A History of the Triple Gold Club

Pavel Datsyuk became the newest member of hockey’s Triple Gold Club on Sunday when the Olympic Athletes of Russia beat Germany 4-3 to win the Olympic gold medal. The Triple Gold Club is a list of hockey players who have won a Stanley Cup Championship, an IIHF World Championship gold medal and an Olympic gold medal. And with less than 30 members, it is probably the hardest “club” to get into. 

Think about it. Players on teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs cannot compete in the World Championships, since they take place at the same time. Sure, a player might win the Cup one year, and then be on a crummy NHL team the next year that misses the playoffs or gets eliminated in the first round, and go on to win a gold medal in the World Championships. 

But then there is the added challenge of winning a gold medal in the Olympics, which take place every four years didn’t include current NHLers this time around, and might not in the next one, either. 

Thus, being a member of the Triple Gold Cup is just as much about skill — being talented enough to make a team a champion, like Sidney Crosby does — as it is about good timing. 

Here is a rundown of every Triple Gold Club member and an explanation of how he got there. Illustrating this feature are each player’s rookie cards. Come to think of it, a Triple Gold Club card collection would be a pretty awesome set to build; not too challenging to track down or expensive to purchase, and a great keepsake of the players who won hockey’s three toughest championships. 

February 27, 1994

The first three members of the Triple Gold Club are from Sweden, and they can thank Peter Forsberg for helping them getting there. In the 1994 Winter Olympics gold medal game between Sweden and Canada, Forsberg scored his famous shootout goal to win the game. Three members of that team had previously won the Stanley Cup in the 1980s before leaving the NHL to play pro in Sweden. Forsberg, meanwhile, would have to wait a few more years before joining them.

Tomas Jonsson – Sweden
Stanley Cup Championships: 1982 & 1983 New York Islanders
World Championship Gold Medal: 1991
Olympic Gold Medal: 1994
Rookie Card: 1982-83 O-Pee-Chee #202

Mats Naslund – Sweden
Stanley Cup Championship: 1986 Montreal Canadiens
World Championship Gold Medal: 1991
Olympic Gold Medal: 1994
Rookie Card: 1983-84 O-Pee-Chee #193

Hakan Loob – Sweden
Stanley Cup Championship: 1989 Calgary Flames
World Championship Gold Medals: 1987, 1991
Olympic Gold Medal: 1994
Rookie Card: 1984-85 O-Pee-Chee #229

June 10, 1996

The next three players became members of the Triple Gold Club when the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 1996. Valeri Kamensky and Alexei Gusarov had already accomplished the other two feats in the 1980s when they played on powerful Soviet Union teams. Peter Forsberg got to join his three Olympic teammates from ’94 as well. This was the only time when players of different nationalities simultaneously joined the Triple Gold Club. 

Valeri Kamensky – Russia
Stanley Cup Championship: 1996 Colorado Avalanche
World Championship Gold Medals: 1986, 1989, & 1990
Olympic Gold Medal: 1988
Rookie Card: 1991-92 Upper Deck #273 (plus other 1991-92 sets)

Alexei Gusarov – Russia
Stanley Cup Championship: 1996 Colorado Avalanche
World Championship Gold Medals: 1986, 1989 & 1990
Olympic Gold Medal: 1988
Rookie Card: 1991-92 Upper Deck #365 (plus other 1991-92 sets)

Peter Forsberg – Sweden
Stanley Cup Championship: 1996 Colorado Avalanche
World Championship Gold Medals: 1992 & 1998
Olympic Gold Medals: 1994 & 2006
Rookie Card: 1991-92 Upper Deck #64

June 7, 1997

The next two members of the Triple Gold Club went from the Red Army to, eventually, the Red Wings, and  won the Stanley Cup. 

Viacheslav Fetisov – Russia
Stanley Cup Championships: 1997 & 1998 Detroit Red Wings
World Championship Gold Medals: 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989 & 1990
Olympic Gold Medals: 1984 & 1988
Rookie Card: 1990-91 Pro Set #167 (plus other  1990-91 sets)

Igor Larionov – Russia
Stanley Cup Championships: 1997, 1998 & 2002 Detroit Red Wings
World Championship Gold Medals: 1982, 1983, 1986 & 1989
Olympic Gold Medals: 1984 & 1988
Rookie Card: 1990-91 Pro Set #297 (plus other 1990-91 sets)

June 10, 2000

It took another three years for the Triple Gold Club to get its next two members. Unlike their countrymen who were already in the Club, Alexander Mogilny and Vladimir Malakhov were not teammates together at the Olympics or at the World Championships, but they were when the New Jersey Devils won the Stanley Cup in 2000. 

Alexander Mogilny – Russia
Stanley Cup Championship: 2000 New Jersey Devils
World Championship Gold Medal: 1989
Olympic Gold Medal: 1988
Rookie Card: 1990-91 Upper Deck #24 (plus other 1990-91 sets)

Vladimir Malakhov – Russia
Stanley Cup Championship: 2000 New Jersey Devils
World Championship Gold Medal: 1990
Olympic Gold Medal: 1992
Rookie Card: 1991-92 Upper Deck #1

February 24, 2002

Three Canadians finally joined the Triple Gold Club when Canada won the gold medal at the Olympics in 2002.

Rob Blake – Canada
Stanley Cup Championship: 2001 Colorado Avalanche
World Championship Gold Medal: 1994 & 1997
Olympic Gold Medal: 2002
Rookie Card: 1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Premier #6 (plus other 1990-91 sets)

Joe Sakic – Canada
Stanley Cup Championships: 1996 & 2001 Colorado Avalanche
World Championship Gold Medal: 1994
Olympic Gold Medal: 2002
Rookie Cards: 1989-90 O-Topps #113 (pictured) & O-Pee-Chee #113

1988-89 Topps #122 - Brendan Shannahan

Brendan Shanahan – Canada
Stanley Cup Championship: 1997, 1998 & 2002 Detroit Red Wings
World Championship Gold Medal: 1994
Olympic Gold Medal: 2002
Rookie Card: 1988-89 Topps #122 (pictured) & O-Pee-Chee #122

May 9, 2004

Two years later, another Canadian was brought into the fold when Canada won the 2004 World Championship.

Scott Niedermayer – Canada
Stanley Cup Championships: 1995, 2000 & 2003 New Jersey Devils; 2007 Anaheim Ducks
World Championship Gold Medal: 2004
Olympic Gold Medals: 2002 & 2010
Rookie Card: 1990-91 Upper Deck #461

May 15, 2005

At the very next World Championships, the Triple Gold Club welcomed its first two members from the Czech Republic.

Jaromir Jagr – Czech Republic
Stanley Cup Championships: 1991 & 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins
World Championship Gold Medals: 2005 & 2010
Olympic Gold Medal: 1998
Rookie Card: 1990-91 Upper Deck #356 (plus other 1990-91 sets)

Jiri Slegr – Czech Republic
Stanley Cup Championship: 2002 Detroit Red Wings
World Championship Gold Medal: 2005
Olympic Gold Medal: 1998
Rookie Card: 1991-92 Upper Deck #18

February 26, 2006

The Swedes would re-take the lead as having the most members of the Triple Gold Club when Sweden won the gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. For Nicklas Lidstrom, it was an accomplishment 15 years in the making. 

Nicklas Lidstrom – Sweden
Stanley Cup Championships: 1997, 1998, 2002 & 2008 Detroit Red Wings
World Championship Gold Medal: 1991
Olympic Gold Medal: 2006
Rookie Card: 1991-92 Upper Deck #26 (plus other 1991-92 sets)

Fredrik Modin – Sweden
Stanley Cup Championship: 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning
World Championship Gold Medal: 1998
Olympic Gold Medal: 2006
Rookie Card: 1996-97 Upper Deck #345 (plus other 1996-97 sets)

June 6, 2007

Five years after he was a part of a dominant 2002 Canadian Olympic Team, and a decade after winning gold at the 1997 World Championships, defenseman Chris Pronger made it into the Triple Gold Club when he helped the Anaheim Ducks win the Stanley Cup in 2007. 

Chris Pronger – Canada
Stanley Cup Championship: 2007 Anaheim Ducks
World Championship Gold Medal: 1997
Olympic Gold Medal: 2002 & 2010
Rookie Card: 1992-93 Upper Deck #591

June 4, 2008

Three players from Sweden who won gold medals in 2006 at both the World Championships and the Olympics became members of the Triple Gold Club when the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 2008.

Mikael Samuelsson – Sweden
Stanley Cup Championship: 2008 Detroit Red Wings
World Championship Gold Medal: 2006
Olympic Gold Medal: 2006
Rookie Card: 2001-02 Upper Deck Vintage #288 (plus other 2001-02 sets)

Henrik Zetterberg – Sweden
Stanley Cup Championship: 2008 Detroit Red Wings
World Championship Gold Medal: 2006
Olympic Gold Medal: 2006
Rookie Card:  2002-03 Topps Chrome #182 (plus other 2002-03 sets)

Niklas Kronwall – Sweden
Stanley Cup Championship: 2008 Detroit Red Wings
World Championship Gold Medal: 2006
Olympic Gold Medal: 2006
Rookie Card: 2003-04 SP Authentic #159 (plus other 2003-04 sets)

February 28, 2010

Three more Canadians joined the Triple Gold Club over the next two years. When Canada won the gold medal at the 2010 Olympics, Eric Staal became a member.

Eric Staal – Canada
Stanley Cup Championship: 2006 Carolina Hurricanes
World Championship Gold Medal: 2007
Olympic Gold Medal: 2010
Rookie Card: 2003-04 Topps C55 #149 (plus other 2003-04 sets)

June 9, 2010

Just over three months later, Jonathan Toews — also a member of the 2010 Canadian Olympic Team — joined the Club after captaining the Chicago Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup Championship. 

Jonathan Toews – Canada
Stanley Cup Championships: 2010, 2013 & 2015 Chicago Blackhawks
World Championship Gold Medal: 2007
Olympic Gold Medal: 2010 & 2014
Rookie Card: 2007-08 Upper Deck #462 (plus other 2007-08 sets)

June 15, 2011

A year after that, Patrice Bergeron followed suit when the Boston Bruins won the 2011 Stanley Cup Championship. 

Patrice Bergeron – Canada
Stanley Cup Championship: 2011 Boston Bruins
World Championship Gold Medal: 2004
Olympic Gold Medals: 2010 & 2014
Rookie Card: 2003-04 Topps C55 #148 (plus other 2003-04 sets)

May 17, 2015

It was another four years before another player joined the Triple Gold Club. The Pittsburgh Penguins lost in the first round of the NHL playoffs, so Sidney Crosby was able to join the Canadian team at the World Championships. The team won gold, making Crosby the 26th member of the Club. 

Sidney Crosby – Canada
Stanley Cup Championships: 2009, 2016 & 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins
World Championship Gold Medal: 2015
Olympic Gold Medal: 2010 & 2014
Rookie Card: 2005-06 Parkhurst #657 (plus other 2005-06 sets)

May 22, 2016

Corey Perry became the last Canadian — for now — to join the Triple Gold Club when he won a World Championship in 2016. 

2005-06 Victory #281 - Corey Perry

Corey Perry – Canada
Stanley Cup Championship: 2007 Anaheim Ducks
World Championship Gold Medal: 2016
Olympic Gold Medal: 2010 & 2014
Rookie Card: 2005-06 Upper Deck Victory #281 (plus other 2005-06 sets)

February 25, 2018

The latest addition to the Triple Gold Club is Russian forward Pavel Datsyuk, who captained the 2018 Olympic Athletes of Russia Team to a gold medal victory over Germany. For Datsyuk, it was an accomplishment 16 years in the making. 

Pavel Datsyuk – Russia
Stanley Cup Championships: 2002 & 2008 Detroit Red Wings
World Championship Gold Medal: 2012
Olympic Gold Medal: 2018
Rookie Card: 2001-02 Upper Deck #422 (plus other 2001-02 sets)

Bonus: Triple Gold Club Coaches

February 28, 2010

There’s just one. And no surprise here, it’s Mike Babcock. Although technically, coaches aren’t awarded Olympic medals, but a coach on a championship team is arguably as important as any player. 

Mike Babcock (Coach) – Canada
Stanley Cup Championship: 2008 Detroit Red Wings
World Championship Gold Medal: 2004
Olympic Gold Medals: 2010 & 2014
Rookie Card: 1991-92 Seventh Inning Sketch WHL #275

Who do you think will be next to join hockey’s Triple Gold Club?  When might it happen? And will an American ever get to join the Club? Leave a comment and let me know what you think. 

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.  

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Author: Sal Barry

Sal Barry is the editor and webmaster of Puck Junk. He is a freelance hockey writer, college professor and terrible hockey player. Follow him on Twitter @puckjunk

12 thoughts on “A History of the Triple Gold Club”

      1. Because it was in a year where the Olympics wasn’t best on best competition. However what ‘dogfacedgremlin’ is ignoring is that the Olympic Hockey Tournament has mostly been not best on best, except for 1998-2014. The red army “Amateur” teams, Canada sending Alan cup winners etc etc etc. So basically only 5 tournaments have been without an asterix at least in recent Olympic history (hard to quantify the real early days of hockey).

  1. I believe Crosby was also the only one who was Captain of all three of his triple gold teams (2009/16/17 Pens, 2014 Olympics, 2015 Worlds).

  2. Sal,

    Thanks for putting this together. I’ve had a lot of fun looking into a lot of this. As you surely know…. interesting subgroup is Igor Larionov, Joe Sakic, Scott Niedermayer, and Sidney Crosby = Quintuple Gold Club (World Junior & CanadaCup/World Cup)

  3. Forsberg is also a member of the 2001 Avalanche Cup team (though he missed the final two series w/injury). Would love an article on the “double” triple gold members as well–those who have won at least twice all 3 championships (Forsberg, Fetisov and Larionov).

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