Over the course of the twelve-year gap between Olympic appearances, the NHL has drastically evolved.
Most of the legendary trios of the 2010's, namely Drew Doughty-Dustin Brown-Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings and Duncan Keith-Patrick Kane-Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks, have drifted apart in some form. Superstars Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, in addition to future stars Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard, got drafted into the league. A third of the Stanley Cups contested between 2014 and 2026 were won by Florida-based teams. And while the Toronto Maple Leafs have only won two playoff series since the Sochi Olympics, Phil Kessel would go on to win two Stanley Cups since 2014.
I could keep going on but I'm going to leave it at that.
At the Opening Ceremony in Milan, three NHL players led their respective nations into the Olympics.
For Germany, it was Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl who got the honours. So far this season, Draisaitl has tallied eighty points (twenty-nine goals and fifty-one assists) and he's on pace for what would be his sixth straight 100+ point season and eighth in nine seasons (the lone exception being the COVID-modified 2020-21 season).
Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak also led his nation into the Olympics. Alongside Lucie Charvávotá, Czechia selected Pastrnak to carry Czechia's flag into the opening ceremony. Through fifty-two games this season, David Pastrnak has scored seventy-one points. In addition, his Boston Bruins are on course to make their playoff return after missing the postseason last year.
Of the three NHL players who acted as flag bearers, Nino Niederreiter is the lone player to have previously contested a Winter Olympic hockey tournament. In 2014, he would be part of a Swiss team that would finish ninth when all was said and done; through four games, the Jets forward failed to record a single point. While Niederreiter will be looking to put up a better performance in Italy, he had the honours of leading Switzerland into the opening ceremony.
When I take the time to anticipate the return of NHL players to the Winter Olympics, I don't just think about the opening ceremony as the beginning of a new tournament. Rather, it should be seen as the true beginning of a new era.
There are a handful of players who could potentially be playing their final, or even their only, Olympic Games. Golden Goal-scorer Sidney Crosby is making his return to one of hockey's biggest stages after a twelve-year absence, but he is turning 39 in August. Unless he's going to pull a Cristiano Ronaldo and aim for the 2030 Olympics, that return could easily be short lived.
The same could be said for Drew Doughty, who is the only other Canadian NHL player to have played at Sochi or at a prior Olympic tournament. Not only would he be on the cusp of 40 heading into the French Alps Olympics in 2030, but he might not be that far off from retirement. His teammate Anze Kopitar, who is 38 years old, is set to retire at the end of the season; as his teammate Dustin Brown retired at around the same age, Drew Doughty might be two years away from retiring.
Another big name who could retire before seeing the 2030 Olympics? Brad Marchand, who is making his Olympic debut in 2026.
With both Leon Draisaitl and David Pastrnak making their Olympic debuts, and with Nino Niederreiter making his Olympic return, this opening ceremony might have been a little more ceremonious for NHL fans. Symbolic as well? I'd say so.
Nino Niederreiter represents the older generation of NHL stars who are either returning to the Olympics or making their debut at long last. For Leon Draisaitl and David Pastrnak, they'll be responsible for leading a brand new generation of NHL players into the Olympics.
With the stars of now leading some of the most iconic franchises and now two big-name hockey nations, perhaps we are truly seeing a changing of the guard in the NHL.