First six players named to Canada's men's hockey roster for 2026 Olympics
Sidney Crosby will look for his third Olympic gold medal next year in Italy.
The 12 teams competing in the men’s ice hockey tournament at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics revealed their initial six players on Monday, with NHL players set to return to the Olympics for the first time since Sochi 2014.
Canada’s initial group features some of the NHL’s biggest superstars — Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Brayden Point and Sam Reinhart.
Crosby is the only member of the group with Olympic experience, having won gold medals at both the Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 Olympics, and scored the famous Golden Goal at the home Olympics. He is expected to be the captain of the team, as he was in 2014 and at the recent 4 Nations Face-Off — a fiery four-team tournament that Canada won that replaced the NHL All-Star break and brought back best-on-best men’s hockey for the first time in the better part of a decade.
Five of the six players in Canada’s group are Stanley Cup champions. Crosby has three rings with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Point has two with the Tampa Bay Lightning, MacKinnon and Makar won with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022 and Reinhart won last season with the Florida Panthers. McDavid was on the losing end of that 2024 Stanley Cup Final, and is currently competing in a second-consecutive Final against Reinhart and the Panthers. The group has also combined for a long list of individual awards at the NHL and international levels.
All six players were part of the aforementioned 4 Nations team, with McDavid scoring the overtime winner in the final against the United States and MacKinnon named MVP of the tournament.
“I am honoured to be named one of the first six players for Canada’s men’s hockey team at the 2026 Olympics alongside Nathan, Cale, Connor, Brayden and Sam, as all five are incredible players and leaders,” said Crosby in a press release. “I am grateful for the opportunity to represent Canada at the Olympics, as I know how much pride comes with wearing the maple leaf on the international stage.”
An army of people is leading Canada’s roster selection committee, led by general manager Doug Armstrong and joined by assistant general managers Julien BriseBois, Jim Nill and Don Sweeney, director of player personnel Kyle Dubas and head coach Jon Cooper. Additional input came from player relations advisor Ryan Getzlaf and senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations Scott Salmond. Katherine Henderson, Hockey Canada’s president and chief executive officer, also provided support to the committee.
Getzlaf was part of the 2010 and 2014 teams that won Olympic gold, while Armstrong was part of the management group for both and Nill played for Canada at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid.
“We are excited to announce the first six players who will represent Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games next February, as these are six world-class players and leaders that are deserving of this recognition,” said Armstrong in a press release. “Sidney, Nathan, Cale, Connor, Brayden and Sam provide a strong foundation for a successful team and have been proven winners at all levels of their professional and international careers, and we look forward to all six being key contributors to our team as we look to accomplish our goal of winning Olympic gold.”
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The rest of the roster is expected to be finalized in early 2026, before the tournament begins on February 11. Canada is in Group A with Czechia, Switzerland and France for the first round of the competition.
The gold medal game is set for February 22, with games taking place at both the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena and the Milano Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena.
“In a time when Canada stands stronger and pushes for greater excellence, the men’s Olympic hockey team reminds us what’s possible when we aim higher, together”, said Canada’s chef de mission Jennifer Heil in a press release. “Hockey’s legacy has always united Canadians, and these players continue to inspire our nation to pursue excellence with courage and pride.”
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