CALGARY — John Tavares‘ Olympic gold medal hangs in his mini home gym.

“It’s always a nice little reminder,” Tavares told NHL.com at Hockey Canada’s 2025 National Teams Orientation Camp last month.

It’s a reminder of the life experience the Toronto Maple Leafs center had in Sochi in 2014 representing Canada, living in the Olympic village and getting a chance to play four games in the best hockey tournament in the world for the best team in the world at that time.

It’s a reminder of the pride he had when he first showed the medal to his grandparents.

“They immigrated from the Azores in Portugal, and for me to become a gold-medal winner was really special,” Tavares said. “But to be able to compete and be on the ice in the biggest games, you want that, you want to be in those. Hopefully I can get that opportunity.”

Tavares didn’t quite get that chance in Sochi.

As sweet as it is for him to have the gold medal, the sour part is the fact that he wasn’t on the ice all the way through the tournament, so when he sees the prize hanging in his home it also is a reminder of the knee injury he sustained against Latvia in the quarterfinals that ended both his Olympics and his season.

Tavares, who tore the MCL and meniscus in his left knee, was in the arena when Canada defeated the United States 1-0 in the semifinals and Sweden 3-0 in the gold-medal game “just trying to be a good teammate,” he said.

“Really grateful I had the opportunity (to play in the Olympics),” Tavares said. “Injuries are part of the game. It is what it is. I got to play. I got to be a big part of it. Obviously, it would have been unbelievable to play in the semis and a gold-medal game at the Olympics. It didn’t work out that way, but obviously I’d love another opportunity.”

Tavares didn’t play on Canada’s team that won the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, which means he’s a longshot to represent his country at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

But Tavares, who turned 35 on Saturday, enters his 17th NHL season still at the top of his game, coming off a 38-goal, 75-point season that has kept him on Canada’s radar for the Olympics and earned him an invitation to the Olympic camp last month.

“He does everything well,” Canada captain and Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby said. “He takes a lot of pride in every aspect of his game — defensively, face-offs. And especially when you’re playing on those teams, there’s going to be different roles. You have to adjust a little bit, and I think he’s a guy that can easily do that. He does it during the season regardless of where he’s thrown out in the lineup. He’s done that with Toronto. He can play the half wall. He can play in front of the net. He can play down low. He can kill. He’s versatile, and he can score. He’s still scoring at a good clip.”

Tavares said the Olympic opportunity this season did not materially change his preparation and approach in his offseason training.

What instead is different is his outlook on what this season could mean for him.

“There’s another opportunity along with playing in the National Hockey League and competing for the Stanley Cup,” Tavares said.

There was last year too, but Tavares did not appear fazed by not making the 4 Nations team.

Instead, he said he felt his game, even in his 16th season, continued to evolve and improve, and it has been the case for him the past four years.

“I think a lot of the things within my game, and I look at it and dive deep into it, show that the foundation is really strong,” Tavares said. “Maybe a little better execution last year and that obviously leads to some of the numbers, but overall the way I look at things my last three to four years I’m really happy with where I’ve been able to continue to evolve, and it’s just not be satisfied but continue to push for more knowing what my strengths are. With where I’m at, to continue to get better, that can be hard to say in your 17th year but there’s always ways. My advantage is my knowledge and my experience and how I can use that.”

There’s no question that all of it would be a benefit to Canada in the Olympics too, especially when factoring in Tavares’ Olympic history and the chance to get a second chance at playing for a gold medal instead of watching his teammates win it for him.

“It’s just motivating to have that opportunity again,” Tavares said. “You think about things and you’re like, ‘Yeah, I would love to be able to play in a gold-medal game.’ But you just want to be part of the team. Whatever role you play, your minutes, whether you play every game, you just want to contribute and be a part of it.”