Olympics

Despite not having NHL players on its roster, Canada's men's ice hockey team was among the best at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Although the Canadians couldn't win a third straight gold medal, they still came away with the bronze.

This year, Canada is in a similar position. The NHL decided to not send its players to Beijing for the 2022 Winter Games, as the league was dealing with COVID-19 issues earlier in the season and will be making up games in February.

Still, the Canadians have a strong team that will likely be contending for a medal in Beijing. In order to get the gold, they will likely have to best teams such as the Russian Olympic Committee, Finland and Sweden.

Team Canada plays its first game of the 2022 Winter Olympics on Thursday at 8:10 a.m. ET, when it will face Germany to open the preliminary round.

Here's everything you need to know about Canada's men's ice hockey team before it takes the ice.

Team Canada Men's Hockey Roster

Goaltenders

Devon Levi, Northeastern University (NCAA)

Edward Pasquale, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)

Matt Tomkins, Frolunda HC (SHL)

Forwards

Daniel Carr, HC Lugano (NL)

Adam Cracknell, Bakersfield (AHL)

David Desharnais, HC Fribourg-Gotteron (NL)

Landon Ferraro, Kolner Haie (DEL)

Josh Ho-Sang, Toronto (AHL)

Corban Knight, Avangard Omsk (KHL)

Jack McBain, Boston College (NCAA)

Mason McTavish, Hamilton (OHL)

Eric O'Dell, Dynamo Moscow (KHL)

Eric Staal, Iowa (AHL)

Ben Street, EHC Red Bull Munchen (DEL)

Adam Tambellini, Rogle BK (SHL)

Jordan Weal, Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)

Daniel Winnik, Geneve-Servette HC (NL)

Defensemen

Mark Barberio, Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)

Jason Demers, Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)

Brandon Gormley, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)

Alex Grant, Jokerit Helsinki (KHL)

Maxim Noreau, ZSC Lions (NL)

Owen Power, University of Michigan (NCAA)

Mat Robinson, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)

Tyler Wotherspoon, Utica (AHL)

Uniforms

Preview

Team Canada may not have any current NHLers on its roster, but its captain has plenty of experience in the league. In fact, he's a former Stanley Cup champion and a 17-year NHL veteran.

Eric Staal, a 37-year-old forward, will be looking to lead the Canadians to a gold medal, a feat he achieved while representing the nation at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He be looked upon to rally a team filled with non-NHL players, including a bunch of youngsters.

After playing 53 games during the 2020-21 NHL season for the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, Staal became an unrestricted free agent last offseason and didn't find a new home in the league. And if the NHL had sent players to the Winter Olympics, it's likely that Staal wouldn't be in Beijing.

But Staal will be the leader of Team Canada during its quest for more Olympic gold.

"I prepared hard the last couple of months just waiting for an opportunity, and now this chance came about, and I feel like this is the right place for me and where I need to be," Staal said, per Reuters (h/t NBCOlympics.com).

There may not be superstars such as Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby on Canada's roster for the Games, but there's still plenty of talent.

On one end of the spectrum, there are veterans with NHL experience such as Staal, 35-year-old forward David Desharnais and 33-year-old defenseman Jason Demers. On the other end, there are young players with less experience but a ton of potential. Perhaps none with more than 19-year-old defenseman Owen Power, who attends the University of Michigan and was selected by the Buffalo Sabres with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft.

"I had heard about him, and the other day I caught myself watching him a bit. He is very impressive," Demers said of Power, per Marty Klinkenberg of The Globe and Mail.

Power isn't the only player on Canada's roster who was selected during the 2021 NHL draft. Mason McTavish, a 19-year-old forward who plays for the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs, was taken by the Anaheim Ducks with the No. 3 overall pick last year.

If Canada could have included NHL players on its roster, its path to a gold medal would have been easier. But it is still among the better teams in Beijing, and it would be a surprise if it doesn't get to at least the bronze-medal game. Expect the Canadians to end up on the podium for the fourth consecutive Winter Games.

Can anyone stand between Nathan Chen and a gold medal in men's singles skating at the 2022 Winter Games?

It is the question that will be on the lips of viewers Monday night when the best male figure skater in the world takes to the ice for the men's short program.

Japan's Hanyu Yuzuru, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and the closest skater Chen has to a rival, will look to capture the gold out from underneath the phenom while his compatriot, Uno Shoma, figures to compete for the top prize too.

Schedule

Monday, February 7 at 8:15 p.m. ET

How to Watch

Broadcast on NBC, streaming on Peacock

Preview

Chen enters the short program with momentum on his side.

His short program as part of the team event Friday wowed spectators and came within .11 points of smashing the world record for highest score. The holder of that record? Yuzuru.

For Chen, it was not about a record but rather exorcising the demon that was his performance in the 2018 Games. In Pyeongchang, South Korea, he finished fourth in the short program, a far cry from what both analysts and he expected.

"It feels good to have a short program that I actually skated well in an Olympic experience," he told NBCOlympics.com's Philip Hersch. "I may not be the most emotional person, but deep down I'm genuinely very happy."

Chen takes the ice 28th, third-from-last, at just past midnight. He will have the opportunity to sit back and watch Yuzuru and Shoma deliver their routines and have a clear idea of what level of performance it will take to capture the gold that has eluded him in Olympic competition.

Mystery surrounded Yuzuru early in the games when he failed to show up at the venue in time for the opening ceremony. He arrived Saturday, however, erasing any doubt that he would miss the Games.

Yuzuru is expected to attempt a quadruple Axel in an attempt to "complete himself," as well as claim his third Olympic gold medal.

"It's really rare to be able to see a skater maintain this level of excellence across multiple generations," Chen told Reuters (h/t NBCOlympics.com).

It will be a symbolic changing of the guard if Chen can end Yuzura's gold-medal streak and finally get his hands on the medal that was just out of reach in Pyeongchang four years ago.

Canada women's ice hockey stayed undefeated at the 2022 Winter Olympics with a victory over the Russian Olympic Committee, setting up an important battle against the United States.

The two North American heavyweights are tied heading into the final group-stage match, meaning the winner will get the top seed in the playoff round. If the tournament goes as expected, it could also be a preview of the gold-medal matchup.

In Group B, Denmark and Sweden earned important wins for each team to keep medal hopes alive.

Here is a breakdown of Monday's action at the Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing.

Scores

Canada def. ROC 6-1

Denmark def. Czech Republic 3-2

Sweden def. China, 2-1

Switzerland def. Finland, 3-2

Full results and statistics via Olympics.com

Recap

Canada has been the most dominant team in this tournament and that did not change Monday with an easy 6-1 victory over ROC.

The team went up 4-0 in the second period and continued the offensive onslaught with goals coming in a lot of different ways.

The Canadians were balanced in the win with six different players scoring goals and 10 earning at least one point. It makes them extremely difficult to defend regardless of which line is on the ice.

Canada has now outscored opponents 29-3 through three games, with the plus-26 goal differential well ahead of the United States' plus-16. The squads will still get a chance to prove which is better head-to-head on Tuesday. 

The stakes are still relatively low with both teams already into the quarterfinals.

Finland and Switzerland are also going to the next round, but both were seeking their first win of the tournament after rough starts. Switzerland emerged on top thanks to Alina Muller, who assisted on all three goals in the 3-2 win.

There's more pressure in Group B with five teams challenging for three spots in the quarterfinal. Denmark and Czech Republic are both still alive, but the former made an important move in the standings with a 3-2 win Monday.

The matchup was tied 2-2 after the second period before Silke Glud scored the go-ahead goal for Denmark just 49 seconds into the third. The score held up as the team allowed zero power-play goals despite 12 penalty minutes. 

Denmark earned its first-ever Olympic win in women's hockey and now has three points through three games. If they can follow it up with a win over Sweden in the final game, it could be enough to sneak a spot into the next round.

Sweden also needed a win to avoid elimination and did just that with its 2-1 win over China. Swedish goalie Emma Soderberg allowed a goal about five minutes into the first period but shut things down from there with 32 saves.

Group A Standings

1. Canada (9 points, +26 goal differential)

2. USA (9, +16)

3. ROC (3, -7)

4. Switzerland (3, -21)

5. Finland (0, -14)

Group B Standings

1. Japan (7, +5)

2. Czech Republic (6, +3)

3. China (5, 0)

4. Sweden (3, -3)

4. Denmark (3, -5)

The United States men's hockey team is viewed as a long shot to win the competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The absence of NHL players from the tournament will hurt the team's chances, and it would be a surprise if the squad makes it to the gold-medal match.

Collegiate and AHL players make up most of the American roster, with a few overseas-based players in China also competing for the United States.

Recent top-five NHL draft picks Matty Beniers and Jake Sanderson headline the young roster, which has just six players over the age of 30 on the roster.

The full roster and jerseys for the American men can be found here on the USA Hockey website.

USA Men's Hockey Schedule

Group Stage

Thursday February 10 vs. China (8:10 a.m. ET) 

Friday, February 11 vs. Canada (11:10 p.m. ET)

Sunday, February 13 vs. Germany (8:10 a.m. ET) 

Predictions

United States Finish 2nd in Group Stage

The United States and Germany will likely battle it out for second place in Group A.

Canada should be viewed as the favorite to top the pool, even though its own roster has been hurt by the absence of NHL players. But it does have some league experience in the form of Eric Staal and carries a ton of older players based overseas.

Fifteen members of the roster are 30 or older and that experience could help it navigate the group stage.

The Americans are relying on a number of younger skaters to take them far in Beijing. A win over Canada in the group stage seems unlikely, which makes the finale against Germany so important.

Each of the 12 teams advance to the knockout round, but a second-place finish should put the Americans in advantageous spot to make it to the quarterfinals via a playoff-round matchup against a third-place squad from one of the other groups.

The expectations will not be high going into the quarterfinals, but a confident group stage could help the Americans in the knockout phase.

Matty Beniers Emerges as Star of Team USA

Matty Beniers is expected to be one of the top American players in Beijing.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft has starred at the University of Michigan over the past two years, and he has produced 16 goals and 20 assists this season.

Beniers has plenty of international experience from the youth levels and could emerge as a top scorer within the American squad.

The 19-year-old may not be known by the casual hockey fans, but he could make a name for himself throughout the tournament.

If that happens, the hype surrounding Beniers' future with the Seattle Kraken will get even louder.

He won't be the only player asked to make major contributions, but he could be the X-factor for the Americans in the elimination round.

Sweden's Sara Hector turned in a pair of stellar runs to capture the women's giant slalom gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Hector had times of 57.56 seconds and 58.13 seconds to best Italy's Federica Brignone by 0.28 seconds and earn her first major championship on an international level. Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland was 0.72 seconds behind to take bronze.

Women's Alpine Skiing Giant Slalom Results

Gold: Sara Hector (Sweden): 1:55.69
Silver: Federica Brignone (Italy): 1:55.97
Bronze: Lara Gut-Behrami (Switzerland): 1:56.41

American Mikaela Shiffrin, who won gold in this event in 2018, crashed out in her first qualifying run and did not advance to the finals. 

"I won't ever get over this. I have never got over any (disappointments in big races)," Shiffrin told reporters. "I still remember how much it hurts four years ago in Kronplatz when I fell before the last Olympics. I remember thinking that was so heartbreaking, and it wasn't even at the Olympics. That heartbreak never goes away, and I think that's what drives me to keep working. Sometimes, they do still happen and, unfortunately, it happened today."

Instead, it was Hector who took center stage to give Sweden its third gold medal of these Winter Games and complete an inspiring comeback.

In 2015, Hector suffered a serious knee injury that threatened her career. She said the injury caused her to completely revamp her skiing style, a change that eventually paid dividends seven years later on the Olympic stage. Hector arrived in Beijing with three World Cup victories and sitting atop the overall standings on tour, saying she owed her recent run of success to a better mindset.

Paula Moltzan was the top finishing American in 12th place. Nina O'Brien, who was in medal contention after a sixth-place finish in her first run, appeared to suffer a serious injury in her second run and was taken off the course on a stretcher. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard described her as "alert and responsive."

One of the United States' best chances to win gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics comes from Nathan Chen in the men's singles figure skating competition.

The 22-year-old is a three-time world champion in the men's event and comes into Monday's short program as the favorite to capture gold in Beijing. 

Chen already has a silver medal to his name from the team competition in which the Americans placed behind the Russian Olympic Committee. 

No one is expected to stand in the way of the Salt Lake City native's gold medal if he skates to his typically high level inside the Capital Indoor Stadium. 

Chen can't win a medal on Monday, but he could put himself in fantastic position to clinch that spot on Tuesday with a strong short program. 

The men's figure skating competition headlines the Monday night schedule. Medals will be handed out in the men's Super-G and women's snowboarding big air. The United States women's hockey team is in action against Canada in what many expect to be a preview of the gold-medal game. 

Monday Olympics Schedule

Curling: Mixed doubles semifinals (7:05 a.m. ET)

Short Track: Women's 500 meters semifinals and final (7:13 a.m. ET)

Short Track: Men's 1,000 meters semifinals and final (7:20 a.m. ET) 

Ski Jumping: Mixed team competition (7:50 a.m. ET) 

Women's Hockey: Switzerland vs. Finland, China vs. Sweden (8:10 a.m. ET) 

Luge: Women's singles Run 2 (8:30 a.m. ET, USA) 

Figure Skating: Men's competition short program (8;15 p.m. ET, USA and NBC) 

Freestyle Skiing: Women's big air (9 p.m. ET, NBC)

Snowboarding; Parallel giant slalom qualification runs (9:40 p.m. ET) 

Alpine Skiing: Men's Super-G (10 p.m. ET) 

Women's Hockey: United States vs. Canada (11:10 p.m. ET, USA) 

All events can be live-streamed on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock.

Predictions

Chen Starts Strong in Men's Figure Skating

Chen is viewed as the man to beat in the men's singles figure skating competition.

He is one of the few bona fide gold-medal contenders on the U.S. roster and could be the first American gold-medal winner in Beijing on Tuesday. 

On Monday, Chen should set himself up for success with a strong run in the short program.

The three-time world champion had a chance to shake out some nerves with his first skate in Beijing during the team competition. He won the men's short program portion of the team event.

Chen produced a score of 111.71 to beat out Japan's Shoma Uno by six points. Reigning champion Yuzuru Hanyu did not compete in the team event. 

Chen may be just one of two American men to compete in the men's short program. Vincent Zhou tested positive for COVID-19 after participating in the men's free skate portion of the team event.

Zhou and Jason Brown were expected to be on the fringe of medal contention. Brown could be the American's best hope to win a second medal if Zhou is not cleared by Monday night. 

The short program will set up the finalists for Tuesday's free skate when the medals will be handed out.  

Eileen Gu Recovers From Rough Start To Win Women's Big Air

The big air competition in freestyle skiing made its debut at the Winter Olympics on Sunday with the preliminary rounds. 

The first set of skiing big air medals will be handed out to the top women in the sport on Monday night. 

Canada's Megan Oldham topped the qualifying program with a combined run score of 171.25. The two best scores from the three qualifying runs were used to determine the 12-person final field. 

China's Eileen Gu is viewed as the favorite in the competition despite experiencing some troubles on her second qualifying run.

The 18-year-old was born in the United States, but she opted to represent China on the international stage. She was born to an American father and Chinese mother. 

Gu won four gold medals at the World Championships and Winter X Games last year. She took bronze in both big air competitions. 

She turned in one of the three individual run scores that garnered 89 or more points in the qualification round. Her first jump netted 89 points. 

If Gu produces more high-quality runs in the final, she could come away with the second gold medal for the host nation. China had two medals going into Monday morning. 

The two powerhouses of women's hockey square off Monday in what is likely a preview of the gold-medal game at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The United States and Canada have dominated the competition throughout Group A, combining to score 47 goals so far in Beijing.

Canada comes into Monday night's clash at a small disadvantage given its matchup with the Russian Olympic Committee was delayed by an hour early Monday morning. The United States last played Sunday morning, and it will take any edge it can get over its North American rival in the first of what is expected to be two matchups in Beijing.

The U.S. and Canada will be positioned on opposite ends of the knockout-round bracket, and it would be shocking if they do not meet each other again in the gold-medal game.

USA vs. Canada Info

Date: Monday, February 7

Start Time: 11:10 p.m. ET 

TV: USA

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com and Peacock

Odds: Available odds can be found on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Preview

Canada and the United States have won all six of the women's hockey gold medals to date.

They have faced off five times in the gold-medal match, with the lone exception being in 2006, when Canada defeated Sweden.

The North American rivals appear to be on a collision course for the final yet again. They have been the two most dominant sides in the group stage.

Canada scored 29 times and only conceded on three occasions in its first three games. It posted 12 goals on Switzerland and 11 tallies on Finland. The Canadians won 6-1 over the Russian Olympic Committee early on Monday morning.

The Canadian forwards are spread all over the offensive leaderboards. Sarah Fillier and Laura Stacey have four goals each, Sarah Nurse has three goals and Natalie Spooner, the tournament's leading points-scorer, handed out seven assists.

Containing the Canadian attack will be the primary task for the Americans on Monday night. The U.S. has not been as explosive in front of the net as Canada, producing 18 goals over three games. But importantly, it produced shutouts against ROC and Switzerland in the past two contests.

The American defense will be massive to Monday's success, and that unit could set the tone for what is to come in the gold-medal match.

Offensively, the Americans have spread around the goal-scoring production. Five players scored in the 8-0 victory over Switzerland. Scoring depth is vital for the Americans in their quest to keep up with the high-scoring Canadian squad.

Monday's game will be important for both squads in determining any issues that need to be fixed against their biggest opponent in Beijing.

The first three games were used by both sides to get acclimated to the ice in Beijing and find an offensive rhythm. Monday will be about getting a win over a rival and creating some type of mental advantage going into the knockout stages.

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Canada's Max Parrot won the gold medal in the men's snowboard slopestyle event at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Parrot's second run earned him a score of 90.96, the first 90 to be awarded in the competition in both the qualifying and final rounds. The best score out of three runs is selected to determine the winner.

Parrot was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma at the end of 2018 and underwent chemotherapy before announcing he was cancer-free in mid-2019.

He returned to competition two months after his final treatment and won a big air gold medal at X Games Norway. He followed up with another big air gold at X Games Aspen in 2020 and a big air silver medal at the 2021 world championships.

Su Yiming of the People's Republic of China recorded the best qualifying score and earned the silver medal with an 88.70 on his second run. Yiming capped his run with an impressive 1800.

Parrot's teammate Mark McMorris became a three-time bronze medalist in men's slopestyle. He surged in his final run to earn 88.53 and take the third spot on the leaderboard.

The win by Parrot ends a run of victories for Team USA. Since slopestyle was added to the Olympics in 2014, the United States had won all four gold medals on the men's and women's sides.

Redmond Gerard was hoping to become the first men's competitor to win back-to-back gold medals, but he placed fourth with a score of 83.25 on his first run. He was in line for a bronze medal before McMorris' final run knocked him off the podium.

The next medal events in snowboarding will be the men's and women's parallel giant slalom on Monday.

Mikaela Shiffrin still has the opportunity for multiple gold medals at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, but that doesn't make Sunday's elimination in the women's giant slalom any easier to accept.

"I won't ever get over this," she told reporters after missing a gate and crashing out of the competition during her opening run of the Games. "I've never gotten over any. I still remember how much it hurt to lose it four years ago in Kronplatz. I fell before the last Olympics, and I remember thinking that was so heartbreaking. It wasn't even at the Olympics."

This is not something that happens often.

In fact, Michael Rosenberg of Sports Illustrated noted Sunday's crash ended a streak of 30 consecutive giant slalom finishes that included 29 top-seven showings.

"I never get over it,” she continued. "And I won't ever get over this either. But I just have to put the pause button on really feeling the emotions or dwelling on it, because it just takes too much energy."

Fortunately for the American star with three Olympic medals and 73 career race victories on her resume, she will have the chance to put the giant slalom behind her if she competes in the women's super-G, downhill, combined and slalom later in these Games.       

Fifteen-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva made history during the women's free skate portion of the team event at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Valieva landed the first quadruple jump ever in the women's competition at the Olympics, and she did it twice. She completed a quad salchow and a quad toe, which included a triple toe combination.

Valieva added a triple axel as she had done in the women's short program Saturday. She is just one of four competitors—Japan's Midori Ito and Mao Asada and USA's Mirai Nagasu—to land one in the women's event at the Olympics.

Valieva fell when she attempted a third quadruple jump, her first time falling on a quad in competition all season. Despite the fall, her impressive run earned a score of 178.92.

The history-making performance by Valieva clinched a gold medal for the Russian Olympic Committee in the team event. USA won the silver medal, and Japan took the bronze medal.

As we move forward to the individual events, Valieva is the favorite to earn more gold medals. She likely won't be the only skater to land a quad in this year's Games, though, as teammates Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova have also successfully completed quadruple jumps during their runs.