Flashback Friday: Looking at the which Oilers represented their country at the 1998 and 2002 Olympics |
In just a few days, men’s hockey at the 2026 Olympics will begin.
This year, the Edmonton Oilers will send three players, with Connor McDavid representing Team Canada, and both Leon Draisaitl and Josh Samanski representing Team Germany. It’s the first time since 2014 that National Hockey League players have played in the tournament.
The first year NHL players were eligible was back in 1998, with NHL players also heading to the 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014 tournaments. In this edition of Flashback Friday, we’ll look at the Oilers who attended the 1998 and 2002 Olympics. Next Friday, we’ll look at the Oilers who attended the 2006, 2010, and 2014 Olympics, before looking at former Oilers who attended the 2018 and 2022 Olympics on the following Wednesday.
1998 Olympics
The 1998 Olympics were held in Nagano, Japan, running from February 7th until the 22nd. It featured 14 teams, and saw Czechia knock off Russia in the gold medal game, while Team Canada had a disappointing tournament, falling to Finland in the bronze medal game.
In total, the Oilers sent seven players to the tournament. Representing Canada was netminder Curtis Joseph, but he failed to appear in any games. Makes sense, as the other two goalies on Team Canada were Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy. Former........