Joe Sakic admits that the thought of the NHL players could never return to the Olympic Games after missing two iterations

The president of the Colorado avalanche of hockey operations and the former captain of the Joe Sakic team were frank with regard to his reflections on the return of the Nhlers to the Olympic Games.

In an NHL.com play published on June 25, Sakic admitted that he thought that the League would never allow players to represent their country at the Olympic Games.

Nhl.com cited it as:

“It was a time that we did not think that we are coming back to the league. So, to have this experience, I am excited for them. I can’t wait for them to arrive and see what it is.”

Sakic represented the Canada team at the Olympic Games three times. He was a member of the 1998 dream team who failed to meddle. Canada has lost the bronze medal match against Finland. The following Olympic Games, Sakic won gold in Salt Lake City, with Canada beating archival, the United States.

The avalanche legend once again played in Turin in 2006, where Canada failed to medal with a medal.

However, since 2014, the league has fallen to allow the Nhleurs to participate in the Olympic Games. This has changed this time, NHL and IIHF agree on an agreement that would allow pros to represent their country.

This situation prompted Sakic to declare:

“I know that we had the 4 nations (confrontation), and that and the World Cup, it is incredible, but there is something different in the Olympic Games when you get there and you live the whole environment.”

Sakic’s comments point out that excitement is being prepared among the pros to obtain a place on the lists of their nations. Players like Connor McDavid and Brad Marchand expressed the opportunity to experience an Olympic action. Now, an entire generation of stars will have a chance to discover what Sakic felt more than two decades ago.

The participating teams have already appointed their preliminary alignments to six players.

NHL players push to get lists for the Olympic Games

Sakic underlined an interesting point concerning the team lists. 72 total players were appointed to preliminary lists. There are also a crowd of other players probably claiming a place, but not yet confirmed.

Then there are players who will seek to impress next season in the hope of winning a list place. To this end, Sakic said:

“You have your guys who know that they are on the team and other guys who have not been named in the team, but they know they are in the team. So there are probably a handful of players who are probably trying to push and have an excellent start to the year to get into these teams for sure.”

Sakic estimates that around five to ten places have already been claimed by team. This leaves around 10 to 15 players who could seize places in each team.

This situation could make the competition fierce among the players who seek to catch a place in their national teams.

The Male Olympic Tournament at the 2026 Games will take place from 11 to 22 February. The NHL season will stop as it did this year for the confrontation of the 4 nations while attention turns to action in Milano-Cortina.