Zibanejad, Hedman, Landeskog submitted by Sweden for the 2022 Olympics
Mika Zibanejad, Victor Hedman and Gabriel Landeskog are the first names submitted to be part of Sweden’s men’s hockey team at the Olympics in Beijing 2022.
Participating countries were asked to declare three players last month.
Zibanejad, a center for the New York Rangers, will play in his first Olympics. His overtime goal gave Sweden a victory against Russia in the championship game at the IIHF World Championship 2012, and he scored 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 10 matches for first place in Sweden at the IIHF WC 2018.
The 28-year-old scored 39 points (21 goals, 18 assists in his last 29 games last season to finish with 50 points (24 goals, 26 assists) in 56 games. He has 283 points (136 goals, 147 assists) in 323 games since being acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators for forward Derick Brassard on July 18, 2016.
“I am thrilled that it is back,” Zibanejad said on September 23. “I think it gives you that extra energy or whatever during the season, because you know you have to make the team. There are many good players. There are many good players fighting for these places and you want to be one of them. “So you want to make sure you play well enough to get the team, so I think that kind of leads to the better you play, the better the team will be here.”
Hedman, defender of the Tampa Bay Lightning, will also play in his first Olympics. He was not selected for the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the NHL did not participate in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
The five-time finalist and winner of the Norris Trophy 2018 voted as the best defender in the NHL is a two-time Stanley Cup champion (2020, 2021) who helped Sweden to finish second at the world championships in juniors in 2008 and 2009, and Team Sweden third in the Hockey World Cup 2016.
“For us, representing our country is one of the greatest things you can do … on that stage as well,” Hedman said on September 22. “I’ve talked about it before, that this may be the first and may be my last Olympics. It will be incredible to have that opportunity to play in the Olympics and represent my country.”
“I do not care where in the world it would be and at what stage throughout the season. That’s what we train for and what we are prepared to do mentally. You just have to focus on one thing at a time, but when that time comes “I’m sure it’s going to be tough. It’s going to be a long journey, but we’ll find a way to fight it.”
Landeskog, captain of the Colorado Avalanche, was a replacement captain at the 2014 Olympics, where Sweden lost to Canada 3-0 in the gold medal game. He was Hedman’s teammate at the World Cup and played at Worlds 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2019.
Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Alex Pietrangelo were the first names submitted on Sundaypart of Canada’s men’s hockey team.
NHL.com Independent Correspondent Corey Long contributed to this report