The United States and Canada will face off for Olympic hockey gold on Sunday, a rematch of February's 4 Nations Face-Off final. Both teams used that tournament as a blueprint for building their Olympic rosters, making strategic player selections over the past year.
MILAN (AP) — NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman envisioned February 2025’s 4 Nations Face-Off as an appetizer for Olympic hockey when organizers first planned the tournament.
The event exceeded expectations, becoming both a spectacular showcase that spotlighted the sport and a strategic roadmap for Team USA and Canada’s Olympic roster construction. This marked the first international competition featuring the world’s elite players in almost ten years, providing crucial insights that shaped USA Hockey and Hockey Canada’s decisions throughout the past year.
The strategy proved successful as both nations secured spots in Sunday’s gold medal match — a repeat of the 4 Nations championship game. Canada claimed that overtime victory, setting up this highly anticipated rematch. While the Olympics feature multiple competitive teams with no guaranteed outcomes, the final will now put both countries’ roster decisions to the ultimate test.
“We didn’t build our team just to play Canada,” U.S. general manager Bill Guerin said. “We built the best team possible. We feel that we built the best team possible. We did that with us in mind. We’re worried about us, not anybody else.”
Guerin’s management team chose to retain forwards Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller for their penalty-killing abilities and defensive skills. Meanwhile, four of America’s top ten league scorers — Jason Robertson, Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield and Alex DeBrincat — didn’t make the Olympic cut.
Team USA prioritized players capable of handling specialized roles while maintaining flexibility across different line combinations, allowing coach Mike Sullivan to adjust throughout the tournament.
“One of the things that we’ve tried to do is cast these guys in roles where they know what the expectations are and the contribution that they can make to help us have success,” Sullivan said.
Canada introduced six fresh faces not present at 4 Nations, with injuries to Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli opening opportunities for Sam Bennett and Seth Jarvis. Among the notable additions is 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini, who has impressed since beginning his NHL rookie season in fall 2024.
“I didn’t even know I was on the radar or even in the conversation,” Celebrini said. “When (GM Doug Armstrong) brought that to my attention, it was a little bit of a push and excitement —- just a little bit more of something that I can look forward to and work to.”
Celebrini has emerged as one of Canada’s standout performers with 10 points, trailing only tournament leader and teammate Connor McDavid’s 13 points.
“He’s got a lot of skill and a lot of confidence,” winger Mitch Marner said. “He’s not afraid of the big moments.”
Another fresh addition, Nick Suzuki, netted the equalizing goal when Canada faced elimination with less than four minutes remaining in their quarterfinal match. Tom Wilson earned a starting position on the right wing alongside Celebrini and McDavid, contributing size, physical play, and even fighting to Canada’s Olympic campaign.
Canada replaced both goaltenders from 4 Nations, selecting Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper this time, though coach Jon Cooper had already designated Jordan Binnington as his starter. Cooper made this decision immediately following Binnington’s championship performance at 4 Nations, and the 32-year-old goalie’s stellar play through his first four Olympic starts confirmed that choice.
“You don’t have to be a scout to see what he did in the Stanley Cup (Final), what he did in the 4 Nations, and there’s a massive belief,” Armstrong said. “When players see that time and time again, that’s just a foundation that they know that, ‘OK, when push comes to shove, we have faith in this guy,’ and I think that’s where they are with Binner.”
Team USA has leaned heavily on Connor Hellebuyck, who excelled during 4 Nations and currently holds the NHL MVP award and Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. Similar to how Binnington knows the American players who will attempt to score against him, Hellebuyck is familiar with Canada’s star-filled roster.
“He’s won a lot of trophies,” winger Jake Guentzel said. “We feel good with him back there.”