Can Sweden overcome lack of superstar power to win Olympic men’s hockey gold?
The NHL has had two league MVPs come from Sweden: Peter Forsberg in 2003 and Henrik Sedin in 2010.
Beyond that, the nation – despite being one of the world’s top hockey superpowers – has struggled to develop true elite talent. They haven’t always needed that to win gold in international competition (they won the 2006 Olympics, after all). Injuries have definitely hampered this team heading into the event – how truly healthy is everyone?
Hockey Svergie’s Uffe Bodin – an expert on all things Swedish hockey – weighed in on the team’s gold medal hopes during Daily Faceoff’s Olympic preview episode:
Jeff Marek: “When you look at Sweden heading into the games, what jumps out at you right away?
Uffe Bodin: To me, it’s lacking the star power up front. (Sweden has) a lot of good players. There’s no question about that. But it’s just a matter of, ‘Okay, we don’t have the (Nathan) MacKinnon’s or the (Connor) McDavid’s of the world?’ Just talking about game breakers is something that is kind of worrisome for me because (they’re) going to need that top player to step forward and be a deciding factor in an important game.
“Obviously, William Nylander is probably the one who comes closest to mind. He’s had an up-and-down season, being injured really for the first time in his career and missing a lot of time. But up front, Sweden has good players. It’s just a matter of can they elevate their game to the level, and really compete with the best in the world. That’s the question mark I have right now for this Swedish team.”
You can watch the full segment below:
PRESENTED BY DAILY FACEOFF’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE
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