By: Jake Ferraro | Follow me on Twitter/X @18Jxxx18
2026 will be the first year since 2014 that National Hockey League players will compete in the Winter Olympics. Seven players on the Boston Bruins roster will be representing their country at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Some of those players include the Bruins’ top players like David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman.
As men’s ice hockey in the 2026 Olympics officially begins tomorrow morning with Team Slovakia playing Team Finland, it’s always fun to look back at some of the most iconic moments in Olympic history. Some of those iconic moments featured former Bruin players who were competing in that year’s Olympics, and it’s time to relive them.
Yesterday, Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson wrote an article titled “The 7 Most Memorable Moments from the Olympics Involving NHL Players.” Three of Richardson’s seven moments had a former Bruin representing their country in the Olympics.
The first one named where a former Bruin was involved in a memorable moment was in 2014, which Richardson put as “Teemu Selanne’s last hurrah.” Selanne played his final NHL season in 2013-14, and he got to play for Team Finland at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Former Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask was a member of Team Finland and got to be teammates with the NHL legend. While Team Finland didn’t win gold, they still were able to send Selanne off on a high note in his final Olympics. Team Finland blanked Team USA 5-0 to capture the bronze medal. Selanne scored two goals and Rask made 27 saves in the win.
The second one in Richardson’s article, where a former Bruin was part of an Olympic team, was when Team Sweden won the gold medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Team Sweden’s 2006 gold medal is still talked about today. Some might forget that long-time Bruin PJ Axelsson, who played all 11 seasons of his NHL career with the Bruins, was a member of Team Sweden during the 2006 Olympics.
During the 2006 Olympics, Axelsson was an underappreciated player to help Team Sweden win gold. Axelsson’s six points were tied for the third-most on Team Sweden’s roster, along with some of the NHL’s greatest: Peter Forsberg, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Henrik Zetterberg. The fact that Axelsson had a tremendous Olympic performance with three Swedish greats, it shows his contribution. Team Sweden defeated Team Finland 3-2 to take home the gold medal.
The third one Richardson mentioned in his article is still talked about today, which is Sidney Crosby’s golden goal in the 2010 Winter Olympics against Team USA. In the gold medal game, Crosby scored the overtime winner to defeat Team USA 3-2 to win the gold medal for Team Canada. However, there are some fans who might forget that a young Patrice Bergerson was part of the 2010 Canada team.
Bergeron was a young 24-year-old competing in his first Olympic Games in 2010 with Team Canada. While Bergeron played in all seven games for a stacked Team Canada, he only recorded one assist. However, taking home a gold medal in your first Olympics is a great accomplishment for a hockey player, and Bergerson did just that in 2010.
The 2026 Olympics will be an entertaining one to watch for sure, and more memories and iconic moments will be made. Some of which can feature Bruin players on today’s roster.
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