Gabe Landeskog at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics
MILAN – This is Gabe Landeskog’s second Olympic outing, and he’s eager to take it all in while he can. However, a sobering thought crosses his mind about how much he sacrificed to be here—over four years involved four knee surgeries, and he missed every NHL regular season during that period. Honestly, there’s a nagging doubt about whether he’ll get to play the sport he loves again.
Just as he seemed to find his groove—scoring in seven of the ten games he played—he was sidelined by a rib injury, missing the Avalanche’s last 14 games before the Olympics were put on hold.
Despite the challenges, he’s at the 2026 Olympics, captaining Team Sweden as they prepare to take on the U.S. in the quarterfinals. His second goal of the tournament came during a resounding 5-1 victory against Latvia, giving Sweden an early 2-0 lead.
Reflecting on his previous Olympic experience, he mentioned, “I have a silver medal for my country. I think it’s there,” referring to Sweden’s runner-up finish to Canada in Sochi back in 2014.
An interesting point he made was, “It wouldn’t mean as much if it was a gold medal.” There’s just something about competing against the best and the journey that has led him to this moment; he thinks it’ll take some time to really appreciate it all once his playing days are behind him.
Right now, though, he’s focused on enjoying the moment. It’s worth noting that Landeskog has been part of the Swedish international team since 2011, albeit limited by an ankle sprain at his first World Juniors. His leadership, however, shines through—he was appointed vice-captain at just 18.
2026 Winter Olympics
Landeskog, who previously won gold medals in the 2013 and 2017 World Championships, is keen to add an Olympic gold to his achievements. Inspired by his journey back to the ice, the Swedish team decided to stitch a “C” onto their Olympic jerseys for the first time.
Coach Sam Hallam emphasized how Landeskog’s path to the Olympics earned him respect from his teammates. There were other candidates, like defenseman Victor Hedman, but Hallam acknowledged Hedman’s respect for Landeskog.
Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad shared, “Honestly, this is very inspirational for us.” He assisted Landeskog’s score and highlighted the noticeable difference in him now compared to before. “It’s really fun to play with him. I think this is really the first time we’ve played together, but so far his influence has been huge.”
