It’s a more special game than just watching your former team play a game. It’s not like watching my former college team or my former NHL teams play. There’s much more connection to what wearing that jersey means, what playing for USA means, for what the representation of what these 25 guys and staff have done to this point to make us proud and feel part of it.
It’s bigger than just caring for your buddies because, like I said, you’ve had your own challenges at different times for USA Hockey, and therefore somewhat feel connected to the group and to the team.
So, again, what would a win mean tomorrow?
It won’t be just, “Yeah, the U.S. is better than Canada,” or, “the U.S. is the best in the world right now.” It’s a more special feeling. It’s about the journeys and the obstacles that have been overcome to become an Olympic champion. You personally know everything that USA Hockey has done to get to this point because you’ve been part of it.
How would a win affect the popularity of the sport in the U.S., especially among kids?
Well, we’ve had a boost in different NHL markets because certain teams have had great success. The Chicago Blackhawks, for instance, they had that run there starting in 2010. You talk about California — the Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks, and the San Jose Sharks — all of a sudden, California hockey is booming.
There’s also women’s hockey and the impact of that 1998 gold medal team. All of a sudden, you turn on the TV and there’s women playing hockey, and people start saying: “this is pretty entertaining.” And then little girls start watching it and begin to play.