Zizing ‘Em Up: Sundin says Sweden winning gold at Olympics would be 'perfect'

TORONTO -- Only 84 miles separates Milan, host of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, from Turin, the site of the consensus greatest moment in Swedish hockey history.

That’s how geographically close members of the modern day Team Sweden will be in February from the place where future Hall of Famers like Mats Sundin, Nicklas Lidstrom and Peter Forsberg helped the Tre Kronor win the gold medal at the 2006 Turin Olympics with a 3-2 win over rival Finland in the championship game, sending thousands of fans back home from Stockholm to Malmo to Gothenburg into a frenzy.

Now, the players of today, inspired by that victory orchestrated by that band of legendary Swedes a generation before them, will be out to win gold for their country again.

On the 20th anniversary, give or take a few days, of that historic event.

In the same country, no less.

Just a 95-minute drive away, to be accurate.

Even Sundin can appreciate the symmetry of what could potentially happen.

“Can you imagine?” Sundin, the captain of the 2006 team, pondered during a phone interview with NHL.com from Sweden the other day.

“Look, by no means are we favorites this time around, not with the depth and talent that Canada and the United States have. We weren’t in 2006 either. We have a much smaller population. But imagine if we somehow could pull it off.

“In Italy again. Twenty years later. How perfect would that be?”

For today’s Swedish players, the impact of the 2006 gold medal team resonates to this day.

At least for those old enough to remember.

Here’s the proof, albeit in a small sample size.

During the NHL/NHLPA European Player Media Tour at Milan’s Westin Palace hotel in August, NHL.com asked the Swedish players on hand what their greatest/favorite Olympic memory was. Eight of them -- forwards Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators), Mikael Backlund (Calgary Flames), William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs) andAlexander Wennberg (San Jose Sharks), defensemen Hampus Lindholm (Boston Bruins), Rasmus Sandin (Washington Capitals) and Philip Broberg (St. Louis Blues), and goalie Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota Wild) -- listed the 2006 team.

Such is the impact Sundin and his teammates are still having two decades later.

“Sweden beating Finland in 2006. I’m sure you’ll get that answer a lot. You’ve probably already had it,” Filip Forsberg said. “That was special.”

Asked who his hockey hero was, he replied: “I would say that whole team. (Goalie) Henrik Lundqvist made a [huge] save at the end, Lidstrom scoring the winner from Forsberg and Sundin. That’s Swedish hockey summarized pretty well in one moment right there.”

Indeed, it does.

And Backlund, 36, said he still savors the memory all these years later of watching the celebration when the final horn sounded on the gold medal game, even though he’d missed part of it because he was playing himself.

“In 2006 I had a junior game at the same time as the gold-medal game,” he said. “We’re coming in in the intermission checking the score, and then at the end of our game I think I got to watch like the last 10 minutes of the gold medal game. Was very stressful. But yeah, having that winning goal scored by Lidstrom, assisted by Mats (Sundin) and Peter (Forsberg), well, that’s really special for Swedish hockey.”

It remains so to this day.

“I agree, that was very special, especially for that golden generation of Swedish players,” Lindholm said. “And it’s been a driving force for ours. I mean, if we could do it again ...”

Could you imagine?

* * * *

It was Sundin who made sure that special moment was shared with his native people back home.

On Feb. 26, 2006, he and his teammates celebrated like never before in the minutes and hours following their championship win. Seven of the players on that roster -- Sundin, Lidstrom, Lundqvist, Forsberg, Daniel Alfredsson, Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin -- went on to be voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

At one point that day, former NHL forward Mats Naslund, the general manager of the Swedish Olympic team, congratulated the players and told them travel arrangements had been made for the NHLers on the roster to go back to North America to rejoin their pro teams the following day. Sundin, Lidstrom and Forsberg were having none of that.

“I told (Naslund) that we HAD to go to Sweden the next day,” Sundin recalled. “There was a bit of a commotion, for sure, until they told us a plane had been arranged by the Swedish Hockey Federation to take us to Stockholm. I think it was a big hassle for management and the Federation to arrange that, but it’s something we really wanted. It had to be done.”

In the end, it was worth it. And then some.

“It was amazing,” Sundin said. “It was such a special moment to share when we got there. Not only for the team, but for the people at home. For the people of Sweden to come out and celebrate with the players in downtown Stockholm and enjoy such a unique victory, it was just so special.

“It’s flattering to know to hear that some of the Swedish players of today remember and are inspired by it, especially since some of them were probably in diapers. Sweden had never won a best-on-best international tournament before and has never won one since.

“Imagine if they could do it this time around, same country, with the anniversary and all ...”

An entire hockey-crazed country is doing just that.

SHOOTING FROM THE LIP

Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz, who had the best save percentage in the NHL last season (.926; minimum 20 games), recently professed his dream of representing the United States at the Olympics.

Given the presence of goalies Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets), Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars) and Jeremy Swayman (Bruins), the trio who were at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, plus the optimistic starts to the 2025-26 season by Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks and Joey Daccord of the Seattle Kraken, the New Jersey native is a longshot at best to make the team.

Where he doesn’t take a back seat to those aforementioned guys, however, is stating what’s on his mind.

And after the Maple Leafs’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Kraken on Saturday, the 31-year-old pulled no punches in scrutinizing his teammates.

Not only is he sick and tired of being knocked around in his goal crease -- a frequent occurrence early this season, including at least three times against the Kraken -- he questioned the team’s work ethic as a whole and, in particular, on Seattle’s winning goal by Josh Mahura. Stolarz didn't name any names, but Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube later mentioned Nylander as the player who lost his check on the play.

Stolarz’s comments understandably were the hot topic of conversation in Toronto the next morning, at least other than the Toronto Blue Jays and their quest to qualify for a World Series for the first time in 32 years. If you’re not updated on what he had to say, which was immaculately documented in colleague Dave McCarthy’s game recap on NHL.com, here’s a sample:

“I mean, a lot of guys have been here for a while,” Stolarz said. “Overtime, you can’t let someone beat you up the ice there. It’s a clear-cut breakaway, a minute left and you want to be on the ice in that situation, you’ve got to work hard. You’ve got to work back, and it cost us a point there. It’s early, we have some time to jell, but at the end of the day, it’s more or less just about working hard. When we work hard, the results come.”

The ensuing debate raging right now in Toronto is this: Should Stolarz have kept his thoughts in house? Or was he within his rights in making his concerns public, especially since anyone who witnessed what happened on the ice likely would agree with his assessment?

A couple of thoughts on that.

First off, with his regular goalie partner Joseph Woll indefinitely away from the team on a personal leave, the Maple Leafs will only go as far as Stolarz takes them. With all due respect, backup Cayden Primeau and top prospect Dennis Hildeby are not the answers, at least not right now. So, when Stolarz said, “I don’t like having 225-pound guys lying on me, so hopefully we learned our lesson here,” well, he makes a legitimate point, one that should be heeded. It’s an understandably sensitive subject with him after he sustained a concussion when Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett made contact with him during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round last season.

Secondly, on the topic of work ethic, remember this: Stolarz was with the Panthers as the backup to starter Sergei Bobrovsky during their run to the Stanley Cup in 2024. That’s the same Panthers who eliminated the Maple Leafs from the playoffs the past two seasons en route to back-to-back championships. Led by the likes of Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk, Florida is known for its relentless effort. So, when it comes to that aspect of the game, Stolarz had a firsthand view of what it takes to win, and when a team is falling short of that.

Maybe Stolarz was channeling his inner Tkachuk, the feisty forward who’s never been shy to shoot from the lip and always seems to walk the walk after talking the talk (he has two Stanley Cup rings as evidence). Maybe Stolarz has more confidence in saying what’s on his mind now that he has the security that comes with the four-year, $15 million contract ($3.75 million average annual value) he signed on Sept. 28.

This much is certain: Stolarz wants nothing more than to be reunited again with Tkachuk, this time with Team USA. Tkachuk was one of the first six players named to the roster in June.

“You’re going to say yes as soon as you can,” Stolarz told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox last week when asked about the prospect. “It’s one of those things you can’t really think about or control. I mean, you look at the goalies in the U.S., and there’s seven or eight guys that can be on that roster. So, just to even be in the breath, in the mention of it, is an honor.

“You know what? If I play well enough to be in the discussion for Team USA, it means that the Leafs are winning a lot of games. So, it’s a win-win.”

That wasn’t the case Saturday. And Stolarz made sure it was known he wasn’t happy about it.

OLYMPICS STOCK WATCH

Cole Caufield, F, United States (Montreal Canadiens)

Among the most discussed players who didn’t make the roster for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off were forwards Caufield, Tage Thompson (Buffalo Sabres) and Jason Robertson (Stars).

In Caufield’s case, the 24-year-old had 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in the 26 games and was an impressive plus-13 from the end of 4 Nations to the conclusion of the 2024-25 regular season. He followed that up by leading Montreal with three goals in the Eastern Conference First Round against the Washington Capitals, a best-of-7 series it lost in five games.

He’s been even better to start this season with eight points (five goals, three assists) in six games. Two of the Canadiens’ four victories have come via his game-winners, each of which has come in overtime.

In doing so, Caufield has proven once again that he can be a difference-maker. You can be sure it’s the type of trait U.S. general manager Bill Guerin is closely monitoring.

QUOTE/UNQUOTE

“Our expectation is that we’re going to win, and I think that’s all Billy’s saying. American hockey is as good as it’s ever been, and we’re developing players at a decent rate. Just from a sheer numbers standpoint, there were guys left off that (4 Nations) roster that are elite players in their own right. Those are some of the most difficult decisions that our group had to make, and I would anticipate that’s going to be the case again when we go to the Olympics.” -- U.S. Olympic coach Mike Sullivan of the New York Rangers, responding to a question about Guerin’s recent quote that the Americans “have to win” at the Olympics

THE LAST WORD

For a preview of some of the elite talent that will be on display at the Olympics, consider the game between the visiting Carolina Hurricanes and host Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, ALT) to be front and center.

This matchup will feature seven players who were among the first six players named to each of their respective national team rosters in June.

The Avalanche sport forwards Nathan MacKinnon (Canada), Martin Necas (Czechia), Gabriel Landeskog (Sweden) and defenseman Cale Makar (Canada). The Hurricanes have forwards Sebastian Aho (Finland), Nikolaj Ehlers (Denmark) and goalie Frederik Andersen (Denmark).

It also will be the first time Necas will face his former team since being traded from Carolina to Colorado on Jan. 24.

The bottom line: Necas is thriving on MacKinnon’s wing and is tied with his center for the team lead with 10 points (four goals, six assists).

Will this be a revenge game against the team that shipped him out?

Stay tuned.