MILAN — Team USA general manager Bill Guerin added only three new players to his Olympic squad who did not compete in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
The Stars’ Jason Robertson and the Canadiens’ Cole Caufield — and the 32 goals they each posted through 57 games — demanded consideration. Even the 21-year-old Lane Hutson of the Habs forced his way into the conversation as the third-highest producing defenseman in the NHL this season.
But it was not enough for Guerin to see past what he and everybody else on Team USA experienced in Montreal and Boston in February 2025.
An extraordinary bond was born inside Team USA at 4 Nations. Those who were around the United States at the precursor to Milano Cortina 2026 describe a sort of gravitational pull within the group.
Guerin and Team USA coach Mike Sullivan have been forthcoming about how much that team’s chemistry, camaraderie and buy-in factored into Olympic decisions. It may have even taken precedence over other determinants. That fact is not lost on the American players who touched down in Milan Sunday morning.
“I think right there, I mean, that’s one of the reasons I think I’m going is because of that,” Rangers captain J.T. Miller told The Post before he left for his first Olympic Games. “There’s so many good players out there, but I think that we had such a chemistry as a team and there was a dedication to want to win the game even though we just came together a week before. We all felt that. It was real. I think that’s why that team is essentially the same. We played so well in that tournament, had a lot of injuries. The last game could’ve went either way.
“I don’t know, I think we just all felt that. I can’t speak on behalf of Billy or Mike, but that wasn’t fake. We felt what that felt like. I’m sure there’s a reason into why most of us are going back. It was a fun team to be around. Super high-end team. Some of the players are — the amount of Hall of Famers that are going to come out of this, right? It’s pretty special just to even be associated with these guys. So I feel very lucky and fortunate.
“But when it’s that time, I’m going to do what I can, but I’m going to be myself. I’m going to act like I am here [in New York] and be myself. I know that’s probably why I got selected. So I’m just going to keep doing that.”
The team bonded at 4 Nations over shared experiences coming through the U.S. National Team Development Program, where so many of them overlapped from class to class. No matter how many years separated them, the stories were all the exact same, just with different players.
Matthew Tkachuk said his stomach hurt from laughing so much.
They collectively dedicated the tournament to the late Johnny Gaudreau, who all of them had crossed paths with at some point in their respective hockey careers. His No. 13 jersey hung in every dressing room they moved to. Team USA even invited his father, Guy Gaudreau, to participate in practice, team photos and a team dinner.
Team USA relished the villain role. The three fights in nine seconds, which kicked off the first USA-Canada game and put the 4 Nations tournament on the map, were coordinated in a group chat that the Tkachuk brothers couldn’t help but reveal in the aftermath.
Social clips showed the U.S. locker room laughing and singing Aerosmith’s “Dream On” after winning that game 3-1.
“It was pretty incredible how we were able to come together and gel so quickly and almost turn into a family,” Vincent Trocheck told The Post. “I think it helps whenever you get into games like we did last year. A game like the one against Canada where it’s so high intensity, like a true playoff Stanley Cup environment. That kind of brings everybody together even more. This is something that I feel like you go to a tournament like the Olympics, those guys end up being family for the rest of your life.”
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In such a short tournament, a preestablished sense of togetherness is invaluable.
As Miller put it, an environment where you can go from relentlessly chirping one another to going to war together. One where you would do anything for the guy in the locker room stall next to you, including accepting a role vastly different from the one you’re used to at the NHL level.
If this team can capture gold, it will be the X-factor history points to.
If Team USA can’t avenge its second-place finish to Canada at 4 Nations, it will be considered the detriment.
“That chemistry was a competitive advantage for us,” Sullivan said. “That’s how we felt being a part of it. It was pretty awesome to watch. I know that was something that was prioritized going into this experience and we’re looking forward to competing.”
