
Welcome to all 165 participants in the Shoot for Gold 2026 Olympic hockey pool. It's been 10 years since the World Cup and 12 since the last Olympics with NHLers, so this is most people's first Shoot for Gold pool. Enjoy! Please note, boxscores are not live-fed so I'll enter the results at some point after games are completed.
 | Binnington delivered a big shutout against Czechia
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Day one leads rarely stick, and by early afternoon on Thursday Cameron Messer was replaced by Sharon Messer. But by day's end it was Dan Meister who took over with 19 points. A day-high 18-points put Gareth Neilson, Jerry Gluss, and Wayne Burke in a tie for second place.
Questions surrounding Jordan Binnington were quickly answered as he shut out Czechia in the opening game for Canada, while Connor Hellebuyck did get a win but no shutout versus Latvia. Hellebuyck's 80 picks were far more than the two Canadian goalies, with Binnington's 31 picks looking like a far better bet than Logan Thompson's 21.
Cameron Messer is off to a hot start, taking the day one lead on Sweden's victory against Italy. He starts with a three-point lead thanks to goalie Filip Gustavsson's win and four points by Mika Zibanejad. Meanwhile the player of the day, picked by no one, was Slovakia's Juraj Slavkofsky, with five pool points.
It's been a while since the last Shoot for Gold. So whether you're new or returning, check the rules. Scoring is different than in Lord Stanley's Pool, there's no per-team maximum, and you will pick fewer players. See the player stats of the 2014 or 2010 Shoot for Golds for some strategy research. Enough clues... read the rules.
It's a short pool, lasting just a couple weeks and with only 30 games on the full schedule. After a three-game group round robin, the top four teams advance to the Quarterfinals. Teams 5 to 12 play a qualification play-in game for the other four quarterfinal spots. Winners of the quarters play in the semi-finals and then the gold or bronze medal games. So all teams will play between 4 and possibly 7 games, with most players picked in the pool likely to play 6 games.
The fee as per usual is $10 per entry. All pool winnings are distributed to the top three (1st, 60%; 2nd, 30%; 3rd, 10%). The pool administrator does not take a cut, but won't refuse a glass of Scotch if you're buying. Payment is due upon registration - and no later than February 11. Don't make me chase you. Pay by Interac eTransfer or Paypal. If you're paying for a group, include in the payment notes the full names of the entries you're covering. Thank you for your cooperation.
Thanks to Tim Smith for yet another sharp banner, featuring a matchup we're all looking forward to seeing. 10 free points for your entry, Tim! Actually I can't do that, but it's the thought that counts.
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