Winter Olympics 2022

Men’s Hockey Preview: No NHL Boosts Russian Hopes For Olympic Gold

2 min read
FILE - Russia's Vyacheslav Voynov (27) celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the Channel One Cup ice hockey match between Russia and Finland in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021. Former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov and the Russians are favored once again at the Olympics without NHL players. Voynov was part of the “Olympic Athletes from Russia” team that won gold in 2018 in Pyeongchang. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

(AP) -- When the National Hockey League and its players agreed to pause the season and participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics, it came with the caveat of pandemic conditions not making it impractical to go to China.

Seven weeks before puck drop at what was supposed to be the first Olympics with NHL players since 2014, the league pulled the plug. The tournament will now feature players from the college ranks in the U.S., professional leagues all across Europe and the minor leagues affiliates in North America.

The Russians are again favored to win gold after beating Germany in the 2018 final, thanks to the talent coming from the home-based Kontinental Hockey League that will shut down for the Olympics.

The lack of NHL players throws even more uncertainty into the competition and the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden are all thinking they have a realistic chance of winning.

CANADIAN MIGHT

Eric Staal is by far the most experienced and accomplished player expected to take part in the tournament: a veteran of almost 1,400 NHL games who played for Montreal in the Stanley Cup Final last summer. He is already one of just 29 players in the Triple Gold Club as winners of the Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal and world championship gold medal.

MIX-AND-MATCH U.S.

The U.S. is hoping a balance of young college stars and experienced pros in the American Hockey League and Europe adds up to its first Olympic men's hockey medal since 2010.

That means the likes of North Dakota's Jake Sanderson and Michigan's Matty Beniers playing alongside recent former NHL players Kenny Agostino, Steven Kampfer and Aaron Ness. That's a far cry from Auston Matthews, Patrick Kane and Seth Jones sharing the ice in what the Olympics were supposed to look like, but the expectations are still high internally.

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