Group A
Canada
The always-favoured Canadians have won three gold medals in the five Olympics that have featured NHL players. This includes 2014 in Sochi when Canada shut out Sweden 3-0, arguably the most memorable championship in 2010 when Canada won on home soil in Vancouver 5-2 over the United States – the “Iggy, Iggy!” moment – and the 2002 win in Salt Lake. Canada’s first six players named to the 2026 team are a who’s who of NHL superstars – the aforementioned McDavid and Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart.
Czechia
No one can take away the fact the Czechs won the first Olympic gold medal to feature NHLers, that coming in 1998 when Dominik Hasek’s legendary status was cemented, as the Czech goaltender allowed just six goals all tournament long, and only two in the medal round. Hasek led the Czechs to a dramatic shootout win over Canada in the semi-finals and then backstopped his team to a 1-0 shutout win over Russia in the gold medal game. Pastrnak and fellow Boston Bruin Pavel Zacha are two of the six players already named to the team and the Czechs will rely on Lukas Dostal to find his inner Hasek to keep the always structured and opportunistic Czechs in the hunt for the podium.
France
The 2026 Games will mark the third time France has participated in an Olympics featuring the best on best. The French finished 14th in 2002 and 11th in 1998. We’re not sure Group A can be called a Group of Death but France is in tough in the preliminary round, as it will be a heavy underdog against Canada, Czechia and Switzerland. Group winners and one additional team from each group with the best record will move onto the quarter-finals and it would be shocking to see France advance. Crazier things have happened, of course, and you can bet NHLer Alexandre Texier and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – who played 700 games in the world’s top league – will give it their all to try and lead France to an upset or two.
Switzerland
The Swiss have been making noise on the international scene for the past few years – most notably winning back-to-back silver medals at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Championships – but they’ll have to knock down one of Canada or Czechia to advance to the quarters at the Olympics. There’s plenty of big-game experience on the 2026 Swiss roster, led by towering defenceman Roman Josi and super-skilled forwards Kevin Fiala, Nico Hischier and Nino Niederreiter.
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