Lundqvist, Richter fired up for NHL’s return to Olympics

NEW YORK -- Count Hockey Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist and former NHL goalie Mike Richter among the many excited for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

The two, who each played goalie for the New York Rangers and represented his country in the Olympics, were on hand Saturday at Fanatics Fest NYC, a showcase of sports and entertainment in its second year. They stopped by the NHL activations, which included target practice at a washer-dryer shooting setup and a 360-degree drone camera.

Lundqvist, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2023, played for Sweden three times in the Olympics, winning gold in 2006 and silver in 2014, the last time NHL players participated

"I'm happy for the players. I think it's great for the fans," Lundqvist said of NHL players returning to the Olympics. "It's such a unique opportunity to play for your country and best on best. It's a great tournament, but just the experience to be in the Olympics alone is incredible, so I think it's awesome."

The men's tournament will start with preliminary games Feb. 11, and the gold-medal game is scheduled for Feb. 22. Each of the 12 teams has announced the first six players on its roster, with the remainder to be announced later this year.

Forwards Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche), Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings), William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings), and defensemen Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres) and Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning) were Sweden's first six selections.

"I think the core of the team is kind of set, but after that, you need to know who's playing well in November, December before you can make the entire lineup," Lundqvist said. "It's going to be exciting for all the fans."

Sweden is formidable in goal with options including Jacob Markstrom (New Jersey Devils), Linus Ullmark (Ottawa Senators), Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota Wild) and Samuel Ersson (Philadelphia Flyers). It is also looking to rebound after not making it past the round-robin stage at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

"There's a lot of good guys playing right now. Of course we're going to need it for the Olympics," Lundqvist said. "It's going to be tough division, but Markstrom, Ullmark … those core guys are doing so well this year, so it is fun to see."

Sweden will play with Finland, Slovakia and Italy in Group B; Canada, Czechia, Switzerland and France will be in Group A, and the United States, Germany, Latvia and Denmark will make up Group C.

Richter, who won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994 and played for the United States in three Olympics (1988, 1998, 2002), including winning silver in 2002, was impressed with the team’s runner-up finish at 4 Nations and expects more success at the Olympics.

"I think the fact that the NHL has made a commitment to play in the international format is awesome," Richter said. "We have such an international game, and everybody has their national pride, and I just know as a player, it was really one of the highlights of my career to be able to play in that a few times. And for the fans, it's the highlight of the season."

The first six United States players are forwards Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights), Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers) and Brady Tkachuk (Senators), and defensemen Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks) and Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins).

Despite not naming a goalie to the preliminary roster, Richter knows a strength of the United States will be in goal, with choices including reigning Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets), Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars), Jeremy Swayman (Bruins), Dustin Wolf (Calgary Flames) and Anthony Stolarz (Maple Leafs) among others.

"I think the goalies across the League are better than ever, but the U.S right now has a core of goaltenders that are phenomenal," Richter said. "You see Jonathan Quick (of the Rangers) at the tail end of his career, but it looks like that guy can still play another 10 years, but some of the guys coming up now are so established early in their career that the goaltending is the strong part of [the United States'] foundation.

"You saw how great the 4 Nations tournament was. There's just more on the line, so it will be more of the same."