This past month, a lot of the hockey world’s focus has been on the Florida Panthers and their big Stanley Cup win for the second year in a row. The rest of it has been on the Edmonton Oilers and their second Stanley Cup final appearance and consequent loss for the second year in a row. However, while Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers continue parading the cup around their state in a series of celebrations, it looks like Connor McDavid and his other squad, i.e., Team Canada, are looking for some semblance of revenge, as can be seen in the additions made to their coaching roster.

As the world gears up for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, Canada is preparing to re-enact their 4 Nations Face Off glory once again on the World stage by putting together an elite coaching staff for their Olympic team, to support head coach and veteran NHL legend Jon Cooper.

Not that Canada needs much of a boost in the Olympic games; they are the most successful country on Olympic ice in hockey history in both the men’s and women’s teams. Canada has 23 medals total, 14 of which are gold, since the sport was introduced at the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games.

However, since the Stanley Cup loss, and maybe to ensure McDavid gets the victory he deserves with all he’s putting on the line, the Canadien Men’s Hockey Team is going to be guided towards the Winter Olympics by the very same coaching staff that helped them overpower Team USA in the 4 Nations Face Off with Hockey Canada president and CEO Katherine Henderson saying that the team “look[s] to replicate our 4 Nations success on the Olympic stage in February.” And, by the looks of the experience on this coaching staff, it seems like a fair possibility!

Who will make up Team Canada’s coaching staff for the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Jon Cooper and Team Canada’s coaching staff will be supported by assistant coaches Bruce Cassidy, Peter DeBoer,  Rick Tocchet, and Misha Donskov, all of whom come with their extensive history in both the NHL and OHL, and who were all handpicked by Cooper, after his appointment back in June, and a selection committee specifically for this job.

After Paul Maurice, Cassidy is the last coach to have won the Stanley Cup, raising the sought-after trophy with the Los Vegas Golden Knights back in 2023. Then comes DeBoer, who was most recently head coach of the Dallas Stars, who were knocked out of this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs by none other than the Oilers. Before that, he served as the coach for the Golden Knights before Cassidy took over. Tocchet, who coached the Vancouver Canucks between 2023-2025, winning the Jack Adams Award for his contribution to the team’s success in 2023-24, will now be beginning a season as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Donskov was the assistant coach for the Stars from 2023-2025 so already has a good rapport with DeBoer.

There is no doubt that Team Canada’s coaching team looks formidable heading into the Winter Olympics, but will the consistent failure at the Stanley Cup affect McDavid and others as they try for a gold? And while we know that Sydney Crosby and McDavid will be playing for their home country, the elephant in the room is…will Brad Marchand?