United States aims for Olympic gold in ice hockey
PLYMOUTH, Michigan – The United States team, which is expected to present its best men’s ice hockey roster when NHL players return to the Olympics this February, does not shy away from what is at stake. The ambition is clear: to conquer the gold medal in Milan.The expectation is to go to Milan and win the gold medal. Anything less would be disappointing.
Jack Eichel, Vegas star
The United States has not won an Olympic gold medal in men’s ice hockey since the historic 1980 team, known as the “Miracle on Ice.” However, the American team is no longer considered the modest underdog. Hockey has experienced massive growth in the United States, with participation increasing more than threefold in the 45 years since 1980. With the return of NHL players to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years, a golden generation of superstars is ready for a golden opportunity.
This week, 44 players gathered for USA Hockey’s Olympic orientation camp in Plymouth, Michigan. The final roster of 25 players, with two more spots than in the 4 Nations tournament, will be announced in early January. USA Hockey general manager Bill Guerin expressed his satisfaction with the way the American team came together for the 4 Nations tournament last February, but lamented the overtime loss to Canada in the final. That was emotional. It was tough. Guerin’s staff faces difficult decisions, including the possibility of including players who were not selected for the 4 Nations tournament, such as Jason Robertson, Tage Thompson, Cole Caufield, Seth Jones, and two-time Olympian Patrick Kane, who this week stated that an Olympic gold medal is the only thing missing from his illustrious career. Guerin emphasized the importance of establishing a new culture and a new standard for USA Hockey, starting with a focus on the World Championships. The United States won gold in this event in May for the first time in 92 years. The American team invited several young members of that team, such as Jackson LaCombe, Frank Nazar, Alex Vlasic, and Shane Pinto, to their orientation camp as a reward for their commitment.The stakes are extremely high; they’ve never been higher. These events give us the opportunity to say that we feel the United States is at the top of the sport. We feel we are as good, if not better, than any country competing in this game. And these events give us the opportunity to prove it. The expectation as an American is that we expect to win. We don’t expect to participate. There’s a difference. And I think that’s what has changed.
Mike Sullivan, coach
Americans seek revenge against a star-studded Canadian team, which won the 4 Nations tournament with Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby leading the way. Canada has won nine Olympic gold medals, including the last two in which NHL players participated, in 2010 and 2014. Now, the United States feels it has matched Canada’s depth.We are doing things differently now, and the world championships are absolutely connected to this. If you say no and don’t have a legitimate excuse, it will hurt you. I’m not afraid to say that we didn’t look at that with the upcoming Olympics. That’s the biggest stage. The world championships are huge. They may not be as popular in the United States, but in Europe, in Canada, they are, and it has to be important to us. We need to know what it’s about. We need to know that you want to help USA Hockey win.
Bill Guerin, General Manager of USA Hockey
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver’s captain, who missed the 4 Nations tournament due to an injury, believes that a gold medal will be the culmination of concerted efforts to grow the game. The tournament was a great success, with 9.3 million viewers in the United States, marking the largest audience for a hockey game. Interest grew after Brady and Matthew Tkachuk starred in a series of three fights in nine seconds to start the first match against Canada.We always used to say that Canada could put two teams on the ice to compete. Well, now, we can put two teams as well. We can put three teams and compete in these events. So I think that says a lot about the growth of the sport in the United States.
Mike Sullivan, coach
USA Hockey has put a lot of work into its youth development programs, its national team development program, and I feel like they’re starting to see dividends where we do have some really, really elite players and the best players in the world. I feel like it’s gold or nothing, personally.
Quinn Hughes, captain of Vancouver
