There’s been a lot of excitement going around the hockey world as of late as it was recently announced that the NHL would be participating in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. This is huge news, especially as the league’s players haven’t competed at the Winter Olympic Games since 2014. Now, experts and fans alike have begun projecting the lineups for hockey’s biggest countries, including who’ll be on Team Canada.
While Bovada doesn’t have odds on who’ll make Canada’s roster, the sportsbook is favoring Canadian icon Sidney Crosby to be the team’s captain at -600 odds.
It’s not surprising to see Crosby favored to captain Team Canada, especially with his history representing his country. He’s played for Canada at multiple levels, winning gold for the country at the World Juniors, IIHF World Championship and World Cup of Hockey. However, none of those accolades matches the fact that he’s won two Olympic gold medals with the Canadians, including his iconic “Golden Goal” on home ice at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
The truth is that Crosby is essentially the poster child of Canadian hockey. He’s lived up to every expectation put on him and has never gotten into any major issues. He was also the captain of the 2016 team, so it makes sense for him to do it one more time — especially with these possible being his final Olympics unless he competes again at 38 years old. Nevertheless, it’s just hard imagining anyone else wearing the ‘C’ on Team Canada as long as Crosby is on the team.
Team Canada Captain Odds for 2022 Olympics
Odds via Bovada as of Wednesday, September 1
- Sidney Crosby (-600)
- Connor McDavid (+175)
- Patrice Bergeron (+1000)
- Alex Pietrangelo (+1000)
McDavid Next Likeliest Option
If Crosby is unable to captain Team Canada in 2022, the next likeliest option is Connor McDavid at +175 odds. McDavid is arguably one of the best players that the NHL has seen in the last 30 years, which was proven by his historical 2020-21 season that saw him record 105 points in just 56 games. However, McDavid’s long list of accomplishments isn’t just restricted to NHL ice.
The 24-year-old league MVP favorite has represented Team Canada multiple times throughout his career, including when he led them to World Juniors gold in 2015. McDavid also captained the Canadian team at the 2016 World Championships in Russia, which also ended with a gold medal. Still, some may think that he’s too young to be the captain at the Olympics, especially having not played at the Winter Games yet. There’s also the fact that Crosby didn’t get to be the Canadian captain until he was 27 years old — which is around the same age McDavid will be for the 2026 Olympics.
While McDavid will, no doubt, be Team Canada’s captain one day, he may have to wait a few more years for that.
Bergeron, Pietrangelo Team Canada Odds
While it seems like a long shot, both Patrice Bergeron and Alex Pietrangelo share +1000 odds to be named Team Canada’s captain for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Both men have experience winning Olympic gold with Canada back in 2014, with Bergeron being part of the 2010 team as well. In total, they have nine gold medals as a part of Team Canada across multiple levels.
Bergeron and Pietrangelo both have leadership experience. The former was named captain of the Boston Bruins this year, while the latter captained the St. Louis Blues to a Stanley Cup victory two years ago and is now an alternate captain with the Vegas Golden Knights. However, neither man has ever captained Team Canada in the past, which makes it tough to see how either of them would get a nod over McDavid or Crosby in 2022.
Nevertheless, Bergeron and Pietrangelo are obvious candidates to be named alternate captains, especially with their extensive history representing their home country. It’s just that they likely won’t be the captain unless McDavid and Crosby miss the Olympics for whatever reason.
