Team Canada: 2026 Roster

[Funkhouser]

Based on the comments here:

In: Celebrini, W.Johnston, Harley

Out: Stone, Doughty, Marchand

Bubble: Bedard, Pietrangelo, Weegar, Sanheim, Reinhart, Suzuki

[Funkhouser]

My updated 2026 roster:

Crosby - McKinnon - Reinhart
Marner - McDavid - Point
Celebrini - Bennett - W.Johnston
Hagel - Suzuki - Jarvis
Bedard

Toews - Makar
Morrissey - Theodore
Harley - Parayko
Weegar

Binnington
Thompson
Hill

Bubble: Bedard, Jarvis, Reinhart, Pietrangelo, Harley, Sanheim, Weegar, Blackwood, Thompson, Hill

[keenan87]

If Weegar couldn't make the team for this past tournament and got passed over a few times even with injuries, I don't think he is even on the bubble for 2026.

[Funkhouser]

Originally Posted by keenan87

If Weegar couldn't make the team for this past tournament and got passed over a few times even with injuries, I don't think he is even on the bubble for 2026.

Agreed. I am hopeful since he can effectively play both R & L sides which makes him an ideal placeholder. But you are likely right.

[PepsiFree]

Word on the injury front when Harley was invited is that they passed up on a couple better guys for Harley because he was the first one available. I wouldn’t count out Weegar just because of that. Especially if a guy like Doughty is out of the running.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by keenan87

If Weegar couldn't make the team for this past tournament and got passed over a few times even with injuries, I don't think he is even on the bubble for 2026.

It might depend on how he starts next year. He didn't have a great start this year, overshadowed by Andersson's great start.

[FlameyMcFlameFace]

I just realized this is the winter olympics we all voted "yes or no" on a bidding package years ago. Imagine we actually put in a bid and won it. Gold medal game USA v Canada in our new arena..

I know the Calgary olympic committee is probably shaking their head.

I know it was expensive.... but damn...

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by FlameyMcFlameFace

I just realized this is the winter olympics we all voted "yes or no" on a bidding package years ago. Imagine we actually put in a bid and won it. Gold medal game USA v Canada in our new arena..

I know the Calgary olympic committee is probably shaking their head.

I know it was expensive.... but damn...

Would probably have a train from airport to banff to go with the new arena too.

Should have done it for sure.

[Funkhouser]

Originally Posted by FlameyMcFlameFace

I just realized this is the winter olympics we all voted "yes or no" on a bidding package years ago. Imagine we actually put in a bid and won it. Gold medal game USA v Canada in our new arena..

I know the Calgary olympic committee is probably shaking their head.

I know it was expensive.... but damn...

I don't have a dog in the fight, but the vote for no was so short-sighted and based on typical populist dog whistles.

The City was to pay $550M out of the estimated $5.1B price tag and get:
-a new events centre/arena
-renovated McMahon stadium
-renovated Olympic Oval
-a new fieldhouse
-2600 affordable housing units

Instead, Calgary is paying $520 and getting one of those things.
The renovated McMahon stadium, -renovated Olympic Oval, and the housing units will need to paid directly by Calgary tax payers instead.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Funkhouser

I don't have a dog in the fight, but the vote for no was so short-sighted and based on typical populist dog whistles.

The City was to pay $550M out of the estimated $5.1B price tag and get:
-a new events centre/arena
-renovated McMahon stadium
-renovated Olympic Oval
-a new fieldhouse
-2600 affordable housing units

Instead, Calgary is paying $520 and getting one of those things.
The renovated McMahon stadium, -renovated Olympic Oval, and the housing units will need to paid directly by Calgary tax payers instead.

If it makes you feel better, you can pretend that the governments spent $30 million on the bid and didn't win, and after wasting the money they didn't have an appetite to support an arena and events center on it's own.

Honestly, it was a pretty shaky bid plan to begin with. They wanted to host some events in Edmonton and Whistler, aside from just in and around Calgary. I doubt the Olympic committee would have approved that.

[FlameyMcFlameFace]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

If it makes you feel better, you can pretend that the governments spent $30 million on the bid and didn't win, and after wasting the money they didn't have an appetite to support an arena and events center on it's own.

Honestly, it was a pretty shaky bid plan to begin with. They wanted to host some events in Edmonton and Whistler, aside from just in and around Calgary. I doubt the Olympic committee would have approved that.

Wow, I had no idea Edmonton and Whistler were also part of the plans.

[Funkhouser]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

If it makes you feel better, you can pretend that the governments spent $30 million on the bid and didn't win, and after wasting the money they didn't have an appetite to support an arena and events center on it's own.

Honestly, it was a pretty shaky bid plan to begin with. They wanted to host some events in Edmonton and Whistler, aside from just in and around Calgary. I doubt the Olympic committee would have approved that.

The summer olympics in Paris just had events in Polynesia…I don’t think it would be an issue to have a couple events in Whistler or Edmonton.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Funkhouser

I don't have a dog in the fight, but the vote for no was so short-sighted and based on typical populist dog whistles.

The City was to pay $550M out of the estimated $5.1B price tag and get:
-a new events centre/arena
-renovated McMahon stadium
-renovated Olympic Oval
-a new fieldhouse
-2600 affordable housing units

Instead, Calgary is paying $520 and getting one of those things.
The renovated McMahon stadium, -renovated Olympic Oval, and the housing units will need to paid directly by Calgary tax payers instead.

Two wrongs don’t make a right. Just because Gondek and council screwed us on the current arena deal doesn’t mean the Olympic deal with any good either.

Would have cost us a hell of a lot more than 550 million once all was said and done.

The Olympics only serve to enrich the IOC and its partners. Host cities and countries never come out ahead.

[Funkhouser]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Two wrongs don’t make a right. Just because Gondek and council screwed us on the current arena deal doesn’t mean the Olympic deal with any good either.

Would have cost us a hell of a lot more than 550 million once all was said and done.

The Olympics only serve to enrich the IOC and its partners. Host cities and countries never come out ahead.

Even if the cost to the City doubled (it wouldn't have), it would still have been a great deal. Not to mention the economic benefits associated with the Olympics beyond just infrastructure.

Yes the IOC is corrupt. Yes Calgary would have had a net gain on their investment. Both statements can be true.

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Two wrongs don’t make a right. Just because Gondek and council screwed us on the current arena deal doesn’t mean the Olympic deal with any good either.

Would have cost us a hell of a lot more than 550 million once all was said and done.

The Olympics only serve to enrich the IOC and its partners. Host cities and countries never come out ahead.

That and Calgary taxpayers also pay provincial and federal taxes. So saying that it would only cost Calgary $550M is disingenuous.

And the lack of affordable housing units is a chronic issue, spanning across many decades and many countries. It's not the kind of problem that one Olympics would magically fix.

[Muta]

My firm worked on a part of the Olympic bid, and it's really too bad the actual costs / benefits weren't communicated properly to the public at the time.

Hosting the Olympics would have uniquely provided external funding (provincial, federal, IOC, private) for the badly-needed renovations and rehabilitations of many of our legacy facilities in Calgary, including the Oval. For every $1 of municipal investment, we would have seen $5 returned from other sources - $1B from the province, $2B from the feds, $1B from the IOC (which was a very rare and unique offer), and $1B from private investment. This would have been the only chance to have Ontario, Quebec and other provinces help pay our infrastructure. Now we get to find ways to pay for all those renovations and rehabilitations on our own, from square one again. The IOC was all in on those games being in Calgary, for what it's worth.

I've said it before on here, but the Olympics would have been great to have, and at a pretty damn good value; the costs and ROI were just very poorly communicated to the public.

[Funkhouser]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

That and Calgary taxpayers also pay provincial and federal taxes. So saying that it would only cost Calgary $550M is disingenuous.

And the lack of affordable housing units is a chronic issue, spanning across many decades and many countries. It's not the kind of problem that one Olympics would magically fix.

Who claimed it would?