From The Archive: Heavy Is The Head

Welcome to this edition of "From The Archive". In this recurring series, we open The Hockey News' vault and display some of the top Vancouver Canucks related articles from the past. Today's article is Olympic-themed and comes from Volume 79, Issue 7, where Jared Clinton looks ahead to Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. 

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THOSE IN THE BUSINESS of elite sport like to posit that pressure is a privilege. If that is, indeed, the case, few are as fortunate as those who make up the Hockey Canada brain trust.

In some respects, the Canadian executive team, led by GM Doug Armstrong, has benefited from being less than a year removed from victory at the 4 Nations Face-Off. That title has given them a foundation on which to build, and this iteration of the Canadian national outfit looks much like the recent star-studded, gold-winning squad – with some tinkering and tuning.

The expectation, then, is clear: gold, and nothing less. But should Canada come home with a medal of any other color – or, worse yet, without a medal at all – pre-tournament pressure will give way to scathing post-tournament scrutiny, with re-litigations, recriminations and referendums all on the table.

No young Canadian talent, not even now-Captain Canada Sidney Crosby, has made the Canadian brass’ job as easy as Macklin Celebrini.

Last February, Celebrini watched on, dreaming of one day representing his nation on the big stage as Canada sent its top stars to the 4 Nations. Now, he’s made the cut, and in no way is his presence symbolic. On a roster teeming with incredible firepower, Celebrini earned his spot by making himself undeniable.

That Celebrini is on the roster cements this Canadian group as arguably the most gifted attacking side in Olympic history. At no other tournament featuring NHLers has one single nation possessed each of the big league’s top-three scorers come the Dec. 31 preceding the event. But at year’s end, Celebrini trailed only compatriots Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid, Canada’s projected and interchangeable first- and second-line centers, in scoring. Need more? Then consider the fact that Canada also features Crosby and Brad Marchand. Though part of the old guard, both celebrated the new year sitting only narrowly outside the league’s top-10 scorers.

But as ever, and even given Celebrini’s presence, the story surrounding Canada’s forward corps centers on those who didn’t make the cut. Most notably, Canada has left 4 Nations participant Seth Jarvis, Winnipeg Jets star Mark Scheifele and Chicago Blackhawks sniper Connor Bedard at home. But squint just the right amount, and perhaps do so through rose-colored glasses, and the thought process is understandable. While each could have brought certain qualities to the roster – Jarvis some tenacity and Scheifele and Bedard additional offensive punch – Canada has opted instead for sandpaper and specialization.

As it pertains to the former, Tom Wilson’s ascendancy to the Olympic squad was built on the back of his physical brand of play and scoring acumen. Meanwhile, Nick Suzuki and Bo Horvat slot in as potential grind-line pieces whose commitment to two-way play should give coach Jon Cooper the tools to win the matchup game in each outing.

But the most controversial roster spot, it could be argued, doesn’t actually belong to any of the newcomers who weren’t on the 4 Nations squad. No, that distinction belongs to Anthony Cirelli. Brought along for his defensive qualities, Cirelli has been a security blanket of sorts for Cooper in Tampa Bay, particularly alongside Lightning and Team Canada teammate Brandon Hagel. And while any team hiccup at the tournament will be cause for consternation, should Cirelli, in particular, falter, it will raise serious questions.

Though it was noted prior to the 4 Nations, let it be said once again: in a short tournament, chemistry can be king. And given that’s the case, among Canada’s greatest strengths is that they have a ready-made first pairing in Cale Makar and Devon Toews – a duo who have, over the past two-and-a-half seasons, played more than 2,700 even-strength minutes together. That’s more minutes as defensive partners than all but two other units since the beginning of 2023-24.

At the 4 Nations, too, Makar was every bit the minute-muncher he was expected to be. Though he missed one outing, his average ice time across the tournament (26:47) was greater than that of any other skater. Toews, meanwhile, averaged a hair above 24 minutes across four games. Together, they will again be asked to assume a period-plus of ice time, and Makar will also be a fixture on the top power-play unit.

Before illness sidelined Josh Morrissey for the championship game, he skated steady second-pairing minutes for Canada and patrolled the back end on the second power play. Though never a finalist, Morrissey has been a fixture of the Norris Trophy conversation over the past three seasons. He’d arguably fight for first-pairing minutes on any other national team.

That does, however, leave interesting positional battles across the rest of the blueline. Morrissey and Colton Parayko were Cooper’s second unit at even strength, but it’s not out of the question that Drew Doughty – an injury replacement at the 4 Nations – steps into the second-pairing role.

That stands to leave Shea Theodore, Thomas Harley and Travis Sanheim fighting for the remaining ice time. But Canada can benefit greatly from the versatility of each of their rotation-option defensemen. From Parayko on through to Sanheim, who stepped in after Theodore was injured at the 4 Nations, Canada can rely on their back-end depth for everything from puck-moving to penalty killing.

Canada’s coaching staff faces no single decision more difficult than its choice of starting netminder.

In some corners, prevailing wisdom will be that it is best to rely on 4 Nations hero Jordan Binnington.

Handed the reins in spite of in-season struggles, Binnington was rock-solid at the four-team tournament – especially in the final, where he was the difference between heartbreak and a thrilling overtime victory. Where concern seeps in, however, is that Binnington has been dreadful by any standard this season. As of Dec. 31, Binnington ranked dead last in save percentage (.869) among the 31 NHL goaltenders to play at least 20 games. That’s woeful enough that not only is his spot as Canada’s No. 1 in question, but some were surprised to even see him make the cut.

If the starting gig is decided on this season’s performance, too, the door should be open for either Darcy Kuemper or Logan Thompson. Among the same cohort of 20-game keepers, Kuemper (.917 SP) and Thompson (.915) ranked second and third, respectively. And while neither was on the 4 Nations roster – they replace Adin Hill and Samuel Montembeault – they are not complete national-team neophytes. Thompson played four games at the 2022 World Championship, while Kuemper is the lone goaltender in the trio with gold in a major international tournament. He was the starter when Canada took top spot at the 2021 worlds.

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