NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 9, 2026
The captains of Canada, Czechia, Finland, Sweden, and the United States for the 2026 Winter Olympics have been officially announced, a look at the initial practice line combinations for Canada and the USA, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Penguins center Sidney Crosby was officially named captain of Canada’s Men’s hockey team at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy. Crosby previously served as captain of Canada’s 2014 gold medal-winning team.
Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby (NHL.com).
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar will serve as Crosby’s alternate captains.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: No surprise there. Crosby was the obvious choice, having also captained Canada in the 2015 World Championship, the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
DAILY FACEOFF: Former NHL center Roman Cervenka was named captain of Czechia’s men’s Olympic hockey team. Cervenka, 40, spent most of his career in Europe, playing for the Calgary Flames in 2012-13. He’s making his fifth straight appearance in the Winter Olympics.
Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak and Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas will serve as Cervenka’s alternates.
TSN: Finland named Anaheim Ducks forward Mikael Granlund as their team captain. Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho and Dallas Stars winger Mikko Rantanen are Granlund’s alternate captains.
Avalanche winger Gabriel Landeskog will captain Sweden’s team, with defensemen Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson serving as his alternate captains.
SPORTSNET: Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews was named captain of the United States’ men’s team. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy and Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk will be Matthews’ alternates.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Crosby, Landeskog, and Matthews serve as captains of their respective NHL clubs, as do McDavid, Hedman, and Gudas. Karlsson was captain of the Ottawa Senators from 2014-15 to 2017-18.
THE ATHLETIC: Arpon Basu reports Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson skated alongside Connor McDavid and San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini on Canada’s first line during the team’s initial practice on Sunday.
Crosby centered Vegas Golden Knights wingers Mitch Marner and Mark Stone on the second line. The third line consisted of Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon between Panthers winger Brad Marchand and Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki, while New York Islanders center Bo Horvat was between Lightning winger Brandon Hagel and Panthers winger Sam Reinhart. Panthers center Sam Bennett and Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis were the spares.
Makar and Avalanche linemate Devon Toews were on the first pairing. The second pairing consisted of Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets and Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues. Travis Sanheim of the Philadelphia Flyers and Shea Theodore of the Golden Knights were on the third pairing, with the Stars’ Thomas Harley and the Los Angeles Kings’ Drew Doughty on the fourth pairing.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wilson skating on the top pairing raised some eyebrows. It’ll be interesting to see how well he meshes with McDavid and Celebrini. He will certainly bring a physical edge to that line.
THE ATHLETIC: Michael Russo reported Matthews centered Team USA’s top line with Lightning winger Jake Guentzel and Minnesota Wild winger Matt Boldy. Jack Eichel of the Golden Knights centered Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk and his brother, Senators winger Brady Tkachuk.
Russo indicated that USA head coach Mike Sullivan mixed and matched the bottom two forward lines with each rush. They included Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild, Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres, J.T. Miller of the New York Rangers, Brock Nelson of the Avalanche, Clayton Keller of the Utah Mammoth, Kyle Connor of the Jets, and Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings.
The defense saw McAvoy pairing with the Devils’ Luke Hughes, the Hurricanes’ Jaccob Slavin with the Wild’s Brock Faber, Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets alongside Noah Hanifin of the Golden Knights, and the Senators’ Jake Sanderson with the Ducks’ Jackson Lacombe.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Some of these line combinations for Canada and the United States might not be what we see throughout this tournament. They could adjust in the coming days depending on performance.
TSN: In recent non-Olympic news, former NHL defenseman Travis Dermott joined the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack on a professional tryout offer on Saturday. The Wolfpack is the affiliate of the New York Rangers.
Dermott, 29, spent eight seasons in the NHL (2017-18 to 2024-25), spending five of them with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He also played with the Vancouver Canucks, Arizona Coyotes, Edmonton Oilers, and Minnesota Wild. Dermott has 62 points in 348 NHL games.
So much talent just put them in the blender and let them play. Canada has the best forward group in the tournament. The US strengths are their Defensemen and Goaltenders. Good time for GMS to set the table for trades coming at the deadline.
Wilson and Marchand not only bring a physical element but their offense is pretty good too. Both averaging about a point per game. The only worry is their habit of taking dumb penalties due to over aggressiveness.
Canada’s defense is pretty good too. I’d have chosen somewhat differently but in all it’s a strong group. And the goaltending may not be all that bad either. Logan Thompson stats this year are better than any of the 3 US goalies. In fact, when looking at Thompson GAA and save %, as well as stats like saves above expected, the only goalie at the Olympics with better stats is Philip Grubauer, who’s not likely to win a medal.
Agreed Howard, only concern is they don’t play him until Binnington struggles.
We get Czechia first, so he will probably see some shots and chances. But shouldn’t be that tough to hold them to a couple goals or less. Shut down their top line and don’t take too many penalties.
Just seems like their is something off with his fundamentals, which happens to tenders. You could make a very good statistical argument that he has been the worst starting goalie in the NHL this year.
Not sure how you just flip that switch for the Olympics?
I would start Thompson in game one, playing him against the Swiss or France won’t get to into the tourney IMO.
Ray, I neglected to add in that we hopefully won’t see Binnington at all in the tournament. If Cooper uses him in Game 1, he ought to be committed. Right now, he’s playing much worse than last year. I agree that it’s good to have players who have won but it’s not a lifetime achievement award. You have to go with the best current player.
There is definitely no Price, Hasek, Roy or Brodeur in the tournament. The era of the dominating goalie seems to be over. At least for now.
Larkin would have been my pick. But what do I know.
Getting ready for some great hockey.
“The defense saw McAvoy pairing with the Devils’ Luke Hughes”……You mean Quinn Hughes of the Wild, correct?
Correct, the coffee wasn’t working yet this morning. 😉 It’s been fixed, thanks!
Would pair Mcavoy with Slavin as your shut down pair.