From the Golden Goal to the Four Nations Faceoff: Comparing Team Canada From 2010 and 2025
With Team Canada in the middle of the 4 Nations Faceoff, let's look at the last time Canada reigned supreme internationally: The 2010 Winter Olympics.
We all remember where we were when Canada's Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal to win the gold medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics (I, myself broke my toe in celebration) as the country roared with excitement and pride at another persevering international display.
Fast forward to 2025 where the 4 Nations Faceoff is taking place, and while there are still a couple of stragglers still on the current day squad -- it's quite different from a decade and a half ago.
So let's take a look at how both teams compare!
2010 vs. 2025: Which Team Is Better?
The 2010 iteration of the team lined up with the following players:
Staal - Crosby - Iginla
Heatley - Thornton - Marleau
Toews - Richards - Nash
Perry - Bergeron - Getzlaf
Weber - Niedermayer
Keith - Seabrook
Doughty - Pronger
Brodeur
Fleury
Luongo
To say that lineup is stacked is really underselling just how good this team was. When you have at least 12 Hall of Fame players on your team, it's quite a remarkable bit of luck.
You had at the time: The league's best player in Crosby, Toews in his prime, an older, but still productive Scott Niedermayer and arguably three of the best goaltenders of all-time.
The fact Canada used Patrice Bergeron, Corey Perry, and Ryan Getzlaf in a grinding fourth-line role shows just how deep and talented they were -- those three combined for 1,150 career goals in the NHL and were used at the literal bottom of the lineup.
It's no surprise why that team dominated the Olympics that year with only one loss out of seven games.
That lineup has a combined 29 Stanley Cup wins (including ones won after 2010) and are some of the NHL's greatest ever. They'd be hard-pressed to beat.
Looking at 2025, a lot has changed over the years as would be expected, although Crosby and Doughty are both still playing and a part of the 4 Nations.
Canada's lineup looks a lot different and it shows perhaps a bit of a shift in mentality:
Reinhart - McDavid - Marner
Crosby - MacKinnon - Stone
Marchand - Bennett - Jarvis
Hagel - Cirelli - Point
Makar - Toews
Sanheim - Parayko
Morrissey - Doughty
Binnington
Hill
Montembeault
While there are certainly veterans on the squad such as Crosby, Marchand and Doughty, there is also a fair bit of youth as well.
Jarvis is 23, Makar and Hagel are 26, Marner is 27, meanwhile emergency replacement Thomas Harley is 23 as well.
But what they lack in veterans, they make up for with excitement. Having the likes of Connor McDavid -- the best player in the world, MacKinnon, Marner, Bennett et al gives the current Canadians an edge in explosiveness.
However, it feels like there was a bit less bias when it comes to pairings with the older team, and it felt like the reason they stuck together (such as Marleau and Thornton) were just how successful they were.
Jon Cooper sticking three of his Lightning players on the bottom line is fine -- if they were producing. The trio have 77 goals this year with Tampa; and in the 4 Nations have one point combined.
In comparison, Marleau and Thornton at the time had 64 goals and 172 points and also put together 7 points together during the Olympics. It feels like there was more synergy with the 2010 team and played as a more cohesive unit.
If you had to ask me, personally the 2025 team has an absurd amount of talent and each player can bring excitement to each game.
But if we're talking better? 2010 no doubt. The complete, well-rounded lineup coupled with the incredible list of accomplishments that roster had is for lack of a better term -- video game numbers.
Canada has had many times where they reigned supreme on international ice, but 2010 was something special, and may have been the greatest we've ever seen.
