PRAGUE, Czechia – Team Canada general manager at the 2024 IIHF World Championship Rick Nash said a strong showing at the tournament could help players who are auditioning to compete in the 2025 Four Nations Showdown and the 2025 Olympic Games. Milan and Cortina in 2026. As for those absent, we won’t hold it against them.
“If you’ve decided to say no to participating, it shouldn’t hurt your chances of making the team,” Nash told NHL.com. The players each have their reasons for not coming. But I think it can help you to have participated and to have proven to yourself and to the world that you can play at this level.
“We have said it several times, the international game is really different. The dimensions of the ice rink are different. The angles are different. The time of possession with the puck is different. The opponents are different. Arbitration is different. It’s important that the guys come here and demonstrate what they can do in such a context.
“I don’t think it’s going to hurt the guys who said no, but I think it can make a huge difference if you’ve been to the Championship and been successful. »
The first-ever 4 Nations Showdown will be a tournament bringing together the best players from Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland which will take place from February 12 to 20, 2025. Each country will play seven games in nine days.
NHL players will also return to the Olympics in 2026, a first since the 2014 Sochi Games, when Canada won gold.
Suddenly the World Championship becomes a good venue to evaluate certain players.
“When the announcement was made about these two tournaments, people’s mindset changed,” he explained. Tournaments bringing together the best players in the world exist in other major sports, and they are very important for fans and for the growth of the sport. I think it’s great that it’s back. »
Nash, who is in his third season as director of player development for the Columbus Blue Jackets, was named general manager of Team Canada on March 19. He was hired by St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong, who will have this role within Team Canada in 2026, in addition to being head of the Maple Leaf staff for this Championship of the world and that of 2025 as well as for the Confrontation of the 4 nations 2025.
Former Anaheim Ducks Ryan Getzlaf was named to the management committee with Armstrong. Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney will serve in a similar role with Canada during the 4-Nation Showdown.
The four hockey men therefore have on their radar the players who are participating in the World Championship this year.
“If there are players who manage to stand out, it will be up to them to make a decision,” Nash said. They are here to take notes for the future. We want what is best for Canada. We meet every day and discuss the players, the other teams, our ideas. The door is open between the four of us and this is the dynamic that has been established for several weeks. »
Among the players who could earn a spot with Team Canada at the Olympics and who are participating in this year’s World Cup is Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares, who has eight goals and two assists in nine games in the tournament. Will he be on the team in 2026? Chicago Blackhawks forward and first pick in the 2023 NHL draft Connor Bedard (five goals, three assists in nine games) also stands out. Could we make room for him? In net, will Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (6-1-1; 2.77 goals-against average; .881 save percentage) be the one to wear the pads in 2026?
Surprised by Switzerland 3-2 in a shootout in the semi-final, Canada will face Sweden for the bronze medal on Sunday.
Nash knows firsthand the importance of putting on his country’s jersey. The first pick in the 2022 draft represented Canada at the Olympics three times as a player, in 2006 in Turin, in 2010 in Vancouver and in Sochi. He had won the gold medal in his last two appearances.
The 39-year-old former striker also won gold at the World Championship in 2007, when he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, as well as silver in 2005 and 2008.
But now, it is without wearing skates that he is trying to lead the country to gold.
“It’s so different from watching the action from the top of the arena,” he said. You don’t have total control. Everything you control is up front when you build the team. It’s difficult because I’m competitive. You can’t jump on the ice to change the momentum, to give a big check or to score a big goal.
“It’s different, but I assure you it brings back the desire to compete in me! »
