Bellemare’s Long Road to Olympic Hockey
Pierre-Édouard Bellemare on October 19, 2023 playing for the Seattle Kraken. Photo credits: Jenn G.
Written By Gina Anton
Pierre-Édouard Bellemare has played a decade in the NHL, won a Stanley Cup, logged hundreds of penalty-killing minutes, and earned the trust of every coach he has played for. At 40, as NHL players return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014, the longtime center is set to make his Olympic debut, a rare milestone for a career built on reliability rather than headlines.
Undrafted, Bellemare did not reach the NHL until age 29, debuting with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2014-15 season. Since then, he has played 700 regular-season NHL games with the Flyers, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Seattle Kraken. His career totals consist of roughly 64 goals and 74 assists, combined with thousands of defensive minutes.
Bellemare has not officially retired from professional hockey, but he has not played in the NHL since the 2023‑24 season with the Seattle Kraken. After brief tryouts and free agency, he continued his career in Europe with Switzerland’s HC Ajoie. At 40, the Milan‑Cortina Olympics are widely seen as the final chapter of his playing career, a fitting stage for the veteran to cap nearly two decades of professional hockey.
Bellemare built his career on trust and consistency, carving out a role that valued defense, discipline, and leadership. Coaches leaned on him in defensive-zone situations, late-game moments, and the grind of playoff hockey. That trust carried him through more than 85 postseason games in the NHL and culminated in a Stanley Cup championship with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, where his experience and composure were crucial on a veteran-heavy roster.
For Bellemare, international opportunities rarely aligned. France often failed to qualify for the Olympics, and NHL participation in the Games has been inconsistent. Still, representing his country at the highest level remained a goal he never abandoned.
At the Olympics, Bellemare is expected to serve as the cornerstone of the French roster. He will center the top checking line, kill penalties, take key faceoffs, and likely serve as captain or alternate captain, bringing the same discipline and calm leadership he demonstrated throughout his NHL career. His value will be measured less in points than in structure, experience, and the ability to steady younger teammates in high-pressure moments.
At 40, Bellemare becomes one of the oldest players in the Olympic men’s hockey tournament and almost certainly the oldest first-time Olympian. In a sport increasingly dominated by speed and youth, his presence is a reminder that longevity is earned through preparation, adaptability, and hockey intelligence.
“The goal is to try to win as many games as possible but knowing that we’re going to play nations that are on top of the world and you’re not going to come and do run-and-gun with those nations.” Bellemare said. “It’s going to have to be an ugly game where you kind of show the dog in the French national team.
Bellemare has often said his career was built on saying yes to any role, on any team, at any time. That mindset carried him from European leagues to the Stanley Cup.
When Bellemare skates onto the ice in Milan-Cortina, he will do so the same way he has played his entire NHL career: smart, steady, and ready, proving that consistency and perseverance can carry a player all the way to the Olympic stage.
