If you care about hockey — especially against the background of politics — cancel your Valentine’s Day plans. That’s when Team USA faces Team Denmark in men’s hockey.
Denmark, of course, controls Greenland, a territory which American President Donald Trump is intent on acquiring. The issue has dominated the news cycle this week as international leaders met in Davos, Switzerland.
I’m no political writer, but I do know a thing or two about hockey — and if last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off is any indication of how athletes wear their national pride on their sleeves, Feb. 14 will be a passionate bout.
Political tensions between the United States and Greenland
Trump has long stated that Greenland is important for American national security. Greenland — an autonomous territory belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark — is home to 57,000 people who are citizens of Denmark, despite having their own elected government.
As explained by this Deseret News editorial, Greenland is of strategic importance to all of NATO.
Trump had threatened tariffs on Denmark and seven other countries, set to go into effect on Feb. 1. He has since revoked the tariffs after a "very productive" meeting with Mark Rutte, secretary-general of NATO, stating that they had “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire arctic region.”
Part of the dispute also has to do with rare-earth metals and minerals, in which Greenland is rich. According to CNN, Trump has stated that the minerals are part of the deal he worked out with NATO. Private land ownership is a foreign concept to Greenlanders, as all land is owned by the people and governed by the authorities.
In the event that any Greenlanders qualify for the Olympics, they’ll compete under the Danish flag. There are no Greenland-born players on the Danish men’s national team, and the women’s team did not qualify for the Olympics.
USA vs. Denmark Olympic hockey preview
The Feb. 14 matchup is just a round robin game, meaning neither team will be in a do-or-die situation unless previous games put them there. But that won’t make it any less spirited.
On paper, Team USA is the heavy favorite. Every player on their roster is an NHL star, while three of Denmark’s seven NHLers have played more in the minors than they have in the big league this season. Their best player, Nikolaj Ehlers, would hardly have even garnered a look from Team USA if he were American.
But don’t count Denmark out.
At the World Championship this past spring, the group banded together to pull off one of the biggest upsets in international hockey history, topping Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Team Canada by a 2-1 score in the quarterfinal. Canada had to travel from Sweden to Denmark for the game, and they were so confident they’d win, they didn’t even check out of their hotel while they were gone.
All but six of the players from that Danish team are returning for this Olympic tournament, so they know they’re capable of conducting an upset.
The United States’ only Olympic gold medals in men’s hockey came in 1960 and 1980. They also have eight silver medals and one bronze. Denmark has never medaled at the event.
Players to watch: Team USA
Quinn Hughes: Generally accepted as a top-two defenseman in the world, Quinn Hughes will be paramount to any success Team USA has. He scores as much as some of the NHL’s best forwards and he’s a force in the defensive zone, despite his relatively small size.
Hughes is a one-man breakout machine and a gifted playmaker. He’s not to be confused with his brother, Jack Hughes, another superstar who will play for Team USA — or his other brother, Luke Hughes, who didn’t make the team but plays alongside Jack with the New Jersey Devils.
Connor Hellebuyck: As the reigning Hart Trophy winner (the NHL’s MVP award), expectations are high for goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. That being said, his performance in the playoffs has not been up to par, and he fell just short at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year. If he can figure out how to maintain his elite level of play in big moments, the Americans will have the chance to go far.
Auston Matthews: The 2016 first-overall pick was an easy one: Auston Matthews was always supposed to be a generational talent. He has lived up to that thus far in his NHL career: His 69 goals in 2023-24 is the 15th-best single-season total of all time.
Last season and so far this year, Matthews has taken a step back. He’s still producing at a star-level rate, but not quite what fans came to expect from him. He captained Team USA at the 4 Nations, where he tallied three assists in three games — again, good, but not vintage Auston Matthews.
Players to watch: Team Denmark
Nikolaj Ehlers: As mentioned, Ehlers is, by far, Denmark’s best player. By the time free agency rolled around last summer, he was the biggest name left on the market, and he got paid as such.
Ehlers is always on the ice when his Carolina Hurricanes need a goal — as he was with the Winnipeg Jets the previous 10 years. If Team Denmark is to have any success at the Olympics, he will be right at the center of it.
Ehlers’ cousin, Alexander True, is also on the team. True played 27 NHL games from 2020-2022, and now plays professionally in Finland.
Frederik Andersen: When Frederik Andersen is healthy, he’s usually among the top goalies in the NHL. He has twice finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting for goalie of the year, and has twice won the Jennings Trophy, awarded to the goalie with the best save percentage.
At age 36, the best years of his career are likely behind him, but it’s been proven time and time again that any goalie can get on a hot streak, which is all it takes to change a team.
Oliver Bjorkstrand: The Tampa Bay Lightning this season have proven to be much more than the sum of their parts, which is exactly what Team Denmark will have to do to get anywhere at the Olympics. Oliver Bjorkstrand plays on the Lightning’s fourth line, but he’s on their top power play unit, where 11 of his 23 points have come this season.
As a 12-year NHL vet and a one-time all-star, Bjorkstrand is a good pro.
What to expect of Olympic hockey
The International Ice Hockey Federation, which governs the Olympics and a number of other international tournaments, has a different rule book than the NHL. Generally, it penalizes physicality more harshly than the NHL does.
For that reason, don’t expect the type of fighting that made headlines at the 4 Nations Face-Off, which was governed by the NHL. IIHF referees have a wide scope of ability to penalize players based on the severity of a fight, but it would most often result in game ejections in addition to on-ice penalties — and suspensions aren’t off the table, either.
The 4 Nations tournament, which happened at the height of Trump’s antagonism of Canada, saw booing of the American national anthem and, in response, booing of the Canadian anthem. In Olympic hockey, the winning team’s anthem is the only one played, and it therefore happens after the game.
Fans can expect to see a high level of competition, with the best hockey players in the world (minus Russians) battling it out on the biggest stage.