Historic Participation of Lukas Dostal
In a significant development for the upcoming Winter Olympics, Czech goaltender Lukas Dostal has made history as the first active NHL athlete to participate in practice with his national team in Milan. Dostal expressed his eagerness to be on the ice, noting that his solo practice sessions in Anaheim just wouldn’t cut it.
“What would I do in Anaheim, shoot the puck to the boards and try to stop it myself? It probably wouldn’t really work,”
he remarked.
Teams Converge in Milan
As of Sunday, Dostal was no longer alone on the ice. His NHL counterparts have now joined him in Milan, with the Swedish team being the first to begin training at the Milano Santagiulia Arena. Teams from the U.S., Canada, Czech Republic, and Finland have also started to converge in Italy.
Prior to the arrival of five charter flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Dostal and about a dozen other players, including stars like Connor McDavid from Canada, Germany’s Leon Draisaitl, and Czechia’s David Pastrnak, arranged their own travel to Milan. McDavid shared his excitement upon reconnecting with his team members, saying,
“Really cool just to be around all the athletes. Special to be here.”
Opening Ceremony Highlights
The opening ceremony at San Siro Stadium saw U.S. players Charlie McAvoy, Zach Werenski, Jake Oettinger, and Jeremy Swayman take part, alongside Swiss nationals Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Jonas Siegenthaler. Notably, Draisaitl and Pastrnak represented their nations as flag bearers.
Return of NHL Players to the Olympics
This tournament marks the return of NHL players to the Olympics after a twelve-year hiatus, the last participation being in Sochi 2014. The NHL opted out in 2018, and the subsequent pandemic disrupted plans for 2022, resulting in a long wait for many athletes. This absence has meant that some of the league’s brightest stars, including McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Auston Matthews, have yet to showcase their talents on this global stage.
Significance of the Upcoming Competition
The upcoming competition is particularly significant as it represents the first opportunity for a best-on-best tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, which featured non-traditional teams like younger North Americans and a European mix, keeping leading talents such as McDavid and MacKinnon from officially pairing with veterans like Sidney Crosby.
Leadership Announcements
In a recent announcement from Hockey Canada, it was confirmed that Crosby will don the captain’s “C” for the team once again, with McDavid and Cale Makar serving as alternate captains. Crosby expressed pride in leading alongside such a talented roster, stating,
“Connor and Cale, along with our entire group, provide incredible leadership, and I am happy to represent Canada together on the same team.”
Sweden has also confirmed the expected leadership structure with Gabriel Landeskog as captain, supported by Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson as alternates—two of them, along with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Marcus Johansson, previously participated in the 2014 games.
