Colorado Avalanche and Team Canada defenseman Cale Makar has won plenty of things during his hockey career. He’s a 2x Norris Trophy winner, a Stanley Cup winner, Calder trophy winner (rookie of the year, 2020), 3x first-team all-star, 2x second-team all-star, and has several other things he can gloat about.
With all of that, it is an understatement to say that he is the best defenseman in the NHL today. He is the best defenseman of this generation. He is like Nathan MacKinnon: He lets his on-ice play do the talking.
The Olympic competition is far from over. Team Canada is in first place with nine points, as is Team USA. But one thing that stands out in this competition is that point differential is a major point of emphasis. Canada has a differential of 20:3 in Group A, while USA has 16:5 in Group C.
Cale Makar speaks as a champion, just as Avs fans would hope
On Sunday, Makar was asked what he would tell his 10-year-old self if he found out he scored a goal at the Olympics for Team Canada. Given his Avalanche pipeline, his response isn’t a big shock.
What would 10-year-old Cale Makar say if he found out he scored a goal at the Olympics for Team Canada🇨🇦?
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) February 15, 2026
“Hopefully, that he can do it in an important game.”
😬 pic.twitter.com/13yOq9jjCr
The Olympic hockey competition isn’t what you would have hoped if you were looking for some tight games. Canada and USA are atop the standings, and some of the other goal differentials (Finland’s 16-5, for example) are just crazy. One other thing that is different from the NHL is that a win is worth three points.
The “important” games Makar is talking about are the quarter-finals, semifinals, and then the finals. The first couple of games were meant to determine seeding. I wasn’t a fan of the blowout victories, though seeing every Avalanche player record a point through February 15 was a cool experience. Surprisingly, Makar was the last of the Avs players to do so.
The talent of Team Canada is extreme. Not only do they have Makar, they have Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Sam Reinhart, Macklin Celebrini, and Mitch Marner, just to name a few. Like I’ve stated previously, it would be a major surprise if Team Canada didn’t come away with the gold medal. They, along with USA, are just that good.
Teams such as France and Italy unfortunately just do not stand up to those other teams, who are filled with NHL talent. I hope that is something that will be able to change going forward. It’s cool to see your favorite players score with ease, but competitive games are a lot more fun to watch as a fan.
Five of the 12 teams competing in the tournament have Avalanche players. When it’s time to go home and get ready for the NHL season to resume, Avs Faithful hope that there will be at least one Avs player heading home with a gold medal. There’s a good chance that one or some will go home with another color medal, too.
No matter what, though, this has been such a fun competition and I’m excited for it to continue. Cale Makar is too.