Landeskog returns to Olympic stage as Sweden reveals first six

The return of Gabriel Landeskog to the Colorado Avalanche set off a lot of emotion for his and the team’s fans. Following a three-year recovery stint from a tragic knee injury, he returned to the team this past postseason and played in a couple of games. Now, Landeskog can add to his redemption story.

As the first six players on each of the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey teams were announced on Monday morning for the 2026 Olympics, along came Team Sweden’s list. Landeskog leads the way on the team, alongside some of the league’s best players from the nations included.

Landeskog’s journey through his recovery was well-documented in a docuseries and it showed almost exactly the emotions that Landeskog went through as well as all of the hard work that he put into his quest to return to the NHL. Not many people have gone through the serious injury that he did. I can only think of one, and it’s only due to hearing about it online: Lonzo Ball, now of the Chicago Bulls.

One of the cool things about this is that Landeskog gets to play alongside players such as William Nylander, Adrian Kempe, and Victor Hedman. While there are a ton of new faces Landeskog got to play with for the first time on the Avalanche, as well as the Eagles, this experience is one of its own. It’s not something that comes around every single year. You have to be the best of the best, and it’s so cool that Landeskog is considered that.

It would be so cool to see Landeskog make a huge impact in the tournament.

Landeskog has already made a huge mark on the Avalanche’s history. Their captain has been a crucial part to their success in the past and I’m looking forward to seeing that continue in 2025-26 and beyond. However long Landeskog wants to play or his knee allows him to play, I’m here for it. Hopefully he can hold up and play into his late-30s. Not only Avalanche fans will be cheering him on in the Olympics — His country is going to be with him every step of the way!