The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is fully underway over in Milan with each country having completed at least once. While things got off to a bit of a shocking start as Slovakia upset Finland and Italy gave Sweden all they could handle, the second day of hockey went chalk as Switzerland took down France 4-0, Canada took out Czechia 5-0, the United Stated upended Latvia 5-1 with Zemgus thinking the Latvians just made too many mistakes, and Germany took out Denmark 3-1.
Friday’s action will feature an old school clash between Finland and Sweden, Slovakia looking to go 2-0 as they take on Italy, France vs. Czechia, and Canada closes off the night against Switzerland. All of the Lightning players competing have played so we can post the official Raw Charge Olympic Standings.
| Player | Games | Goals | Assists | Wins | WALT* |
| J.J. Moser | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Victor Hedman | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Zemgus Girgensons | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wojciech Stachowiak | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jake Guentzel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Pontus Holmberg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Leading scorer J.J. Moser was not something we had in our predictions, but here we are. The Swiss defenseman who grew up just four hours from Milan, had a goal and an assist in Switzerland’s shutout win over France.
Congratulations to Winnipeg Jets fans who can be the first to complain about an injury suffered at the Olympic games. Defenseman Josh Morrissey left Canada’s win against Czechia with an undisclosed injury. Coach Jon Cooper didn’t have an update after the game, but did mention that Morrissey did try to return to the game at one point, but couldn’t quite get to the level he needed be at to return.
One of the more interesting aspects of this Olympics is that the NHL is a little more involved in terms of marketing things. Normally, the International Olympic Committee is pretty tight-fisted when it comes to allowing a professional league like the NHL the ability to use highlights or market their sport. Commissioner (and Hall of Famer) Gary Bettman noted that this year is a little different,
“In some respects, we have better access than we did before. There’s been some cooperation in terms of joint logo use. It will continue to evolve over time as the IOC continues to recognize as it relates to the Winter Olympics in terms of sheer mass, there’s nothing that compares to the hockey.”
For the longest time, the NHL wasn’t allowed to feature Sidney Crosby’s “Golden Goal” from the Vancouver Games in their official marketing. The IOC, and their rights holders, are being a bit more lenient this year, so expect to see any dramatic plays in NHL video packages in the future.
One thing we won’t see, at least in the near future, is the participation of Russia in an international tournament. Commissioner (and Hall of Famer) Bettman confirmed that the NHL will continue to follow the IIHF in regards to the country’s eligibility in regards to international play. So, for now, it looks like Russian players will be participating in the 2028 World Cup.
It’s also worth noting that in the linked article, Uncle Gary noted that it isn’t likely the NHL will go to a 3-2-1 points system anytime soon, “There isn’t much discussion. We like what we have and we like the way it plays out over our 82-game season and our playoffs, the way we do it.” Head of the NHLPA, Marty Walsh, was on the same page, noting that he has yet to have a player bring it up to him.
Other Hockey News
Canadiens’ Gorton exploring all possibilities ahead of trade deadline [Sportsnet]
You know who is a right-hand shot with an astonishing ability to put the puck in the net? Patrik Laine. You know who might be on the trade block? Patrik Laine. At his best he’s a 35-goal scorer. At his worst, well, he’s just not on the ice. Montreal could be one of the more interesting teams at the trade deadline.
How about a no-look goal from Conor Geekie?
