Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman hunts the elusive Triple Gold Club pinnacle at the 2026 Winter Olympics. With Stanley Cups already banked, he chases Olympic gold to join hockey's immortals, fueling Lightning locker room motivation through the regular season stretch. This quest spotlights how international glory elevates NHL legacies amid club-or-country debates.

Tampa's Victor Hedman notches his debut Olympic tally as Sweden dominates Italy in a clinical group-stage rout. The Norris contender wastes no time asserting himself internationally, pairing defensive lockdown with offensive pop. Hedman's milestone underscores Sweden's gold-medal pedigree in a tournament where every point counts double.

Rasmus Andersson steps into a prime spot on Sweden's blue line, pairing with Victor Hedman as the Tre Kronor unleash their deepest defensive unit yet in Milano Cortina. The Flames-Vegas blueliner, who's third among Swedish NHL D in scoring this season, captained his country to glory at last year's Worlds and now gets real ice time after limited looks internationally.

Mika Zibanejad carries his red-hot Rangers form straight into the Olympics, lighting up Italy with a goal and assist in Sweden's opener that feels like a statement to the field. The alternate captain, who's been a clutch international performer since that golden goal at the 2012 Worlds, teams up with NHL studs like Dahlin and Hedman to grind out a win that wasn't as easy as the score suggests.

Men's Olympic hockey makes its triumphant return at the 2026 Winter Games, and Tampa Bay's shutdown duo of Erik Cernak and Victor Hedman grabs the spotlight right away. These Lightning stalwarts, who have terrorized opponents in the NHL playoffs for years, now shift gears to represent their countries on the world's biggest stage after the league's 12-year Olympic hiatus.

Buffalo's Rasmus Dahlin heads to Milan as Sweden's blue-line savior, with insiders buzzing he finally seizes the top-dog role from aging vets like Hedman and Karlsson. The Sabres captain, a Norris frontrunner this season, pairs with Broberg to anchor a defense that's tournament-tested but hungry for gold after lean international years. Everyone knows Dahlin's game-changing potential, but this Olympics tests if he delivers the offensive fireworks to challenge Canada and the U.S.