For a large portion of the Tampa Bay Lightning roster, the next two weeks will carry a feeling that’s hard to put into words.
Alumnus Freddy Modin describes it as a “mystique”.
Nine different players from the Lightning organization will compete for their home country in men’s hockey at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, which begins Wednesday with a 10:40 a.m. tilt between Slovakia and Finland.
All of them aim to be the first Lightning player to take home a gold medal since Modin accomplished the feat 20 years ago for Team Sweden less than 100 miles away from Milan in Turin, Italy.
“All these tournaments, we always thought we had a chance,” Modin remembers of 2006. “But it's a different type of setup compared to what we're used to here in the NHL. Whether it's the World Championships, the Olympics, World Cups, whatever it is, they're shorter tournaments and you have to make it into the playoff rounds.
“But we were fairly confident going in and knowing we had a good chance of advancing and going far.”
Sweden had little trouble in doing so—as Modin pointed out, the Olympics feature a qualifying round and then a quarterfinal round in which one loss ends your tournament, both of which allow for upsets.
Slovakia won Group B in 2006, advancing to the quarterfinals alongside Modin and the Swedes as well as USA and Russia. The top four teams advance from each group.
Finland won Group A, advancing to the quarterfinals alongside the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Canada. That’s when Russia shutout Canada 2-0. After winning their group, Slovakia was beaten by Czech Republic 3-1.
Suddenly Team Sweden was staring at a chance to win gold.
“There were a couple of upsets,” Modin recalled. “But whether you’re playing Canada, Finland, they’re all tough teams. You don’t really plan on that. You just take whatever game is coming at you, and that’s basically when the tournament really starts because if you lose that game, you’re out once you get into the playoffs.”
Modin played a big part in helping Sweden finish the job—he ended the tournament with two goals and three points in eight games, including the game-opening goal in a 7-3 semifinal win over the Czech Republic to advance to the gold medal game against Finland.
Sweden then beat Finland 3-2 to win gold.
Whichever country’s turn it is for that honor this year—Modin hopes it’s Lightning players Victor Hedman and Pontus Holmberg on Team Sweden—fans should enjoy seeing the NHL’s return to Olympic ice.
“These guys are so good,” Modin said of NHL players being back at the Olympics for the first time since 2014. “If it’s their first time playing these tournaments, it is different. It’s really short.
Some players might have to adjust to a different role than they’re used to in the NHL, particularly when it comes to ice time. In a tournament that lasts two weeks, there isn’t time to completely overhaul systems.
“You're used to being played and being utilized in a certain way, and now you're on a completely different team. Everything has to click fast for the team to have success. I think that's the biggest difference, just trying to fit in quickly and find your role and play within that role, which might be different from what you're doing in the NHL,” Modin said. “The faster you can find your role on that new team, the quicker the whole team is going to excel and find their groove.”
Modin’s gold medal remains among his greatest achievements.
When he grew up, watching Team Sweden compete internationally was one of his few chances to watch hockey on TV. Those games helped spark his love for the game that eventually led him to play for the Lightning and Team Sweden.
“The only time we had hockey on TV was when Team Sweden was playing some type of tournament. When I grew up, that’s when we were able to watch live hockey. With that, there’s this special feeling of growing up and being able to eventually play for that team that as a kid you couldn’t take your eyes off on the TV wearing the Tre Kronor (Three Crowns).
“It’s just super, super special, and I think a lot of that comes from watching it as a kid,” Modin continued. “There’s this mystique about it as you’re growing up to play for Team Sweden. Hockey is a big sport in Sweden and is followed by a lot of people, so it’s super special.”
Modin pointed out that hockey Olympians don’t have much time to adjust to the calendar because their games run throughout the entire Olympics, while other events are on a shorter clock. He recommended NHLers take time to explore Italy and enjoy the experience away from the rink, at least as much as they can.
“Everything happens so fast, and once the games start there's not much time off. You might have a day or so in between games, and you want to try to find time to see some other events, meet some of the other competitors and hang out in the village. That Olympic village is a really cool place to hang out,” Modin said. “But again, we don't have so much time really to do that because you're playing every other day, and once you're done, you're taking off.”
And if there’s one thing the current Bolts absolutely must mix in during their time in Italy?
“For sure the pizza and pasta,” Modin said. “It’s delicious.”
