Team USA, stung by 4 Nations loss, draws inspiration from Olympics: 'That's the big one'

BOSTON Charlie McAvoys right arm is in a sling, and hell be out several weeks for the Boston Bruins.

Brady Tkachuks upper left leg was wrapped like a mummy as he prepared to return to, and captain, the Ottawa Senators.

Matthew Tkachuk, who played less than seven minutes including zero shifts after the second period could barely walk out of TD Garden just before 1 a.m.

Friday and surely will miss games for the Florida Panthers.

Brock Faber logged just under 29 minutes more than anybody on the United States or Canada in the tournament final on Thursday night and now faces a quick turnaround with a Saturday afternoon game with his Minnesota Wild.

Advertisement The players Bill Guerin assembled to don Team USA sweaters for the grand success that was the 4 Nations Face-Off were only together for 12 days, but they bonded and invested much into trying to win a tournament that will never happen again.

And even though they fell to the archrival Canadians, 3-2 in overtime, they cannot wait to regather in less than a year in Milan, Italy, for the 2026 Olympics.

There is something to look forward to with this group, which is great, said Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, who was great in all four games for the Americans.

Thats the big one.

And I know that its a little bit of a different tournament, different rules, but we really feel like we can play any kind of game on any kind of surface and anywhere against anyone.

GO DEEPER How Connor McDavid, Jordan Binnington lifted Canada to 4 Nations title over U.S.: Takeaways Billy built the team that can do that, and were confident about that.

Would have loved to have this thing keep going and play some more hockey against those guys.

The Americans have a lot to be proud of.

Sure, as in the 2010 Olympics, they beat Canada in the prelims and then lost when it mattered in the final.

But they were right there against a titan Team Canada that includes superstars Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and the serial winner that is Sidney Crosby.

They poured it on in overtime with several Grade-A chances, including three great looks from captain Auston Matthews that Jordan Binnington robbed.

All it took was one icing for Canada to capitalize.

Canada coach Jon Cooper kept McDavid on the ice as a means of getting him away from the elite shutdown pair of Faber and Jaccob Slavin.

The U.S.

lost the draw, Adam Fox, who struggled mightily all tournament, and Noah Hanifin got crossed up and Matthews, who was superb defensively in last Saturdays win against Canada, lost his assignment.

Unfortunately for him and the Americans, that assignment was McDavid, and the game was over with one torque of McDavids stick.

THERE IT IS! THE GAME WINNER! THE TOURNAMENT WINNER! CONNOR MCDAVID HAS WON IT FOR CANADA!!! #4Nations pic.twitter.com/nDneA2e26K NHL (@NHL) February 21, 2025 I know for myself personally, its going to be a goal of mine for the next year, Brady Tkachuk, the United States best forward in the tournament, said of the Olympics.

Back in Ottawa, its all about team success there, but its hard when youre playing here and its clear in a years time what we want to accomplish.

Ill always remember this feeling when its next year.

Advertisement The atmosphere on Thursday night was intoxicating, as thousands of fans dressed in USA sweaters packed TD Garden with chants of USA! USA! USA! and, late in the third period and overtime, with Johnny Hockey! Johnny Hockey! Johnny Hockey! in honor of Johnny Gaudreau.

McAvoy, who missed the final two games with a shoulder injury and underwent a procedure to treat an infection stemming from an injection he received so he could play on Saturday against Canada, was called into the locker room before the game to fire up the troops by reading the starting lineup.

The starting line up from Charlie #4Nations pic.twitter.com/nBR7jZCCAA USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 21, 2025 Earlier in the day, he let his teammates and the world know he was released from the hospital by posting on his Instagram account a picture of him listening to the United States goal song, Lynyrd Skynyrds Free Bird, with the caption, Free as a bird.

Charlie McAvoy is out of the hospital pic.twitter.com/o29iZYdegJ Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 20, 2025 Fans cheered throughout The Star-Spangled Banner.

Mike Eruzione, the 1980 Miracle on Ice hero, was the United States honorary captain and emerged for the pregame puck drop (with Canadas honorary captain, Wayne Gretzky) wearing what should have been Gaudreaus USA No.

13 sweater.

MIKE ERUZIONE IS TEAM USA'S HONORARY CAPTAIN pic.twitter.com/QnyTKk3OZI B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 21, 2025 When Brady Tkachuk tied the score 1-1 in the first period, his goal celebration and f yeah! to the crowd after his fist-bump fly-by at the bench told you just how wired he was, and how much the Americans wanted to beat Canada.

BRADY TKACHUK TIES IT UP FOR THE UNITED STATES IT HAD TO BE HIM pic.twitter.com/8Y0sFnod8R ESPN (@espn) February 21, 2025 This was probably the biggest game a lot of us have played in, Matthews said.

You dont get too many opportunities to wear these colors, to wear this jersey.

Winner-take-all situation.

So its disappointing, but I cant be prouder of the group.

I thought we competed the whole tournament.

The Americans still havent won at the top level of international competition since the 1996 World Cup, but this group is close and could get closer in a years time.

Advertisement It sure didnt help that one of the top two defensemen in the NHL, Quinn Hughes, had to bow out with an oblique injury.

McAvoy set the physical tone in the round-robin win over Canada, so his absence on Thursday loomed large.

Still, Slavin and Faber were simply outstanding, as was young Jake Sanderson and Zach Werenski, the left-shot Norris Trophy contender who had to play his off side on Thursday because of McAvoys loss.

Unfortunately for Team USA, it meant more of Hanifin and Fox, who were on the ice for the tying goal by Sam Bennett and for McDavids winner.

The pace of play seemed to be too much for Fox in all four games, and frankly, he may have put his Olympic roster spot in peril.

But theres so much to look forward to in a years time.

The Tkachuk brothers will again be the U.S.

heartbeats.

Jake Guentzel was terrific with three goals, and always gets his nose dirty.

Larkin accepted his role by starting the tournament as a fourth-line guy but was elevated to the top six on Thursday night, with Matthew Tkachuk essentially playing the role of cheerleader on the bench.

Werenski did not disappoint amid a sensational season for Columbus.

And coach Mike Sullivan found himself a shutdown pair on defense.

Slavin and Faber were tremendous, Sullivan said.

When we put them together, we were hoping that would be a defense pair that would be hard to play against.

And they were.

They do yeomans work, they do the thankless jobs.

They defend against the best players.

Their contributions dont always show up on the highlight reel, but it just adds up to winning.

Theyre glue guys.

Jaccob Slavin might be one of the best defending defensemen in the league, bar none.

His mobility, his size, his reach.

He defends the rush.

Hes great at the net front.

Brock Faber, in my mind, is an emerging star.

How old is he, 22? And the stage wasnt too big for a guy like that.

I was so impressed with his maturity.

I thought those guys were terrific.

Advertisement The Americans will need more from others.

Matthews may have been good defensively and may have played his best game of the tournament on Thursday, with assists on goals by Brady Tkachuk and Sanderson, but he didnt score a goal in four games and, in fact, has now gone 10 consecutive games without a goal, dating to his final six games before the tournament.

And all Toronto Maple Leafs fans know that TD Garden has been a house of horrors for Matthews.

He is accustomed to losing do-or-die games in Boston, including three Game 7s in the playoffs.

It was a pretty even playing field tonight.

Could have gone either way, he said.

(Binnington) made some big saves.

Kudos to him.

I had some good looks there and he shut the door.

Jack Hughes was better on Thursday, but he was a giant disappointment in the 4 Nations.

So was Kyle Connor, who was scratched on Thursday for Chris Kreider, who played a second straight game.

But this team came together quickly and has the potential to do something special in Italy.

It was an incredible honor to coach these guys, Sullivan said.

We could tell early on, as a coaching staff, that these guys really enjoyed being around one another.

I think that chemistry carried on to the ice.

We felt one of the biggest challenges in tournaments like this is to become a team, and I thought they did an incredible job.

The cohesion began at the initial team dinner last Monday in Montreal.

Legends in the house! The U.S.

Mens National Team had dinner with hockey greats1980 Olympic gold medalists Mike Eruzione & Rob McLanahan, American icon Mike Modano, & Guy Gaudreau, father of Johnny & Matthew.

Team USA opens the #4Nations Face-Off vs.

Finland on Thursday! pic.twitter.com/SwXxf3GYPr USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 11, 2025 This has been a first-class experience, and something that Ill always remember, Larkin said.

Ill always be proud that I was just a part of it, and that I can say right now that I gave it my all for this team and the guys in this room.

That dinner we had in Montreal, when Bill brought back the legends from the 80 team and Mike Modano and (Gaudreaus dad, Guy), like, that was the coolest night of all of this.

And then we just continued to make great memories.

It was a tremendous group to be around.

Larkin and the rest of the Americans cant wait to put on that dark blue USA Hockey sweater again at the 2026 Olympics for their next chance to slay the dragon that always seems to get the best of them: Canada.

(Photo of Brady Tkachuk and Auston Matthews: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6150672/2025/02/21/usa-canada-olympics-4-nations/