Eight Players Have Done It Before: Who's Next to Win Olympic Gold and the Stanley Cup in One Season?

It's one of the rarest achievements in hockey. Winning an Olympic gold medal and hoisting the Stanley Cup in the same season puts you in an exclusive club. Ken Morrow started it all back in 1980 when he won gold with the "Miracle on Ice" team for the U.S., then joined the New York Islanders and grabbed a Cup. Since then, only seven other players have pulled off this legendary double. We're talking about Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan in 2002 with Canada and the Detroit Red Wings. Then Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews did it in 2010 with Canada and the Chicago Blackhawks. Most recently, Jeff Carter and Drew Doughty won it all in 2014 with Canada and the Los Angeles Kings.

This year, Team USA broke its Olympic gold drought on the men's side, and plenty of those medal winners are playing for NHL teams currently sitting in playoff spots. So which of these gold medalists have a real shot at joining that eight-person club?

The Colorado Avalanche's Brock Nelson

Brock Nelson at center for the Colorado Avalanche tops the list. The Avs are often the best team in the NHL, and if the playoff bracket falls the right way and they get past a grueling second-round matchup against Minnesota or Dallas, they're in pole position to win their second Cup of the 2020s.

Vegas Golden Knights With Firepower Up the Middle

Jack Eichel at center and Noah Hanifin on the blue line give the Vegas Golden Knights a cleaner path than the Central Division gauntlet. They could face Anaheim in round one, then Edmonton in round two. Sure, facing a motivated Connor McDavid isn't ideal, but those top three teams in the Central are all monsters anyway.

Tampa Bay's Deep Roster

Jake Guentzel with the Tampa Bay Lightning has real momentum. If the Lightning stay atop the Atlantic Division despite heavy competition from Buffalo and Montreal, they draw either Ottawa, Detroit, Philadelphia, Columbus or Washington in round one, then the Canadiens or Sabres in round two. Nikita Kucherov is a Hart Trophy contender that plenty of people slept on before the season started.

Minnesota's Olympic Trio

Matt Boldy, Brock Faber and Quinn Hughes on the Minnesota Wild would be a story if they went back-to-back. But can they get past the battle-tested Stars in the first round? These guys made serious noise at the Olympics.

Dallas and Beyond

Jake Oettinger with the Dallas Stars earned his gold medal even though he wasn't logging huge minutes in the tournament. The Stars are the most complete team in the NHL according to many experts. Jackson LaCombe from the Anaheim Ducks rounds out the list of gold medalists who could make the run.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.