Capitals At The Olympics: How Fehervary Did In Debut, Why Team Canada's Opting For Hotel Over The Village, Wilson & Thompson's Roles
The Capitals are officially getting underway in Milan Cortina.
Men’s hockey is officially underway at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, as Martin Fehervary and Slovakia won their first game of the tournament, 4-1, over Finland.
Fehervary, wearing the “A” for his country, played 22:03 minutes, the second-most on the team, and had two shots and was on the ice for one goal against. The 26-year-old seemed to get into the rhythm of things as time went on, and plays a vital role on the backend.
He’s not only physical and reliable, but takes good care of the puck, makes good decisions and has awareness and hockey IQ that helped Slovakia control the tempo and keep Finland’s top names at bay.
More on Fehervary’s performance in my latest for The Hockey News.
Meanwhile, his Capitals teammates in Tom Wilson and Logan Thompson kick off play on Thursday as Team Canada faces Czechia. The Canadians have been making their rounds around the Olympic village, taking in speed skating action and using the metro, but will opt for hotel life over the dormitory-style rooming in the village.
Logan Thompson explained the decision to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, saying that Canada wants to be in the best shape possible to approach the Games.
“I don’t think we’re doing it as an insult or anything like that,” Thompson explained. “We want to win gold, and we want to give ourselves the best opportunity to do so.”
Thompson’s role in the Olympics remains to be seen, as coach Jon Cooper hasn’t revealed his starting goaltender yet and will keep that under wraps until the opener.
Meanwhile, Tom Wilson remains on the top line with Macklin Celebrini and Connor McDavid, who have taken a quick liking to the 31-year-old and his style.
“He has so much more to his game than just the physicality and toughness he brings,” Celebrini told TSN. “It’s his skill and his finishing around the net that is really important.”
The Capitals are also sharing the moment with their families; Wilson is joined in Milan by his wife, Taylor, and 20-month old son, Teddy, while Thompson brought his mom and dad to watch him compete.
Since Fehervary and his girlfriend just welcomed their daughter, Anna, not long ago, he’s on his own, but keeping in touch with them each day as they support him from the DMV.