ESPN digs into the rare club of players who hoist the Stanley Cup and Olympic gold in the same calendar year. Insiders track these immortals, whose dual feats echo through draft rooms and Hall speeches. As today's stars eye history post-Milano Cortina, the list reveals what separates legends from the pack.

Patrick Reusse lays it out blunt: Minnesota's tired of the Wild's playoff teases, and now they chase a deep Cup run or bust. Front offices whisper about this group's quiet firepower that explodes when motivated, but the clock ticks toward deadline moves. If GM Bill Guerin doesn't shake the roster, Reusse warns the fans' patience runs dry fast.

Post-Olympic odds crown the Avalanche and Lightning as Stanley Cup frontrunners, leapfrogging the Hurricanes in a tight race. Colorado's depth and Tampa's playoff pedigree shine through the break, but every contender reloads with eyes on June. These shifts signal which teams return hungrier and which ones face an uphill climb to the Final.

The Oilers chase a proven Stanley Cup winner from Calgary, but that white-hot Alberta rivalry torches the deal before it even hits the table. Front offices whisper about the bad blood spilling over from decades of playoff wars and recent Saddledome shootouts, where Flames fans still chant for blood after snagging season-series bragging rights. Edmonton knows one thing clear: landing that champ means swallowing pride in a province split down the middle, and pride goes a long way in this league.

The Olympic break shakes up the NHL landscape as teams return with fresh legs and sharpened blades, but only a select few emerge as true Stanley Cup threats. Front offices buzz with deadline moves while power rankings spotlight squads like the Avalanche, who lead in goals but face fatigue questions after a midseason dip. Veterans in Tampa and Carolina hold firm with elite balance, setting the stage for a brutal playoff grind where depth and clutch play separate champions from pretenders.

The defending Stanley Cup champions show cracks in their armor, fueling questions about a potential first-round exit as the standings tighten. Analysts pore over their post-Olympic slump, where depth scoring vanishes and stars carry too heavy a load. Front offices whisper about quiet deadline fixes, but time runs short to reverse the slide before the real stakes hit.