LOS ANGELES -- Joe Sakic understands and appreciates the excitement NHL players are feeling about the opportunity to play in the Olympics next season.
Sakic represented Canada at the Olympics in 1998 (Nagano), 2002 (Salt Lake City) and 2006 (Torino). He won a gold medal in 2002.
"It's been a long time," Sakic, the Colorado Avalanche president of hockey operations, told NHL.com at the NHL Board of Governors meeting Wednesday. "There was a time we didn't think we were going back as a league. So, for them to have that experience, I'm excited for them. I can't wait for them to get there and see what it's like."
Up until 1998, being an Olympian wasn't even a dream or a goal for Sakic because the NHL did not send players to the Olympics prior to the Nagano games.
"So, when we had the opportunity, I mean, yeah, we were excited," Sakic said. "It was, 'Let's get going, let's get on that plane and let's go.’"
He thinks many of the players now are feeling the same way for similar reasons.
Save for a handful of players who played in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, including Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog, most of the players who will go to Italy next year don't know what's in store for them at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
They grew up dreaming about the opportunity because they saw their idols like Sakic going to the Olympics, but if they came into the NHL after the 2013-14 season, the chance wasn't available to them until now.
The League chose not to pause the season so players could play in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. It canceled plans to go to the 2022 Beijing Olympics because of the lasting and financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I know we had the 4 Nations (Face-Off), and that and the World Cup, those are incredible," Sakic said, "but there's something different about the Olympics when you get there and you experience the entire environment."
Sakic spoke about the feeling of checking in at the Olympic Village.
"I mean, it's not like any other event," the Hockey Hall of Fame center said. "You go and you're staying in the Olympic Village, so you're amongst all the other athletes in the other sports. You get to meet some different athletes and just being in the whole Olympic experience it's hard to describe, but it's something special. Everybody grows up every four years watching the Olympics. Everybody knows the magnitude of the Olympic games, and when you get there and you get to experience it and see it for yourself, it's awesome."
Avalanche players Landeskog (Sweden), Nathan MacKinnon (Canada), Cale Makar (Canada) and Martin Necas (Czechia) were among the 72 players named to the 12 preliminary Olympic rosters this month.
Landeskog took home a silver in Sochi after Sweden lost to Canada in the gold-medal game.
The rest of the rosters likely will be revealed in December or early January.
Sakic said it's reasonable to expect the level of play in the regular season to increase with players pushing to make their respective Olympic teams.
"You have your guys that know they're on the team, and other guys that haven't been named to the team but they know they're on the team,” Sakic said, “so there's probably a handful of players that are probably trying to push and have a great start to the year to get on those teams for sure. If you think about it, it makes sense. I don't know how many realistic spots are available on each team, but if it's between 5-10 players per team, that's an extra 10-15 players that have to prove it, show it. It'll for sure elevate their games."
