Rick Tocchet: Why Team Canada Is Different Than An NHL All-Star Team
All-Star teams fail because they rely solely on individual talent. Expect to hear a few more Miracle quotes while NHL players compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina….
All-Star teams fail because they rely solely on individual talent.
Expect to hear a few more Miracle quotes while NHL players compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. The (movie) words of Herb Brooks resonate with hockey fans remarkably easily.
Rick Tocchet confirmed the same sentiment when discussing a loaded Team Canada roster that travels to Italy as the gold medal favorites.
Team Canada Is Not the NHL All-Star Team
Fans love to scrutinize Olympic roster selections, and why wouldn’t they? International best-on-best competition is an irreplaceable part of hockey history, and NHL players clearly maximized the level of intensity at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February.
However, Olympic general managers don’t select NHL All-Star teams.
“It’s a puzzle, right. It’s not just get the guy that has the most points, the top 10 (scorers) and put them on a team. It’s a puzzle. Who can do what?”
-Rick Tocchet
Tocchet will coach on Jon Cooper’s staff for the Canadians. Cooper, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning, kept Tocchet and most of the same personnel intact after defeating Team USA to win the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The first-year Philadelphia Flyers head coach used Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers as the best example of an NHL star who will adjust to a new role during the Winter Olympics.
Top-line scorers like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon naturally became Canada’s go-to offensive firepower at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Bennett, meanwhile, skated a grand total of 7:41 in the first two games of the tournament.
Other Canadian scorers who didn’t earn sports on the roster might not have handled the adjustment so smoothly. Bennett, however, dropped the gloves with Brady Tkachuk in the opening minute of Canada's third game of the tournament, the first North American showdown against Team USA.
“Just from the experience at 4 Nations, a guy like Sam Bennett. He didn’t dress the first game. He wins the Conn Smythe, the MVP of the Stanley Cup (four months later). He’s been in the Stanley Cup... There was some games I think he played 10 minutes, 11 minutes, not a ton. But he was impactful, just his attitude was unbelievable… Seeing that, I think it rallied the guys, so when you’re picking teams, there has to be that element and who’s willing to accept what role.”
-Rick Tocchet
When Team Canada trailed 2-1 against the Americans in the second period of the gold medal game, Bennett capitalized with the tying goal. He ultimately skated for 14:18 of ice time in the dramatic North American showdown.
The pesky forward (somehow) didn't earn a spot on the initial Olympic roster for Team Canada on New Year's Eve. An injury to Anthony Cirelli landed him back on the international stage.
The Gold Medal Favorites
GM Doug Armstrong chose from the largest national talent pool in the world. Canada has won the last four true international best-on-best tournaments with NHL players participating.
While skaters like McDavid and MacKinnon were obvious choices, Armstrong selected three Vegas Golden Knights – Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, and Shea Theordore – with penalty killing experience. The trio of top-line skaters on a Stanley Cup contender will adjust to new roles for a two-week tournament.
Photo by Colin Newby | BBGI PhiladelphiaFlyers defenseman Travis Sanheim was an appealing option because of his experience as a left-handed defenseman playing both the left and right point with the Flyers. If Team Canada suffers an injury on the blue line, Jon Cooper, Rick Tocchet and staff can utilize Sanheim’s versatility.
“Watch Team Canada. I think guys would do anything. I’ll fill water bottles if they need me to. You’re going to the Olympics for Team Canada. It means a lot. It’s special, just like the 4 Nations. I started out not playing and worked my way in. Much of the same, just kind of whatever’s asked of me, I’ll accept and do.”
-Travis Sanheim
