In just under six months, the NHL will make a highly anticipated return to the Olympic stage after a lengthy absence of over a decade.
This change comes at a time when the Olympics are welcoming professional athletes for the fifth straight time, a door that first opened during the 1988 Games in Calgary.
The NHL initially joined the Olympic fray in Nagano in 1998, and over the next 16 years, it brought forth several unforgettable moments, like Sidney Crosby’s golden goal in 2010 and T.J. Oshie’s remarkable shootout performance in 2014.
However, the last two Winter Olympics did not feature the league’s top talent, with the NHL opting out of participating in 2018 and being sidelined again in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2018, the league cited numerous reasons for its absence, such as the financial costs, player injuries, and the disruption to the NHL season schedule.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman expressed the league’s reluctance in a statement, emphasizing that, while most clubs opposed participation, they were willing to hear from interested parties, including the IOC and NHLPA, about revisiting their stance.
Despite ongoing discussions, no significant dialogue led to a change in the decision ahead of the 2018 Games.
The NHL’s hiatus from the Olympic platform lasted only a single cycle, as plans were underway for a return in 2022.
However, fears surrounding COVID-19 in late 2021 made the logistics of participating in Beijing seem untenable.
Compounding the issue were numerous game postponements within the NHL, which made it impossible to fit in a lengthy midseason break for the Games.
Bettman recognized the players’ desire to compete and represent their countries on such a prestigious stage but concluded that, given recent disruptions, participation would not be possible.
Thus, while the United States, Canada, and other participating nations fielded teams at the past two Olympics, the absence of NHL athletes provided a unique opportunity for lesser-known players to step into the limelight.
This article focuses on how the U.S. men’s hockey team approached the 2018 Olympics, while a subsequent piece will cover the team from 2022.
When building the 2018 squad, the U.S. men’s hockey team notably lacked the high-profile talent typically seen, like Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel, due to the NHL’s absence.
Nevertheless, the team didn’t regress to the pre-professional era of the Miracle on Ice; players not currently signed by NHL teams were still eligible, and this allowed for a fairly experienced roster.
Among the 25 players, three hailed from the American Hockey League (AHL): forwards John McCarthy, Bobby Butler, and Chris Bourque.
Additional representation came from the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), with a combined nine players from those leagues.
Fifteen of the 25 players had prior experience in the NHL, with three having played over 500 games: defenseman James Wisniewski and forwards Brian Butler and Brian Gionta.
Gionta stood out as the most accomplished player on the roster, boasting nearly 600 points throughout a successful career that included a Stanley Cup victory with the New Jersey Devils in 2003.
In an attempt to channel the spirit of the 1980 Miracle on Ice, the U.S. team included four collegiate players from the NCAA, which notably graced the original Gold Medal-winning lineup.
The youngest member, Troy Terry, was just 20 years old, followed closely by Will Borgen and Ryan Donato, with Jordan Greenway celebrating his 22nd birthday right before America’s second preliminary round game.
The goaltending situation, however, remained a considerable uncertainty.
None of the rostered goalies—Ryan Zapolski, Brandon Maxwell, or David Leggio—had seen action in the NHL.
Ultimately, Zapolski emerged as the starting goalie in his second season with Jokerit of the KHL, showcasing impressive performances with a save percentage of .931, comparable to notable Russian prospects in the league.
On the coaching front, the U.S. selected Tony Granato, who was at the time coaching the Wisconsin Badgers but had limited head coaching experience in the NHL.
Granato had previously been the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche with mixed results but brought with him a decade of NHL playing experience before transition into coaching.
The United States found itself placed in a competitive four-team group for pool play, alongside Slovenia, Slovakia, and the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR), the latter of which was fielded to adhere to international sanctions on Russian athletics arising from a doping scandal.
Though all teams were allowed entry into the knockout stage, the three group victors and the top second-place team gained a bye to the quarterfinals.
America’s chances of advancing took a hit immediately, as both the U.S. and OAR were upset in their opening games against Slovenia and Slovakia, respectively.
The United States built a promising 2-0 lead through two periods, courtesy of goals from Brian O’Neill and Greenway.
However, Slovenia found its footing in the third period, first narrowing the gap before Jan Muršak scored in the final moments of regulation and clinched victory with an overtime goal.
Undeterred, the Americans bounced back decisively in their second round-robin game, where two goals from Donato propelled the team to a critical victory over Slovakia.
Donato opened the scoring on a power-play goal in the first period and then netted the winning goal early in the third, while Zapolski provided solid support in goal.
Heading into their final group match against the OAR, the U.S. sought to secure a bye but faced a formidable roster.
Emerging talent from the KHL, including future NHL players like Nikolai Prokhorkin and former top scorer Ilya Kovalchuk, overwhelmed the U.S. squad.
Despite outshooting OAR 29-26, the Russian goalie Vasili Koshechkin thwarted every shot, pushing the Americans to the quarterfinals as an underdog.
America’s most decisive performance came against Slovakia in the elimination round, propelling the U.S. ahead to a 3-0 lead after the first period with goals from Donato and Wisniewski, followed by another from Mark Arcobello.
Two more goals, including another from Donato, in the third period solidified the victory, with the U.S. outshooting Slovakia 33-23.
Eager to build on their momentum, the U.S. faced off against the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals, where Donato struck again early, offering the team a promising lead.
However, the advantage quickly melted away as the teams traded goals, leading into a tense stalemate that extended beyond regulation and into overtime.
Despite having two power-play opportunities in the third period, goalie Pavel Francouz held strong, and the game progressed into a shootout, marking the first for the U.S. since Oshie’s iconic performance in Sochi.
Struggling under pressure, the Americans failed to convert on any of their five shootout attempts, while a crucial second-round goal by Petr Koukal sealed the U.S. team’s fate and ended their Olympic journey.
With a recent history of two silver medals in three Olympics from 2002-2010, the U.S. returned home empty-handed for the second consecutive Games.
As for the players, five from the 2018 Olympic roster continued their professional hockey careers in the NHL after the Olympics concluded.
Greenway and Donato made their NHL debuts with the Minnesota Wild and Boston Bruins respectively shortly after the Games.
Donato once again teamed up with Gionta as the latter signed a final NHL contract before retiring after that season.
During the tournament, Donato’s ascendancy was marked by tying for the most goals scored with five, sharing the honors with both Kovalchuk and rising star Kirill Kaprizov.
Troy Terry and Will Borgen subsequently made their NHL debuts in the 2018-19 season, playing for the Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres, respectively.
Of the four collegiate players, Terry notably excelled, hitting significant milestones including a peak of 37 goals in the 2021-22 season.
Borgen, meanwhile, was chosen in the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft in 2021, solidifying his standing as an NHL regular before a subsequent trade to the New York Rangers in 2024-25.
In reflecting on the 2018 Games, the U.S. team’s performance became a respectable showing considering the circumstances; however, the outcome still left them yearning for improvement in the subsequent Olympics.
image source from：thehockeywriters
