It’s safe to say the hockey community all forgot just how good best-on-best international men’s hockey is. After a ridiculous nine-year gap following the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, thanks to Gary Bettman, international hockey was finally back at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Unfortunately, there was only one Calgary Flame at the tournament (Rasmus Andersson), but it got me thinking. How many past and present Calgary Flames missed out on representing their country at a best-on-best tournament during the nine-year gap between tournaments?
Let’s take a look at the two Olympics between 2018 and 2022.
Possible Flames at the 2018 Olympics
The first major tournament we missed out on was the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang. 2018 seems like ages ago at this point but let’s take a trip down memory lane to identify any 2018 Calgary Flames who likely would’ve been at the tournament if NHLers were involved.
Johnny Gaudreau – U.S.A.
Johnny Gaudreau would’ve been a lock to play for team U.S.A. at the 2018 tournament despite being just 24 years old at the time. Not only that, but he would’ve been one of their very best players and played a huge role on their team. That season, Gaudreau posted 84 points to lead the Flames in scoring as their only point-per-game player.
His 84 points also ranked third across the entire NHL among American-born players behind only Phil Kessel and Blake Wheeler. Again, Gaudreau was a shoo-in for this team and would’ve been one of their primary offensive options.
Mikael Backlund – Sweden
Still just 28 years old back in 2018, there’s a good chance Mikael Backlund would’ve represented Sweden at the Olympics that year. His 45 points ranked 14th among Swedish forwards that season. Backlund also has a long history of playing for Sweden and had represented them at the then-latest best-on-best tournament in 2016 at the World Cup of Hockey, as well as the 2016 World Championships.
On top of that, Backlund actually ended up captaining their World Championship team in 2018 just a couple of months after the Olympics would’ve taken place. For that reason alone I think it’s fair to assume Sweden would’ve brought him along as a veteran leader at the Olympics.
Mark Giordano – Canada
It’s a crying shame that Mark Giordano never once represented Canada during his prime. One of the NHL’s premier defenders for the better part of a decade, Giordano never earned the appreciation he deserved and missed out on any chance at the Olympics with NHLers staying home.
In 2018 Giordano was fresh off finishing top 10 in Norris voting the year prior and was the anchor of the Flames defence on their top pairing. His 38 points ranked 13th among Canadian defenders that season, but along with his elite underlying numbers he would’ve absolutely had a chance at cracking the team.
Dougie Hamilton – Canada
Dougie Hamilton certainly wasn’t a lock to make Team Canada in 2018, but he certainly would’ve been on the shortlist for the roster. At 24 years old Hamilton was already a top pairing defender that season, posting 44 points in 82 games and dominating at 5v5 alongside Mark Giordano. His production placed him ninth among Canadian defenders that season.
Canada very likely would’ve taken a nearly identical roster to their 2016 World Cup team, but there’s no doubt Hamilton would’ve been in the conversation for a spot right up until the end.
Mike Smith – Canada
No, this isn’t a joke. Mike Smith very much had a chance at cracking the 2018 Olympic roster. It’s easy to forget he was the team’s third goalie at the 2014 Sochi games, meaning he already had an in with the Team Canada brass. There’s also the fact he was one of the NHL’s best Canadian goalies in 2018.
That season he ranked fifth among Canadian goalies for games played, eighth for wins, and seventh for save percentage. He would’ve been fighting for the third spot on the depth chart again, but he certainly had a shot.
Possible Flames at the 2022 Olympics
The most recent Olympic games NHLers missed out on was the 2022 tournament in Beijing. Given how great the Flames were that year, they likely would’ve had a huge group at the Olympics.
Johnny Gaudreau – U.S.A.
Once again, Gaudreau would’ve easily cracked the American roster in 2022. In fact, he would’ve been their best player at the tournament. The 2021–22 season was Gaudreau’s best season in the NHL, ranking second in the NHL and first among American-born players with 115 points.
Gaudreau would’ve been a shoo-in for the Americans’ top line that year in what would’ve been the most talented American roster ever. It’s an absolute shame we never saw him at a single best-on-best tournament.
Matthew Tkachuk – U.S.A.
Just like Gaudreau, Tkachuk was a lock for the Americans in 2022. His 104 points that season ranked third among American-born players, behind only Gaudreau and Auston Matthews. He certainly would’ve featured on the top line alongside Gaudreau and Matthews as well, creating an incredible top line for the Americans.
Given just how special of a season Gaudreau and Tkachuk had in 2021–22, it’s unfortunate we never got to see them bring that chemistry to the world’s biggest stage.
Elias Lindholm – Sweden
The third part of the Flames dynamic top line in 2021–22, Elias Lindholm would’ve easily made the Swedish team in 2022. His 82 points were second in the NHL among Swedish-born players that year and his 42 goals were tied for first.
There’s a strong case to be made that Lindholm would’ve been Sweden’s number one pivot in the 2022 tournament, featuring as one of their very best and most important players.
Jacob Markstrom – Sweden
The runner-up for the Vezina Trophy in 2021–22, Jacob Markstrom would’ve been a lock to start in net for Sweden at the 2022 Olympics. That season he led all Swedish goalies in games played, wins, save percentage, and shutouts. Again like the names above, Markstrom had a career year in 2021–22 and would’ve featured as one of his country’s most important players.
Rasmus Andersson – Sweden
Calgary’s only representative at the 4 Nations, Rasmus Andersson had a very good chance of playing at the 2022 Olympics as well at only 24 years old. His 50 points that year ranked third among Swedish defenders behind only Victor Hedman and Rasmus Dahlin. His 46 assists ranked second behind only Hedman.
Andersson didn’t have the experience that some other Swedish defenders had back in 2022, but given how well he played that season it would’ve been a surprise if he didn’t make their Olympic roster.
Andrew Mangiapane – Canada
Andrew Mangiapane’s 2021–22 run was special. So special that he was garnering legitimate Team Canada hype throughout the season. The Canadian forward group is always the toughest in the world to make, but Mangiapane’s play really had him in consideration for a depth, grinder role. Not dissimilar to the likes of Sam Bennett, Seth Jarvis, and Anthony Cirelli at the 4 Nations.
That season Mangiapane was shooting the lights out, and his 35 goals ranked an insane fifth among Canadian-born players. Add on his elite two-way game and the fact he was one of Canada’s best players at the 2021 World Championships, and the Bread Man had a real chance of donning the Canadian sweater that year.
Noah Hanifin – Team U.S.A.
Noah Hanifin just recently played for the U.S.A. at the 4 Nations tournament, however, there’s a good chance he would’ve represented the Americans at the 2022 Olympics as well. Still the best season of his career, Hanifin’s 48 points were good for ninth among American-born defenders that year.
Hanifin likely would’ve been in touch for a regular spot with the Americans carrying a stacked defence with the likes of Adam Fox, John Carlson, Charlie McAvoy, Zach Werenski, and Quinn Hughes ahead of him, but he would’ve certainly been in the discussion for a depth role on the roster.
The Flames missed out on best-on-best hockey
Looking back, the Flames had some top players over the years the NHL did not participate in the Olympics. They went from having legitimate cases for multiple players to represent multiple countries to now having just Andersson slotted in as a seventh defender.
However, the general consensus was that the roster selection process at the 4 Nations was far from optimal for Canada. The same could be said for U.S.A.
If rosters are more optimized for international competition, the Flames will have decent representation at the 2026 Olympics, but the dream selections they should have had in 2018 and 2022 feel exactly like that, just dreams from the distant past.
