Watching men’s hockey at the Winter Olympics, you can sense the pride that players have when playing for their country. For Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman, and defencemen Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm, watching their respective countries compete for gold must feel bittersweet. Hyman and Bouchard would not have looked out of place on the high-flying Canadian team, while Ekholm’s poise and experience would have definitely helped Team Sweden.
Hyman, Bouchard & Ekholm Should Be Highly Motivated
Whatever these Oilers are doing during their Olympic break, you have to know that deep down inside, they’re going to return to the NHL with a bit of a chip on their shoulders. A “you should’ve picked me” type of attitude that could really benefit the Oilers in the stretch run towards the playoffs. Another upside is that all three star players will be rested, and that’s definitely a plus considering the amount of hockey they’ve played over the past few seasons.
No Hockey Player Likes To Get Shown Up
Please bear with me as I share a personal experience. Back in 1982, when I played goal for the Vermilion Jr. B Tigers, I was in the running to play for Team Alberta, a team comprised of the best Junior B hockey players in the province. Even though I was on the league all-star team the season before, and was having a good season, the powers that be chose to overlook me.
Fast forward to mid-season when Team Alberta were playing college and junior teams to prepare for the Canada Winter Games in Quebec. They tied the best college team in Canada, the NAIT Ookpiks, 3-3, beat the first-place team in our league, the Wainwright Bisons, quite handily, and then they came to Vermilion to play my team, the Tigers.
I started the game highly motivated to show that I belonged on Team Alberta. To make a long story short, I played the greatest game of my life in the Vermilion Stadium, and we beat Team Alberta 3-2 — the only Jr. B team in Alberta to beat them. I got a message that if one of the Team Alberta goalies went down to injury before the Winter Games, I would get a call.
Sometimes getting snubbed is all the motivation you need to take your game to a higher level. I believe Hyman, Bouchard and Ekholm carry this same sense of pride, and wouldn’t be surprised to see them play some of the best hockey of their lives when the Oilers return to action on Feb. 25 on the road against the Anaheim Ducks.
Hyman & Bouchard Deserved to Be at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Sports on all levels is political. That’s a fact of life. Think back to when Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team and turned that disappointment into the greatest career in NBA history. If Hyman, Bouchard and Ekholm have any sense of pride about their game and their careers, which I believe they do, then you can be sure that they’re going to come out of the Olympic break like they’d been shot out of a cannon. Hyman would have fit into the Team Canada lineup like a glove, and after watching the preliminary round, he would most certainly have belonged on Olympic ice.
Related: Oilers’ Bouchard & Hyman Deserve to Be on Team Canada
The same goes for Bouchard, who, for some inexplicable reason, never seemed to be in consideration at all for Team Canada. Having Canadian defenceman Josh Morrissey go down with an injury in Canada’s opening game against Czechia opened up a hole in Canada’s defensive core.
Watching Canada’s defence during the preliminary round, you can see they’re missing a fleet-footed, offensive-style defenceman to complement all-world d-man Cale Makar. Bouchard would’ve fit the bill. If Team Canada scouts had actually watched film of Bouchard’s defensive play in the Oilers’ last two playoff runs to the Stanley Cup Final, it’s clear that he plays well under pressure and scores timely goals.
Ekholm Not Playing for Team Sweden is a Real Head Scratcher
When it comes to Ekholm, there might be a possible issue with Team Sweden head coach Sam Hallam.
For whatever reason, Ekholm, one of the best Swedish defencemen in the world, was left off the men’s Olympic hockey team. And from some reports in Italy, it sounds like Hallam could be on the hotseat for other questionable decisions he’s making behind the bench.
Oilers Stars Playing Well in Italy
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Corinta Italy, could have a huge impact on the Oilers in a very positive way. Connor McDavid is currently playing the best hockey of his life and has a chance to break the Olympic scoring record. Meanwhile, Leon Draisaitl and Josh Samanski have elevated their games for Team Germany, but after Germany lost 4-3 to Team Latvia on Feb. 14, they might be coming home early unless they can upset Team USA in the preliminary round.
A Potential Blessing In Disguise for the Oilers
At the same time, Hyman, Bouchard and Ekholm get a chance to rest and reload. You can bet they’ll be going into the NHL’s homestretch looking to prove that they deserved to be in Italy this February. Considering how the Oilers limped into the Olympic break, having a highly motivated core could be just what the doctor ordered for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.
