Analysis of “Snubs” in Hockey: Canada vs. USA?
Last week, the official men’s ice hockey rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics were revealed, featuring the selections from Sweden, Finland, Canada, and the United States. Given these convocations, one of the recurring questions is: Who were the major absentees? It is inevitable that lists of “forgotten” players will be generated, lists that fans analyze and debate. Let’s delve into this topic with a different approach: What if the “snubs” from Canada faced those from the United States in a best-of-seven series?Building the Teams
For this exercise, we will define the team formation rules:
Contents
- 12 forwards, 6 defenders, and 2 goalkeepers.
- The players cannot have been selected for the United States or Canada teams.
- The player’s “character” will be considered: effort and love for the game.
- Physical condition will be taken into account, although with some flexibility.
Note: Players are listed alphabetically by position.
Team Canada
Forwards: Drake Batherson, Connor Bedard, Sam Bennett, Morgan Geekie, Dylan Guenther, Zach Hyman, Seth Jarvis, Wyatt Johnston, Travis Konecny, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Mark Scheifele, Carter Verhaeghe.
Defenses: Evan Bouchard, Jakob Chychrun, Noah Dobson, Aaron Ekblad, Matthew Schaefer, MacKenzie Weegar.Goaltenders: Mackenzie Blackwood, Scott Wedgewood.
The Canadian team presents a combination of talent, size, depth, and aggressiveness. Players like Sam Bennett and Jacob Trouba (from the United States) would star in intense duels. With Bedard and Schaefer, Canada envisions the Olympic future, even with the presence of Macklin Celebrini on the 2026 team. There is a lot of experience on this team, with players who have played in Stanley Cup finals. The goaltending, as always, is an unknown, but the Avalanche duo has had a great season.Team United States
Forwards: Cole Caufield, Logan Cooley, Alex DeBrincat, Cutter Gauthier, Patrick Kane, Matthew Knies, Chris Kreider, Shane Pinto, Jason Robertson, Nick Schmaltz, Alex Tuch, Trevor Zegras.Defenses: John Carlson, Adam Fox, Lane Hutson, Jackson LaCombe, K’Andre Miller, Jacob Trouba.Goaltenders: Thatcher Demko, Spencer Knight.
The American team has a young and talented core in attack, led by the experience of Patrick Kane, who would contribute in special situations and in shootouts. The Americans also have an offensive defense capable of taking control of the game at any moment. Hutson could have an outstanding series. Demko and Knight are prominent goalies who perform well on struggling teams.Who Would Win the Series?
Prediction: United States in 7 games. Canada would win games 1 and 2, but the United States would react in the third game. Canada would go up 3-1, but the United States would win games 5 and 6. In the seventh and decisive match, the United States would prevail with a close score of 3-1, with a goal by DeBrincat. Continue reading:Matches of the week
What I liked this weekend Candidates for the Hart Trophy Social media post of the week AcknowledgementsFeatured Matches of the Week
The Buffalo Sabres are the team to watch this week. Their loss on Saturday broke a 10-game winning streak, and they are firmly in the fight for the playoffs. Morale is high, due to the victories and the resurgence of Tage Thompson, included in the United States Olympic team. Alex Lyon has been incredible, but his injury is a hard blow for the team. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has stepped up in goal and the team has regained confidence, even when losing. “That has been the story of the winning streak: if we fall behind, we don’t care,” the goalie told reporters. Coach Lindy Ruff highlighted the players’ effort, including rookie Noah Ostlund.This week, the Sabres face the Vancouver Canucks (the second-lowest scoring team) in Buffalo on Tuesday, then the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, and host the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. Three winnable games: will it be the start of a new streak?“A guy like Ostlund, who got in front of a shot when the score was 4-1 (against Dallas on New Year’s Eve)… The desperation in the game. The battles on the wall were very good. It felt like a playoff game. It was two good teams playing hockey,” Ruff told reporters.
Lindy Ruff
Other Key Matches to Follow
MONDAY
Anaheim Ducks at Washington Capitals 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+TUESDAY
Colorado Avalanche at Tampa Bay Lightning 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+ Dallas Stars at Carolina Hurricanes 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+ New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+/HuluWEDNESDAY
Dallas Stars at Washington Capitals 7 p.m. ET | TNT/HBO MaxTHURSDAY
Anaheim Ducks at Carolina Hurricanes 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+ New York Islanders at Nashville Predators 8 p.m. ET | ESPN+/HuluSATURDAY
New York Rangers at Boston Bruins 1 p.m. ET | ABC Dallas Stars at San Jose Sharks 4 p.m. ET | ESPN+ Detroit Red Wings at Montreal Canadiens 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+ Tampa Bay Lightning at Philadelphia Flyers 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+ New York Islanders at Minnesota Wild 8 p.m. ET | ESPN+SUNDAY
Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks 8 p.m. | NHL NetworkWhat I liked this weekend
I spent a considerable amount of time this weekend thinking about a debate that arose from the Winter Classic. There was something funny with Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, both injured and unable to play, dressed (like the rest of the team) in “Miami Vice” attire and dancing on stage with the Stanley Cup:Hart Trophy Candidates if the Season Ended Today
Big surprise: Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid are in 1st and 2nd place. MacKinnon and the Avs have 69 points in 40 games, which is 11 more than the closest team (the Dallas Stars) in 43 games. McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers have overcome their slow annual start and lead the Pacific Division. MacKinnon’s 74 points lead the race for the Art Ross Trophy; McDavid is second, with 72. This will be an exciting battle to follow for the rest of the season. Nate has 13 points in his last four games and McDavid, fresh off a ridiculous “500 IQ hockey assist” to Hyman against the Bruins, had a “quiet” 13 points in his last six games. Celebrini is third with 63 points and became the youngest player to be named to Team Canada in the NHL player era at the Olympics. He has an active streak of 10 games scoring points, with 20 points during that period. Keep it up, kid!Social Media Post of the Week
WWE’s “Smackdown” was in Buffalo on Friday, and Randy Orton returned wearing a WWE x Sabres collaboration t-shirt. “RKO to everyone”, good. WWE x NHL collaboration merchandise has been booming lately, especially the localized pieces.Acknowledgements
The Washington Capitals have been precise with the content of “player arrivals” this season (look no further than the “rapper Ovechkin” outfits from the beginning of the season).
On Saturday, the players entered with youth hockey players from the community. The players were paired with a player from a different team in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area.
One of the girls, Ayşe, represented her Montgomery Youth Hockey Association U8 league, wearing matching jerseys with Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary:This is such a nice gesture from the team and the players to the community. Those kids now have a core memory and their parents, who certainly don’t get enough credit for taking them to practices and games, for airing out their gear at home, for tying their skates, for carrying the bags, and don’t even get me started on the tournaments, were undoubtedly proud.
