The United States and Canada are expected to meet for the gold medal in men’s hockey at the Winter Olympics on Feb. 22 in Milan, and the Vegas Golden Knights will be at the center of the rivalry. Six players from the Knights are on the two rosters, plus coach Bruce Cassidy, who has been stirring things up since last summer.
Cassidy hosted his annual charity golf tournament in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where Boston natives Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin were in attendance. For his first shot, Cassidy used a 4 Nations gold medal as a ball marker. Eichel, on his ensuing shot, nearly hit the water. “It might be friendly banter. It could be mind games,” Cassidy said.
The Knights will be well represented. Eichel and Hanifin will aim to help the U.S. capture its first gold medal since the Miracle on Ice in 1980. Mark Stone, Shea Theodore, Mitch Marner and Cassidy hope to secure a third gold for Canada since 2010. Canada and Team USA begin preliminary play Thursday. Canada will face Knights center Tomas Hertl and Czechia, while the U.S. plays Latvia.
“Last year was a good taste of it,” Hanifin said of the 4 Nations Face-Off, which Canada won 3-2 in overtime. The championship match was viewed by 16.1 million viewers in North America, including 9.3 million in the United States, making it the most-viewed non-NFL game ever on ESPN+. “It was great. I think everyone could see that,” Marner said. “It was a pretty special event. I think a lot of people didn’t know what was going to happen in that event, how people were going to compete, in a way. I think people thought it was going to be just like an all-star event or something like that. Obviously it turned into a lot bigger event.”
Including that win, the United States hasn’t defeated Canada in a significant best-on-best event in 30 years. The 1996 World Cup of Hockey was the last time the U.S. had bragging rights. Since then, Canada has won gold in Salt Lake City in 2002 and again in 2010 on Sidney Crosby’s golden goal in Vancouver. The silver medal in 2010 is the last time the U.S. finished in the top three. Canada went back-to-back in 2014 by defeating Sweden, while Team USA lost the bronze medal game to Finland.
“I think both teams and countries realize how close it is,” Hanifin said. “Not only that — you know how good the Swedes are, the Finns are, Czechs, there’s other teams now and you just have to take care of it. I think for us, we know what we’re capable of. We know we’re right there at the top.”
Eichel, who was one of the first six named to Team USA in June, has been focused on helping the Knights get back on track before the break. When asked what playing in the Olympics would mean to him, he knocked on the wooden seat of his locker. “I haven’t done it yet,” he said. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of as a little kid. I always wanted to represent my country. I think when the movie ‘Miracle’ came out, I think I was 8 years old. Ever since watching that, it’s always been a dream to have an opportunity to represent our country in the Olympics, and I think as I’ve gotten older and understood what the Olympics means and how much of an honor it is, it means even that much more.”
Should the U.S. win the gold medal, would Eichel take it to Cassidy’s next charity golf tournament? “I don’t know what I’ll do,” Eichel said, laughing. “It’s a long ways away. We’ll see in a month.”
