![Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] United States goaltender Connor Hellebuyck ( 37) during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game against Canada at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/36829965/20c4ce4caf5cbb37059b89c05584cd7adceba3fe091567b0fca9a97f76a07d65)
Overview
- General Manager Bill Guerin has declared that Team USA “have to win” in Milano Cortina to end a best-on-best gold drought dating back to 1996.
- NHL players will return to Olympic hockey in 2026 for the first time since Sochi 2014, with the Four Nations Face-Off serving as a key rehearsal.
- Injuries to Matthew Tkachuk, Charlie McAvoy and Quinn Hughes during the Four Nations tournament have led Guerin to build contingency plans for player availability.
- Six players—Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Charlie McAvoy and Quinn Hughes—were named to the preliminary roster in June, with further selections based on role fit over star status.
- Team USA opens its February preliminary round against Latvia before facing Denmark and Germany, and only group winners and the top second-place team advance directly to the quarter-finals.