Naming six players to the preliminary roster of the Canadian men's Olympic hockey team was the easy part for federation brass.
The tougher calls will come at the end of the year when the final roster is determined for the Milan Games.
With a few locks out of the way, let the debate begin on who joins them.
The first few months of the 2025-26 NHL regular season will factor significantly into the decision-making process for general manager Doug Armstrong and the Hockey Canada management group. But players on the so-called "First Six" list don't have to worry about whether their name will be called.
They include two-time Olympic champion Sidney Crosby -- who scored the golden goal in 2010 at Vancouver and helped Canada repeat four years later in Sochi -- along with fellow forwards Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point and Sam Reinhart. Cale Makar was the lone defenceman on the early list.
"Now it gets interesting as we fill out that roster," Armstrong said Monday on a conference call.
The 12-country tournament begins Feb. 11. It's the first time that NHL players will participate in the Olympics since the 2014 Games in Russia.
Early roster announcements were also used ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last winter. McDavid scored the overtime winner to give Canada a 3-2 victory over the United States in the championship game in Boston.
The event marked the first best-on-best competition since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.
McDavid, a three-time league MVP, is coming off a 100-point regular season. He has also guided the Edmonton Oilers back to the Stanley Cup final, where they need a win over Reinhart's Florida Panthers on Tuesday to force a series decider.
"Incredibly honoured to represent my country at the biggest sporting event in the world," McDavid said at a media availability in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "You think of the Canadian players that can be named to that team, and to be selected again, it means a lot."
The 37-year-old Crosby, who recently completed his 20th season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was the lone Canadian on the early list with Olympic experience.
All six players suited up at the 4 Nations tournament. Reinhart said it was "incredible" to wear Canada colours at that event in February.
"When you're growing up, when you're watching as a kid, it's Stanley Cup finals and it's Team Canada," he said. "Those are the two things that you dream about playing for. To have that opportunity is pretty exciting."
Player selections were made by Armstrong, assistants Julien BriseBois, Jim Nill and Don Sweeney, director of player personnel Kyle Dubas and head coach Jon Cooper.
Player relations adviser Ryan Getzlaf and Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, also provided input, Hockey Canada said.
“I am honoured to be named one of the first six players for Canada’s men’s hockey team at the 2026 Olympics alongside Nathan, Cale, Connor, Brayden and Sam, as all five are incredible players and leaders,” Crosby said in a statement.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to represent Canada at the Olympics, as I know how much pride comes with wearing the Maple Leaf on the international stage.”
Makar, who had 92 points this past season for Colorado, won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman. MacKinnon had a 116-point campaign for the Avalanche while Point is a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The rest of the roster will be finalized early in the New Year. All nominations are still subject to formal approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s team selection committee.
"I'm excited about our group," Armstrong said. "I know our group wants to go there and wants to put their best foot forward. There's no guarantees in sport, but I know we're going to go in with the right attitude."
The main venue for the 12-day Olympic tournament will be the new 14,000-seat Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. The secondary venue will be the 5,700-seat Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena.
Canada is in Group A with Czechia, Switzerland and France. Group B includes Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, and host Italy, while Group C has the United States, Germany, Latvia, and Denmark.
"We're excited about our opportunity," Armstrong said. "And we think that we can have a team that can represent Canada very well."
With files from Canadian Press hockey writer Joshua Clipperton in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2025.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
