The Olympic gold medal and the Stanley Cup are arguably the two most prized accomplishments in hockey. It’s extremely difficult to say which one is more valuable. A better question would be “Which one is more difficult for NHL players to attain?”
Winning the Olympics means a lot to a large portion of NHL players, as shown by many of the American players who won it just a couple of weeks ago. There is an immense sense of pride that many players have when it comes time to represent their flag.
The Stanley Cup, with a long Stanley Cup history, involves building a team, running through an 82-game season and then playing through a gauntlet of the best teams in the league. The last team standing gets to hoist the best championship trophy in the four major sports leagues.
Few players have won both; Jack Eichel, Jake Guentzel and Matthew Tkachuk are the latest to join that small list. So, for NHL players, is the Olympic gold medal harder to win? Or is it the Stanley Cup?
Let’s dive into the argument for both.
Olympic Gold
The Winter Olympics only happen every four years. NHL players have only played in it six times. That gives players very few opportunities to win.
In addition, hockey has historically been dominated by the same teams. Canada has always been the S-tier team. The United States and Russia usually follow as the A-tier teams, and Sweden and Finland are typically the two B-tier teams.
After this year, one can certainly argue for the USA to join Canada in the S-tier. Had Russia participated this year, their goalie combination might have alone gotten them into the S-tier. Regardless, this makes it a tough challenge for players from a country that isn’t considered a hockey powerhouse.
For example, Leon Draisaitl, arguably a top-five hockey player, has been one game short of a Stanley Cup, but playing for Germany might as well be a death sentence in Olympic hockey. David Pastrnak, one of the NHL’s best right wings, plays for Czechia, giving him a similar struggle. For players like this, battling powerhouse countries only every four years gives them almost no chance at Olympic gold.
Stanley Cup
There’s a much longer road to the Stanley Cup. Of 32 teams, only one can win. That’s almost three times the number of teams in Olympic hockey this year, which was 12. Parity is much stronger in the NHL than it is at the Olympics. No one gets to have an easier road because they were born in the USA or Canada.
In the Olympics, a team can luck into some wins and win gold. After all, the games are single elimination. In addition, overtime is played in a 3-on-3 format, making luck a larger factor. In a 3-on-3, momentum swings are much larger.
None of those exist in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Each series is played under a best-of-seven format. If a game goes to overtime, it remains 5-on-5. If teams can’t win quickly, tough luck. Some NHL playoff games have spent more time in overtime than in regulation.
If parity and stamina hold the most weight, the Stanley Cup takes the cake in this battle.
Verdict
If a player is a star from either the USA, Canada or Russia (assuming the Olympics allow them back), the Stanley Cup is harder. In an NHL season, there are just too many variables. Players can go down injured. The front office may switch up the roster. Careers end. That’s before we take into account the grueling 82-game season and a couple of months of playoffs. To be one of the best of 32 teams is no joke.
For these players, however, they will have a few grade-A chances to win Olympic gold so long as the NHL continues to let its players head to the Olympics. They will be surrounded by other star players among the three teams with the best chance of winning.
For everyone else, the Olympic gold medal is harder to win. If a player isn’t a star player, just making it onto a top Olympic team is a challenge in itself. They’d have to scratch and claw to enter a competition that only takes place every four years. And if they aren’t on a powerhouse national team, the grind gets that much more difficult.
Of course, the odds of winning the Stanley Cup are still incredibly slim. However, one doesn’t have to be a star to be on one of the best teams in the NHL. Every team still needs solid production at the bottom of the rotation. And players don’t have to be from a certain country to sign with the best team in the NHL.
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