Jon Cooper on entering 'crunch time' for picking Team Canada's Olympic roster: "I can't stress enough the work that's going into picking this team... The decisions are excruciatingly tough"

"If you take away a little bit of a disastrous start - we won one of our first seven - I've really liked the way we've played. Every team gets injuries. For us personally, going back to 2017, I don't remember - even through our Cup runs and all of that - has this happened to us. There is a lot of money sitting in the stands, but it is encouraging to see the young guys who have come in and filled the gaps for us."

"Our compete level has been pretty darn good. It is unfortunate that we've lost three in a row, but the coach is mad at the result and not at the effort or way we've played. It is one of those things where we are not getting points, but we are doing well. Hopefully, we don't let the frustration set in, understanding that we are doing good things and will get results."

"His strength on his skates and the puck with how he protects it - you can't take it from him. When you need to kill another team's momentum, just put it on his stick, and he will do it all by himself. He is a competitor. He is big and strong. He is a foundation of a really good line for us that may not score every single night, but it can tilt the ice."

The team won one of its first seven games and endured an unprecedented wave of injuries not seen since 2017. Young players were inserted into the lineup and have filled gaps, providing encouraging depth. The team's competitive level has remained high despite recent results. A three-game losing streak reflects results rather than effort or performance on the ice. The compressed schedule does not clearly explain the variety of injuries, since the types vary from groins to shoulders and heads. Pontus Holmberg has provided strong puck protection, physical play and momentum-killing ability. Holmberg anchors a line that tilts the ice even if it does not score every night.

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