ARLINGTON, VA -- Two of the Washington Capitals' own will compete for Olympic glory, with Canada's Tom Wilson and Logan Thompson facing Team USA on Sunday in a battle for the gold medal. The game marks a showdown between hockey's two biggest powerhouses, the first time the rival men's teams have have competed in a best-on-best tournament since Canada won last year's 4 Nations Face-Off.
"I honestly think it has the potential to be the best hockey game of all time," said Charlie Lindgren.
When the Caps tune in to the Gold Medal Game on Sunday, the team's American players will have a tough decision to make. Do they root for their teammates, who they've been cheering on for much of the tournament? Or do they stick with their home country, unable to root against their biggest national rival?
The question stumped Ryan Leonard, who captained USA to World Juniors gold in 2025, to the point that he had to think on it for a full 15 seconds before answering.
"I mean, both?" he eventually offered. "Both the US and teammates are getting medals, so that's a good thing, I guess? I don't know, honestly.
"I want the best for LT and Tom, but I don't know if I can say I'm rooting -- I'm rooting for them. I'm rooting for Tom to play good and the US come out on top. I can't -- I can't say Canada."
For some, the decision to cheer for their friends was relatively easy, even if it meant going against Team USA.
"I'm rooting for Willy and LT," said Matt Roy. "I'm taking some heat because I’m American, but I definitely want those guys to win...Maybe the only time I’m rooting for Canada."
Brandon Duhaime, who hails from Florida but also holds a Canadian passport, gave a more pragmatic reason on why he was pulling for Canada.
"I'm not swayed too much either way," Duhaime said, "but I'd like to see LT and Tom get us a gift or something if they win an Olympic gold. Just a little souvenir."
Others, like Lindgren, were more conflicted. The Lakeville, Minnesota native has represented USA Hockey several times on the international stage, most recently at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.
"It's hard to say," Lindgren said when asked who he'd be cheering for. "Because obviously you're pulling for LT and Tom to bring home gold; I'm also American, so I guess I'm hoping for a really good game."
Jakob Chychrun, whose impressive season put him in the running when Team Canada picked its roster, is also a double citizen, growing up alongside Duhaime in Florida. He's decided he's cheering for Wilson and Thompson's success.
"I don't want to talk about it," he said. "I'm rooting for my teammates; that's about it. That's my quote."
With the game set to begin at 8:10 am on the East Coast, the Capitals will watch from MedStar Capitals Iceplex before practice. They're scheduled to take the ice at 10:30, but head coach Spencer Carbery told players on Saturday that they'd likely push the time back.
"I think we would have had a lot of guys calling sick if we had a 10:30 practice," joked Pierre-Luc Dubois. "But yeah, I mean, it doesn’t happen very often, and it doesn’t happen very often that you have two friends in that game and two teammates, so it’s going to be a special game to watch."
There'll be several places at the rink to watch the game, from the players' lounge to the locker room to the coaches' office, but there's no word yet on whether the Americans and Canadians will have separate groups.
"I feel like there’s some that like the banter and like the back and forth, and then there’s some that just want to be left alone and don’t need anything from the peanut gallery," said Carbery. "So I think you can get a little bit of both. And then you get the teams that are out of it. I’m just imagining Sandin throwing his two cents in there. So, yeah, it’ll be interesting to see who congregates where watching the game."
Regardless of the outcome -- or who's cheering for who -- the Capitals are united on one front: the hockey world is in for a treat.
"You can't dream of a better matchup than this, Canada versus US," Charlie Lindgren said. "Obviously we've got a lot of Canadians on this team, a lot of Americans on this team. So you've got that banter back and forth. And then just watching probably the fastest hockey game of all time tomorrow. So it's going to be a lot of fun."