Eight Players Have Won Olympic Gold and the Cup in One Season. Could These Five Be Next?

Here's a wild thought: what if one of Team USA's Olympic gold medalists from February also hoists the Stanley Cup in a few months? It has happened before, and it is about to happen again. Eight players have pulled off this rare double in the same season, and right now, several gold medalists are on NHL teams sitting in playoff spots. The question is simple: who has the best shot?

The History Behind the Double Champ

Ken Morrow started it all. After winning gold with the "Miracle on Ice" team for the U.S., he joined the New York Islanders and won a Cup in 1980. Fast forward to 2002, when Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan won gold with Canada, then a Cup with the Detroit Red Wings a few months later. Eight years later, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews pulled off the feat with Canada and the Chicago Blackhawks. The most recent was 2014, when Jeff Carter and Drew Doughty won gold with Canada and the Los Angeles Kings.

Team USA ended its Olympic gold drought on the men's side this year, and plenty of those players are on NHL teams currently in playoff spots.

The Top Five Contenders

1. Brock Nelson, Center, Colorado Avalanche: The Avs are often the best team in the NHL. If the playoff bracket goes chalk and they survive that grueling second round matchup against Minnesota or Dallas, they are in pole position to win their second Cup of the 2020s.

2. Jack Eichel, Center and Noah Hanifin, Defenseman, Vegas Golden Knights: The Golden Knights have an easier path on paper than the Central Division gauntlet. They could face Anaheim in the first round then Edmonton in the second. Playing against a motivated Connor McDavid isn't ideal, but those top three teams in the Central are all a tall task.

3. Jake Guentzel, Forward, Tampa Bay Lightning: If the Lightning stay atop the Atlantic Division despite massive competition from Buffalo and Montreal, they could face one of Ottawa, Detroit, Philadelphia, Columbus, or Washington in the first round, then either the Canadiens or Sabres in the second. Nikita Kucherov is a strong candidate for the Hart Trophy and Art Ross leader.

4. Matt Boldy, Forward, Brock Faber, Defenseman, Quinn Hughes, Defenseman, Minnesota Wild: It would be cool to see this trio go back to back, but do the Wild have enough to get past the battle tested Stars in the first round?

5. Jake Oettinger, Goaltender, Dallas Stars: Though Oettinger wasn't very active in games en route to gold, he was still very much part of the team and earned a medal.

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