MILAN – Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan felt it was important for his players to be aware of what a rare situation they are all in.
Well before the Americans bulldozed into the gold medal game with a convincing semifinal win over Slovakia, Sullivan made sure to point out just how few U.S.-born hockey players have reached the top of the podium on the Olympic stage.
It’s a message that has evidently resonated with the 25-man roster of NHL players he has coached and coached against over his 13 years behind the bench.
“The history of the sport is important, and in particular, in this instance, the history of American hockey is important,” Sullivan said on the eve of the tournament finale on Saturday. “We tried to bring it to their attention, because I think what it does is it heightens the opportunity that we have. It’s a privilege to be here. It’s an honor to represent your nation. I know these guys take it very seriously.
“When you think about the last 100-plus years. I think the first year the U.S. participated in hockey, in men’s hockey, in the Olympics was in 1920, and it was actually in the Summer Olympics. There’s been two gold medals. The first medal was in 1960, there were 16 players on the roster, two goalies, four defensemen, 10 forwards. In 1980, there were 20 players on the roster.
“So when you think about it in those terms, there’s 36 American-born hockey players that have gold medals. What an incredible opportunity we have in front of us. And that was the discussion we had.”
As for the U.S. men’s head coaches who have led their teams to gold, that number is naturally significantly smaller.
Sullivan has a chance to become just the third USA bench boss to lead the men’s hockey team to a gold medal.
Following Jack Riley of the 1960 squad and the well-known Herb Brooks from the 1980 Miracle on Ice team, the 57-year-old has a chance to join the historically short list.
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“He’s been great,” USA scoring leader Quinn Hughes said of Sullivan. “I mean, really, ultra competitive. I feel like the system’s very communicative. Tells you what he expects and wants, and I think he’s handled our team great. He’s obviously won and dealt with star players before in Pittsburgh, and it shows here.”
There’s been an emphasis on consistency and continuity in the USA lineup.
Sullivan has really only made one adjustment, moving an increasingly impactful Jack Hughes up from the fourth line to the third line.
Managing superstars is what Sullivan is known for, after he led Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup victories in 2016 and 2017.
This U.S. roster is exactly the kind of team that Sullivan has proven capable of leading.
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