For at least the next week, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s chemistry will be tested by geography.
It’s the first time in 12 years that NHL players can contend for Olympic gold.
Nine from the Lightning organization – plus coach Jon Cooper behind Canada’s bench – have traded in blue bolts for national crests in Milan.
The tournament begins on Wednesday.
Teammates like American Jake Guentzel and Canadian Brandon Hagel have joked about not speaking once the puck drops. Their countries are again the favorites, but they will open in different groupings. A reunion could come later, perhaps with gold on the line.
“Well, I won’t be talking to this guy in a couple of days,” Guentzel said Feb. 1 after the Stadium Series game, nodding toward Hagel.
“Obviously, Jake’s not on my side, but best of luck to him,” Hagel replied.
Tampa Bay originally had 11 players named to represent six nations, more than any NHL team. (Injuries to Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point will keep them out for Canada.) Their presence has been hard to ignore, especially with the Bolts on a 19-1-1 run going into the three-week Olympic break.
“When you get into the dressing room, and we have, what, seven, eight Olympians in there, that’s pretty spectacular,” Hagel said.
The list stretches across the hockey map: Hagel and Guentzel; Victor Hedman and Pontus Holmberg (Sweden); Erik Cernak (Slovakia), Oliver Bjorkstrand (Denmark), Zemgus Girgensons (Latvia), J.J. Moser (Switzerland) and AHL forward Wojciech Stachowiak (Germany).
Two of the biggest Bolts stars, Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy, won’t be in Italy because Russia was barred from the Games because of the war in Ukraine. The NHL has no say in which countries are eligible for international play.
Obviously, NHL players take international competition seriously; just look back at last year's 4 Nations Faceoff.
The final between Canada and the U.S. became a physical clash at the opening faceoff when Hagel and American Matthew Tkachuk dropped gloves, setting the tone for the match, won by Canada in overtime.
Hagel later stated the game was for national pride.
The two have been going at it since, including a fight during the Lightning-Florida Panthers game in Tampa on the day before players left for Milan.
The Olympics are also personal for Hedman. The future Hockey Hall of Fame has played 64 international tournament games for Sweden, including last year’s 4 Nations Faceoff. But he’s never been to the Winter Games.
“The Olympics are kind of what you dream of as a kid,” he told Olympics.com. “This is kind of the last thing on my list that I wanted to accomplish. It’s a dream come true for me.”
For Cooper, who grew up in British Columbia, being in the Olympics has been a lifelong dream. He also feels the pressure of maintaining the Maple Leafs' success of winning three of five gold medals in the Winter Games featuring NHL players.
“If you are not the team being chased, I do not want to be the chaser,” he said. “Would you rather be in a situation where, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t wait to win the bronze’? No way, man. I want to be the team that is gold or bust.”
It's a big spotlight, even for a coach who has won two Stanley Cups in Tampa.
“You’re so proud as a coach because you’re looking and you get to share this experience with the people you’re with every single day,” he said. “But then you come back, and much of the league’s going to have this three-week break and come back all rested, and then a lot of our players are going to still be in the grind of playing.”
