Olympic medley: Well done, girls! | Slaf vs. Draisaitl, continued

The Olympic break is coming to an end for the NHL and the CWHL.

By the time you read this, there will be only two games left in the men's tournament, and then the daily grind of professional hockey will resume across the globe.

In Montreal, the playoffs are about to begin for both the men's and women's teams. But before we get back to our daily routine, let's take one last look at Olympic hockey, which continues to thrill us and give us plenty to talk about! A golden generation!

Of course, Canada didn't win gold in women's hockey, but in the end, it was once again this rapidly growing sport that emerged as the big winner.

The true professionalization of women's hockey through the popular CWHL is bearing its first fruits: growth in registrations in several countries, overall improvement in the level of play, improvement in individual skills, more robust play, better international parity, etc.

All of this was visible to the naked eye during these games.

But we must remember that none of this would have been possible without the sacrifice of an entire generation of players who played without a “real salary” for too long, in addition to being deprived of a professional women's league worthy of the name in Canada for more than four years between 2019 and 2023…

Some of these Canadian veterans were therefore competing in their last Olympic Games. The same was true for American star Hilary Knight.

Closer to home, Marie-Philip Poulin, 34, the idol of a generation, scored 20 goals in her Olympic career – the last three of which were scored on one leg – is reportedly considering her options 

When you think of all the excitement she has brought to Canada and all the pride she has generated “from coast to coast” since 2010…

It's gold dust for promoters of the Maple Leaf and Canadian nationalism…

That said, Canadian women will have their work cut out for them in the coming years to catch up with their southern neighbors. Among other things, the latter seem to have taken a lead in terms of individual skills…

This shows that the development of hockey in Canada and Quebec also raises several questions on the women's side…

But whether or not it's time to retire, for this entire generation of players—Laroque, Spooner, Jenner, Ambrose, Stacey, Turbull, and Poulin—we say BRAVO! for the three gold medals and two silver medals since 2010!

Then, at the professional level, you will always be remembered as pioneers, whose work (often behind the scenes), patience, and athletic sacrifice during some of your best years will continue to benefit many generations of girls for a long time to come.

I am sure they will be forever grateful to you.

It's hard to find the right words, but a big THANK YOU is simply in order.

Juraj vs. Leon: a majority in favor of Slaf!

We turned the Internet upside down last week with this text in which I simply asked you, without ever answering myself, if you would be willing to trade Slafkovsky for Draisaitl.

For many—regardless of which side they were on (!)—the question didn't even arise!

“Draisaitl, tomorrow morning! I'll even drive Slaf to the airport!”

Equally convinced, others replied:

“Come on, we're keeping Slaf! You guys are crazy with your questions!”

In short, it seems that the question wasn't so silly after all, since it was pretty close among the 750 or so comments left on Facebook and Twitter/X!

We thought we detected a slight majority (60/40?) in favor of keeping Slaf in what was intended to be a purely theoretical exercise, worthy of the greatest armchair athletes!

When you dig a little deeper and look at age, contracts, and the window of opportunity for the Oilers and the Canadiens, it's highly unlikely that these two teams would trade these two players!

Nevertheless, for the Canadiens, the most compelling arguments (yes, real rational arguments on Facebook and Twitter/X!) were mostly in favor of keeping Slaf.

Age (21 vs. 30), salary (almost twice as high for Draisaitl), and Slaf's still-burgeoning potential are very strong considerations. Not to mention that he will never play with a certain McGod.

In fact, in four years, it could very well be that the 25-year-old Slafer, still on the rise, with his $7.6 million per season contract, will have surpassed the 34-year-old Draisaitl, who will cost $14 million for another four years…

And, in theory, it is precisely in three or four years that the CH will be in the midst of its window of opportunity…

But, in some respects, the question can already be asked. In any case, Slaf rubbed it in his face earlier this week…

Juraj Slafkovsky doing a relaxed spinorama at his blue line in front of LEON DRAISAITL.
The confidence of the 20 is #unbelievable.

Slovakia advances to the semifinals! pic.twitter.com/HN0mWerwlj

— Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) February 18, 2026

But, since we are NEVER short of big questions…

Who will win the bronze?

It's hard not to fall in love with Slovakia, but I have a feeling that the carriage will turn into a pumpkin and that Slaf's journey will come to an end against Finland, who perhaps deserved a better fate against Canada in the semifinals…

We imagine that the Finns will want to avenge their defeat against the Maple Leafs, but also against Slovakia, who beat them in the opening game of the group stage.

We just hope to see a good game between these two nations – demographically smaller than Quebec, let's not forget – who will be able to leave with their heads held high, regardless of the final result. Oh, and here's a quick curveball question: if it were an Olympic team, would the Montreal Canadiens be favorites to win the bronze against Finland?

Who will win gold? Doubts on both sides…

Will Bill Guerin and his many unpopular decisions win his bet?

It pains me to say this, but if there is one team on Earth that could afford to leave Lane Hutson out, it's Bill Guerin's.

The six regular U.S. defensemen are all excellent defensemen still in their prime and with fairly complementary styles.

If the United States ever falls behind or the game goes into overtime, Hutson obviously wouldn't have hurt.

But in that regard, it may be Caufield's non-selection that could cost him the most against Canada…

One also wonders whether Hellebuyck will be able to hold his own in a final game against the red and white nuclear weapons…

But on the Canadian side, several doubts are also creeping in here and there…

The last-minute victories against the Czech Republic and Finland have left their mark. There are some injured players: Crosby, Marchand, MacKinnon, and undoubtedly others…

The defense is a bit suspect. Will Makar be overtaxed? Would we have needed Schaefer's mobility, enthusiasm, and talent, or the mobility, versatility, and experience of Dobson and Matheson?

And then there's Binnington in goal… You can't fault him so far, but he's not exactly the Carey Price of 2014 in front of the net…

So, who's going to win on Sunday?

Tell us on social media!

One thing's for sure, after a hearty Sunday morning brunch, a nice orange tart for dessert would be very refreshing, wouldn't it?

Unless you'd rather open another bag of Cheetos with an Orange Crush…