Cup winners: Matthew Tkachuk, Jake Guentzel, Jack Eichel, and Seth Jones.
Canada also boast three former Conn Smythe winners: McDavid, Cale Makar and Crosby, the latter of whom won it twice.
The Great White North has such an embarrassment of riches that it was able to leave last season's Conn Smythe winner, Sam Bennett, at home without causing a national incident.
Olympic Men's Hockey: Which Countries Have The Best Forwards, Defense And Goalies
With the medal front-runners at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics now having revealed their rosters, it's a great time to examine which teams have the advantage at forward, in net and on defense.
Current NHL Form Favors Canada
Take one glance at the odds leaderboards across various award categories, and you'll see why current NHL form favors Canada.
Logan Thompson currently sits atop the Vezina Trophy odds leaderboard on BetMGM, and Cale Makar is the runaway leader for the Norris Trophy, which is about as surprising as seeing a toddler have a tantrum in a toy store.
While we've only just passed the halfway point of the regular season, either Nathan MacKinnon or McDavid will almost assuredly win the Hart Trophy. And if you're wondering who the third favorite is, it's Celebrini, another Canadian.
MacKinnon, who has nine more goals than second-place Matt Boldy, is also the massive favorite to win his first Rocket Richard Trophy.
While the award favorites tell their own tale, Canadians are also dominating on the scoring leaderboard.
MacKinnon, McDavid and Celebrini lead the scoring race, with the top American point-getter, Jason Robertson, not even selected by the Red, White and Blue.
Looking beyond that Canadian triumvirate, four of the top 10 on the leaderboard are also from the Great White North. Kyle Connor, tied for 10th, is the only American Olympian among the top 10.
Olympic Men's Hockey Odds: How Many Teams Have Realistic Chance At Gold?
With NHL players participating in the Olympics for the first time since 2014, these nations have the lowest odds of winning gold.
Team USA's Head-Scratching Roster Decisions
Considering the exceedingly deep talent pool the North American teams had to choose from, controversial roster decisions were inevitable.
And while I understand to some extent the flak Robertson takes for being a one-dimensional player, I still can't fathom how he was left off the roster. Not only is he the top American scorer, but he is tied for fifth in goals with Morgan Geekie.
Bill Guerin and Co. also left Alex DeBrincat, who has 22 goals, and Cole Caufield, 21 goals, at home in favor of past-their-prime and underperforming Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller.
There is no question that Brock Nelson is an invaluable role player in Colorado, but is he good enough to keep the aforementioned top-tier players off the team?
While deciding on an Olympic roster is a delicate, intricate and complex process, I can't help but think Guerin and Co. will eventually rue some of their decisions.
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