As the 150 National Hockey League (NHL) members took part in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, getting the opportunity to represent their countries, the other 576 players got to spend the three-week-long break catching up with family and friends, traveling, and taking the crucial time to rest before returning to their teams for the second half of the season. I got the chance to interview Vancouver Canucks Center Max Sasson to get an inside look at what he did over the Olympic break.
Sasson lives in Vancouver during the season, and during the break, he took the opportunity to travel somewhere warmer with his girlfriend and dad, and they decided to go to Fort Myers, Florida. He was able to catch up with some of his friends there and spend his time in the sun relaxing, recharging, and resting. He also got the chance to see his mom and travel to Tampa, which is two hours away from where he was staying. There, he got to see one of his other former teammates who was also spending his time in Florida for the break. Finally, he went golfing, which lots of NHL players do in their free time when they aren’t on the ice.
Since the break was a great opportunity for the players to reset and rest, there is curiosity about whether they got the chance to play hockey. I asked Sasson how much hockey he played over the break and how that worked.
He said, “No, I did not play any hockey. We were kind of told to take the break as a reset and not get on the ice, but I was able to work out quite a bit, and our team was sending us workouts and programs, stretching routines, and stuff throughout the break to make sure we were staying in shape.”
Doing this helped players make a successful transition back from the break, ensuring they had enough time to prepare for the rest of the season. Considering that, once the players come back from the break, they have a little over a month until the playoffs. Even though the Canucks might not have the opportunity to make the playoffs this year, the first half of the season for Sasson was very eventful, so he reflected on it as it’s his first year in the NHL, and how he can personally be even more successful for the remainder of it.
He mentioned that in the first part of the season, he played decent hockey, saying, “I think there are some parts that I am really happy about. I’ve been in the NHL all season, with 10 goals and 51 games played, but there’s another level of my game I hope to improve. I hope to make more plays and become better at face-offs. That would be good for me.” Reflecting on what he can do as a player to improve is crucial for growth and improvement.
The whole reason the players got this three-week break was because of the Winter Olympics. In the past, they were used to just getting a long weekend because of the All-Star Game, which takes place late January or early February. Considering the Olympics only happen every four years, it is an exciting time, especially to see your country being represented. When Sasson watched the Olympics, it was exciting to see his fellow and former teammates represent their countries.
He said, “It was really cool to watch them play, they were really good people to me, so it was definitely good to see them.” In total, from Vancouver, there were seven players, including Teddy Blueger and Anri Ravinskis, both forwards who represented Latvia, Kevin Lankinen, who was a goalie for Finland, Filip Hronek, a defenseman, David Kampf, a center who represented Czechia, Lukas Reichel, a forward who represented Germany, and Elias Pettersson, a forward who represented Sweden. His former teammates Quinn Hughes, a defenseman, and JT Miller, a center, represented America and won the gold medal.
Overall, Sasson had an action-packed break, including traveling, exercising, watching the Olympics, and much more. He spent his three weeks off focusing on those things. Now you know in depth what an NHL player does on his time off. Other players might also have done similar things, just trying to take advantage of time off, with their busy schedules always on the go.
Interview:
Over the 3 weeks you had off, where did you travel?
Yeah, I went to Fort Myers, Florida, and hung out with my girlfriend, my dad, and saw some of my buddies.
Were you able to relax and spend any time with family over the break?
I spent lots of time in the sun, relaxing, recharging, and resting, and got to see my mom.
What did you do for fun over the break?
I went to Tampa, which is 2 hours away from Fort Myers, and got to see one of my other former teammates who was also on Olympic break. I also played some golf.
Pretty sure golf is a common activity for NHL players.
How much hockey did you play over the break, and how did that work?
No, I did not play any hockey. We were kinda told to take the break as a reset and not get on the ice, but I was able to work out quite a bit, and our team was sending us workouts and programs, stretching routines, and stuff throughout the break to make sure we were staying in shape.
When you watched the Olympics, what teammates, former teammates, and close friends played, and who did they play for?
From our team currently, we have Teddy Blueger, who played for Latvia, and Kevin Lankinen, who was a goalie for Finland, Filip Hronek, and David Kampf, who played for Czechia, and Elias Pettersson, who played for Sweden. My former Teammates JT Miller and Quinn Hughes played for the USA. It was really cool to watch them play, they were really good to good people and me, so it was definitely good to see them.
How did you reflect on the first half of the season, and how do you think you could be even more successful for the remainder of the season?
In the first part of the season, I played decent hockey. I think there are some parts that I am really happy about, you know I’ve been in the NHL the whole season, and I have 10 goals and have played 51 games, but then on the other side, there’s another level of my game that you know,w maybe making more plays and becoming better at face offs will be good for me.
