Colorado Avalanche
Surprising Lines Emerge at Team Canada’s First Olympic Practice
Check out how Team Canada lined up for its first Olympic practice on Sunday.
After arriving in Milan, Italy, earlier on Sunday, Team Canada took the ice for its first practice in preparation for Thursday’s tournament opener at the Winter Olympics.
With changes made from the 4 Nations Face-Off roster and two recent injury replacement swaps made, many were curious to see what the lines would look like to start, and it’s fair to say not many could have predicted how they shook out.
Superstars Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby all notably centered their own lines, creating a three-headed monster down the middle for the Canadians.
Ryan Rishaug of TSN shared the full forward group from Sunday’s line rushes on X (formerly Twitter).
The lines look a lot different from last year’s tournament, with McDavid and MacKinnon both sporting brand-new wingers, while Crosby moves to the middle after spending the majority of his time as a winger at the 4 Nations.
Macklin Celebrini and Tom Wilson flanking McDavid could be a fascinating trio, both bringing a ton of speed, with Celebrini providing elite skill and hockey IQ, and Wilson adding physicality as one of the game’s best power forwards.
Rishaug later released an update on potential power-play units, noting that Crosby, McDavid, MacKinnon, Makar, and Reinhart were on the first PP unit. Still, Jon Cooper and company clearly have a lot of trust in the 19-year-old Celebrini, so it won’t come as a surprise to see him get some opportunity to join that group as the games roll along. Celebrini, Marner, Stone, Theodore, and Horvat look to be a PP unit as well.
Canada Sticking With Familiarity on Defense
While the forwards saw plenty of change on paper and on the ice, Team Canada stuck with the same eight defensemen from the 4 Nations, and they appear to be rolling with the same pairings as well.
To no surprise, Colorado Avalanche teammates Makar and Devon Toews form the top pair, with Josh Morrissey and Colton Parayko reunited behind them. Rishaug shared the full defensive group on X.
It remains to be seen whether the pairing of Shea Theodore and Travis Sanheim or Thomas Harley and Drew Doughty cracks the opening-game lineup. That said, it’s safe to expect all four to see some action throughout the preliminary round.
We’re getting all that much closer to puck drop, as the men’s hockey tournament officially begins on Wednesday, with Canada opening its schedule against Team Czechia on Thursday at 10:40 a.m. ET.
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