Projecting Team Canada's 2030 Olympic Men's Hockey Roster
Following Team Canada's defeat in the gold medal game to Team USA on Sunday, here is its way-too-early projected roster for the 2030 Olympic Games.
Video Transcript
Canada doesn't win, Andrew, there's, like, a knee-jerk reaction to be like, "All right, what does Team Can- what does Hockey Canada have to do to, you know, correct this, you know, this problem they have?
Do they have to, like, reinvest into goaltenders or skill, or do they need to get back to being gritty, old Canadian kids?"
You know, this one, I think you can kind of, you know, wash your hands saying, "All right, this was a great Canadian squad," and, you know, aside from just not winning the gold, they didn't do anything wrong.
Like, they dominated all tournament, you know, in the round robin.
You know, they won their games, you know, coming back in the quarterfinal, coming back in the semifinal, and, you know, coming back even in the final and, you know, came within one shot of winning.
So I don't think you have any issues.
Like, the goaltending held up, the, the defense was good.
You saw the skill on display from Connor McDavid to Macklin Celebrini to Nathan MacKinnon and, you know, sprinkled out throughout the lineup.
And, you know, they did play with heart and grit and everything that we want out of a Canadian hockey team.
So, you know, there's no navel-gazing, I think, today, unlike other times when Canada falls short.
I thought this was a great Canadian team.
I thought it was You know, I think they were the better team in the final, let's be honest.
you know, unfortunately for Team US- or for Canada, Team USA had the best player on the ice in Connor Hellebuyck, but when you look at the actual game and, you know, how Canada played, you know, they outshot the Americans, I believe, by, like, a two-to-one margin.
And again, like, they were one shot away from, you know, taking home a gold medal.
So, you know, really, John Cooper and the rest of them should hold their heads high.
I don't think they will, because, you know, they're coming back with a silver medal and a stuffy, not a gold.
But, you know, it, it was just a great display, in my opinion.
Yeah.
And just to add to that, you know, it, it kind of reminded me of, like, the World Series this year, game seven- Toronto and the Dodgers.
Like, six different things had to happen for the Dodgers to win that game, and I kinda feel like, you know, it's, it's a little easier to swallow in that sense if you're a fan of, like, you know, the Jays or, or of Team Canada, where it's like, look, you know, as Mike said, they played amazing.
You know, Devon Toews had an incredible chance that Hellebuyck just got en- enough of his paddle on.
Nathan MacKinnon missed an open net, like, that rarely happens.
you know, Connor McDavid had a breakaway that he didn't score on.
and even in overtime, Connor McDavid, you know, had a chance, and Jack Hughes, defended him on it, and Mike Sullivan was actually kinda teasing Jack Hughes about that in You know, he was like, "Yeah, you actually did a good job.
Like, can you imagine, like, what you must have been thinking when Connor McDavid was bearing down on you?"
And Hughes had some fun with that as well.
but then he scores a great overtime goal, so yeah, it's like, hey, like, it's hockey.
Like, you know, these things happen.
Yeah.
And Connor Hellebuyck played one of the greatest games that we've seen of any goaltender, probably in, you know, a generation.
So you gotta tip your cap.
