PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins will head into the NHL’s Olympic break riding momentum — and sending four players to represent their countries at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
The Penguins enter the break as one of the league’s hottest teams, going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and sitting second in the Metropolitan Division. The upcoming Games mark the first time since the 2014 Sochi Olympics that NHL players will participate in the men’s hockey tournament, after pandemic-related scheduling changes caused the league to withdraw from the 2022 Beijing Games.
Leading the Penguins’ Olympic contingent is captain Sidney Crosby, who was named captain of Team Canada, one of the favorites to win gold. Crosby is no stranger to Olympic success, having captured gold medals with Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the 2014 Sochi Games. His overtime goal against the United States in the 2010 gold-medal game remains one of the most iconic moments in international hockey.
Crosby also served as captain of Team Canada at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, further cementing his role as one of the sport’s most respected leaders.
Defenseman Erik Karlsson and right wing Rickard Rakell will represent Sweden. Both players competed for the Swedes at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off. For Rakell, the Milano-Cortina Games will mark his first Olympic appearance. Karlsson is making his second trip to the Olympics after skating for Sweden in 2014, when the team earned silver after losing to Canada in the gold-medal game.
Goaltender Arturs Silovs will represent Latvia, continuing his strong international résumé. The Riga native has appeared in multiple international tournaments, including the 2022 and 2023 World Championships and the 2018 World Under-18 Championship. At the 2023 World Championship, Silovs led Latvia to a bronze medal, posting a 7-3-0 record with a 2.20 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. He was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and Best Goaltender and earned a spot on the First All-Star Team.
With four Olympians and a surge in the standings, the Penguins hope their momentum carries through the break and into the stretch run of the NHL season.