Former Canadiens Who Played in the Last Winter Olympics 2018, Raphael Diaz, Switzerland, James Wisniewski, United States, Jiri Sekac, Czech Republic

The last edition of Winter Olympics happened in 2018, in PyeongChang, South Korea, from February 9 to 25. The men’s ice hockey team gold medal was won by the Russian national team, which competed under the name OAR (Olympic Athletes from Russia). They defeated the German team in the championship game with an overtime score of 4-3.

What set the men’s ice hockey tournament in last Olympics apart was that, unlike in previous years, the NHL decided not to send any of its players to the tournament. This was despite players from other European ice hockey leagues and North American minor leagues taking part in the prestigious event.

A good number of former players of Montreal Canadiens also represented their respective countries in that Olympics. Hence, Habs fans had something to cheer about, and also got behind many of those players in the markets.

With 2020 Summer Olympics postponed and now scheduled to open on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, it remains to be seen if the Winter Olympics will be pushed back too, and if NHL will play participate this time. Let’s now tell you about some of those former Canadiens who saw action in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Raphael Diaz – Switzerland

Raphael Diaz will always be remembered as the Habs player who was traded for Dale Weise, the folk hero, in the 2013-14 season. As a defenceman, Diaz’s stats with the Canadiens were: 128 GP, 37 assists and fans goals. Needless to say, when Weise arrived, he quickly found a way into fans’ hearts. Diaz, on the other hand, bounced around in the league, switching from Canucks to Rangers and then Flames, only to find his way back into the Blueshirts.

During his stint with the Montreal Canadiens, Diaz did pretty well as a defender, despite playing in a style which didn’t align very well with the team’s coaching style. He never had  gaudy numbers, but still worked for the Swiss national team who used him to play heavy minutes.

James Wisniewski – United States

With statistics like 43 GP, 23 assists and seven goals, James Wisniewski had been an  interesting player for Montreal Canadiens. Post his acquisition for second-round pick, as well as conditional fifth, Wisniewski replaced Andrei Markov who came down with an injury, and contributed on the Montreal’s scoresheet. However, Wisniewski was traded to Columbus for a seventh round draft pick in the off-season. Considering his experience in the NHL and the overall quality of the US hockey team’s defence, Wisniewski got ample ice time during Winter Olympics.

Jiri Sekac – Czech Republic

Jiri Sekac was a rather enigmatic player, grabbing the hockey world’s attention during the off-season after exceling in the KHL. The moment Montreal brought him on board he seemed like a steal for the team. Sekac played a skilled and fast paced game, however he lacked the finishing skills. The first goal he scored in NHL was against Boston Bruins, thereby raising the hopes of the fans.

His stint in NHL didn’t last long as he was traded for Devante Smith-Pelly, followed by bouncing among Chicago, Arizona and Anaheim, before returning to Europe in the year 2016. He has been a key player for Ak Bars Kazan, in KHL.