United States men's national ice hockey team facts for kids
Nickname(s) | Team USA |
---|---|
Association | USA Hockey |
General Manager | Chris Clark |
Head coach | David Quinn |
Assistants | Derek Lalonde Scott Gordon Ryan Warsofsky |
Captain | Nick Bonino |
Most games | Mark Johnson |
Most points | Mark Johnson (146) |
IIHF code | USA |
IIHF ranking | 4 (May 28, 2023) |
Highest IIHF ranking | 4 (first in 2016) |
Lowest IIHF ranking | 7 (first in 2003) |
Team colors | |
First international | |
United States 29–0 Switzerland (Antwerp, Belgium; April 24, 1920) |
|
Biggest win | |
United States 31–1 Italy (St. Moritz, Switzerland; February 1, 1948) |
|
Biggest defeat | |
Sweden 17–2 United States (Stockholm, Sweden; March 12, 1963) Soviet Union 17–2 United States (Stockholm, Sweden; March 15, 1969) |
|
IIHF World Championships | |
Appearances | 74 (first in 1920) |
Best result | Gold: (1933, 1960) |
Canada Cup / World Cup | |
Appearances | 8 (first in 1976) |
Best result | Winner: (1996) |
Olympics | |
Appearances | 24 (first in 1920) |
Medals | Gold: (1960, 1980) Silver: (1920, 1924, 1932, 1952, 1956, 1972, 2002, 2010) Bronze: (1936) |
International record (W–L–T) | |
914–471–86 |
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Olympic Games | ||
Gold | 1960 Squaw Valley | Team |
Gold | 1980 Lake Placid | Team |
Silver | 1920 Antwerp | Team |
Silver | 1924 Chamonix | Team |
Silver | 1932 Lake Placid | Team |
Silver | 1952 Oslo | Team |
Silver | 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo | Team |
Silver | 1972 Sapporo | Team |
Silver | 2002 Salt Lake City | Team |
Silver | 2010 Vancouver | Team |
Bronze | 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen | Team |
World Championships | ||
Gold | 1933 Czechoslovakia | |
Gold | 1960 United States | Team |
Silver | 1920 Belgium | Team |
Silver | 1924 France | Team |
Silver | 1931 Poland | |
Silver | 1932 United States | Team |
Silver | 1934 Italy | |
Silver | 1939 Switzerland | |
Silver | 1950 Great Britain | |
Silver | 1952 Norway | Team |
Silver | 1956 Italy | Team |
Bronze | 1936 Germany | Team |
Bronze | 1949 Sweden | |
Bronze | 1962 United States | |
Bronze | 1996 Austria | |
Bronze | 2004 Czech Republic | |
Bronze | 2013 Sweden/Finland | |
Bronze | 2015 Czech Republic | |
Bronze | 2018 Denmark | |
Bronze | 2021 Latvia | |
Canada Cup / World Cup | ||
Gold | 1996 Montreal | |
Silver | 1991 Hamilton |
The United States men's national ice hockey team is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with its U18 and U17 development program in Plymouth, Michigan. The team is controlled by USA Hockey, the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United States. The U.S. team is currently ranked 4th in the IIHF World Rankings.
The U.S. won gold medals at the 1960 and the 1980 Olympics and more recently, silver medals at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics. The U.S. also won the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, defeating Canada in the finals. The team's most recent medal at the World Championships came with a bronze in 2021. They won the tournament in 1933 and 1960. Unlike other nations, the U.S. doesn't typically use its best NHL players in the World Championships. Instead, it provides the younger players with an opportunity to gain international experience. Overall, the team has collected eleven Olympic medals (two of them gold), nineteen World Championship medals (two of them gold), and it reached the semi-final round of the Canada Cup/World Cup five times, twice advancing to the finals and winning gold once. The U.S. has never reached a World Championship gold medal game, having lost in the semi-final round twelve times since the IIHF introduced a playoff system in 1992; including six semi-finals appearances in ten tournaments from 2013 through 2023, and three consecutive tournaments in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The U.S. is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six", the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, and Sweden.
Contents
History
The American ice hockey team's greatest success was the "Miracle on Ice" at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, when American college players defeated the heavily favored seasoned professionals from the Soviet Union on the way to a gold medal. Though ice hockey is not a major sport in most areas of the United States, the "Miracle" is often listed as one of the all-time greatest American sporting achievements. The U.S. also won the gold medal in the 1960 Games at Squaw Valley, California, defeating the Soviet Union, Canada, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden along the way. However, since this victory is not as well known as the 1980 win, it has come to be known as the "Forgotten Miracle".
The United States hockey experienced a spike in talent in the 1980s and 1990s, with future NHL stars including Tony Amonte, Chris Chelios, Derian Hatcher, Brett Hull, Pat LaFontaine, John LeClair, Brian Leetch, Mike Modano, Mike Richter, Jeremy Roenick, Kevin Stevens, Keith Tkachuk, and Doug Weight. Although the U.S. finished no higher than fourth in any World or Olympic event from 1981 through 1994 (unlike other teams that used professionals, the U.S. team was limited to amateurs at these tournaments), the Americans reached the finals of the 1991 Canada Cup and won the 1996 World Cup. Six years later, after the International Olympic Committee and NHL arranged to accommodate an Olympic break in the NHL schedule, the U.S. earned a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics with a roster that included NHL stars Adam Deadmarsh, Chris Drury, Brian Rafalski, and Brian Rolston. However, by 2006, many of these NHL players had retired or had declined with age. Though the 2006 Olympic team finished a disappointing 8th, it was more of a transitional team, featuring young NHL players like Rick DiPietro, John-Michael Liles, and Jordan Leopold.
The 2010 U.S. Olympic team was composed of much younger and faster players than teams of previous years, including David Backes, Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson, Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Bobby Ryan, Paul Stastny, and Ryan Suter. The team also had a solid group of veterans that included such stars as goalie Ryan Miller, defenseman Brian Rafalski, and team captain Jamie Langenbrunner. The U.S. team upset team Canada 5–3 in the round-robin phase of the tournament and went into the single elimination phase of the tournament as the number-one seeded team. After beating Finland 6–1, the U.S. advanced to the gold medal game, where they lost in overtime 3–2 to Canada to claim the silver medal. The gold medal game between Canada and the U.S. was watched by an estimated 27.6 million U.S. households. This was the most watched hockey game in America since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" game, including any Stanley Cup Finals or NHL Winter Classic broadcast.
The NHL pulled out of the Olympics for the 2018 competition in a dispute over insurance and the IOC's ambush marketing restrictions, prohibiting the national teams from inviting any player it held under contract. The American team was put at a particular disadvantage, as more than 31% of NHL players are Americans (in comparison, only 4.1% are Russians). As a result, the U.S. had to enter the tournament with a hastily assembled team of free agents, players from European leagues, AHLers on one-way contracts, and college players. The team proved unsuccessful, losing to Slovenia and the Olympic Athletes from Russia in the preliminary round, and being eliminated by the Czechs in the quarterfinals. The OAR team benefited most from NHL's absence and ultimately won the tournament with a team that was composed primarily of SKA Saint Petersburg and HC CSKA Moscow players from the Russia-based KHL and featured ex-NHL all-stars Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk and Vyacheslav Voynov (all SKA).
On March 31, 2021, Stan Bowman was appointed the general manager of the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team for the 2022 Beijing Games. On October 26, 2021, Bowman resigned.
Competitive record
Olympic Games
Games | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Round | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1920 Antwerp | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 2 | Cornelius Fellowes Roy Schooley |
Joe McCormick | Silver medal round | |
1924 Chamonix | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 73 | 6 | William S. Haddock | Irving Small | Final round | |
1928 St. Moritz | did not participate | |||||||||
1932 Lake Placid | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 5 | Alfred Winsor | John Chase | Final round | |
1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 4 | Albert Prettyman | John Garrison | Final round | Bronze |
1948 St. Moritz | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 86 | 33 | John Garrison | Goodwin Harding | Round-robin | 4th, DSQ |
1952 Oslo | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 43 | 21 | Connie Pleban | Allen Van | Round-robin | |
1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 16 | John Mariucci | Gene Campbell | Final round | |
1960 Squaw Valley | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 17 | Jack Riley | Jack Kirrane | Final round | |
1964 Innsbruck | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 33 | Eddie Jeremiah | Herb Brooks Bill Reichart |
Round-robin | 5th |
1968 Grenoble | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 28 | Murray Williamson | Lou Nanne | Round-robin | 6th |
1972 Sapporo | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 18 | Murray Williamson | Tim Sheehy | Round-robin | |
1976 Innsbruck | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 25 | Bob Johnson | John Taft | Round-robin | 5th |
1980 Lake Placid | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 15 | Herb Brooks | Mike Eruzione | Final round | |
1984 Sarajevo | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 21 | Lou Vairo | Phil Verchota | 7th place game | 7th |
1988 Calgary | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 31 | Dave Peterson | Brian Leetch | 7th place game | 7th |
1992 Albertville | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 19 | Dave Peterson | Clark Donatelli | Bronze medal game | 4th |
1994 Lillehammer | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 28 | 32 | Tim Taylor | Peter Laviolette | 7th place game | 8th |
1998 Nagano | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 14 | Ron Wilson | Chris Chelios | Quarter-finals | 6th |
2002 Salt Lake City | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 10 | Herb Brooks | Chris Chelios | Gold medal game | |
2006 Turin | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 17 | Peter Laviolette | Chris Chelios | Quarter-finals | 8th |
2010 Vancouver | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | 24 | 9 | Ron Wilson | Jamie Langenbrunner | Gold medal game | |
2014 Sochi | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | 20 | 12 | Dan Bylsma | Zach Parise | Bronze medal game | 4th |
2018 Pyeongchang | 5 | 2 | 3 | — | 11 | 12 | Tony Granato | Brian Gionta | Quarter-finals | 7th |
2022 Beijing | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | 17 | 7 | David Quinn | Andy Miele | Quarter-finals | 5th |
2026 Milan/Cortina | To be determined |
Results by "Big Six" opponent
Opponents | Played | Won | Tied | Lost | Biggest victory | Biggest defeat |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | 19 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 4:1 | 3:12 |
Czechoslovakia/ Czech Republic |
21 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 16:0 | 1:7 |
Finland | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 8:2, 6:0 | 1:6, 0:5 |
Soviet Union/ CIS/ Russia |
14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4:3, 3:2 (x3) | 2:10 |
Sweden | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 20:0 | 1:5 |
Total | 81 | 30 | 8 | 43 | 20:0 | 3:12 |
World Championships
- Note: Between 1920 and 1968, the Olympic ice hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship for that year.
- Note: World War II forced cancellation of all tournaments from 1940 to 1946.
- Note: In 1972, a separate tournament was held both for the World Championships and the Winter Olympics for the first time.
- Note: No World Championships were held during the Olympic years 1980, 1984, and 1988.
- Note: the 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 1920 – Silver
- 1924 – Silver
- 1928 – did not participate
- 1930 – did not participate
- 1931 – Silver
- 1932 – Silver
- 1933 – Gold
- 1934 – Silver
- 1935 – did not participate
- 1936 – Bronze
- 1937 – did not participate
- 1938 – 7th place
- 1939 – Silver
- 1947 – 5th place
- 1948 – 4th place
- 1949 – Bronze
- 1950 – Silver
- 1951 – 6th place
- 1952 – Silver
- 1953 – did not participate
- 1954 – did not participate
- 1955 – 4th place
- 1956 – Silver
- 1957 – did not participate
- 1958 – 5th place
- 1959 – 4th place
- 1960 – Gold
- 1961 – 6th place
- 1962 – Bronze
- 1963 – 8th place
- 1964 – 5th place
- 1965 – 6th place
- 1966 – 6th place
- 1967 – 5th place
- 1968 – 6th place
- 1969 – 6th place (relegated to Group B)
- 1970 – 7th place (1st in Group B, promoted to Group A)
- 1971 – 6th place (relegated to Group B)
- 1972 – 8th place (2nd in Group B)
- 1973 – 8th place (2nd in Group B)
- 1974 – 7th place (1st in Group B, promoted to Group A)
- 1975 – 6th place
- 1976 – 4th place
- 1977 – 6th place
- 1978 – 6th place
- 1979 – 7th place
- 1981 – 5th place
- 1982 – 8th place (relegated to Group B)
- 1983 – 9th place (1st in Group B, promoted to Group A)
- 1985 – 4th place
- 1986 – 6th place
- 1987 – 7th place
- 1989 – 6th place
- 1990 – 5th place
- 1991 – 4th place
- 1992 – 7th place
- 1993 – 6th place
- 1994 – 4th place
- 1995 – 6th place
- 1996 – Bronze
- 1997 – 6th place
- 1998 – 12th place
- 1999 – 6th place
- 2000 – 5th place
- 2001 – 4th place
- 2002 – 7th place
- 2003 – 13th place
- 2004 – Bronze
- 2005 – 6th place
- 2006 – 7th place
- 2007 – 5th place
- 2008 – 6th place
- 2009 – 4th place
- 2010 – 13th place
- 2011 – 8th place
- 2012 – 7th place
- 2013 – Bronze
- 2014 – 6th place
- 2015 – Bronze
- 2016 – 4th place
- 2017 – 5th place
- 2018 – Bronze
- 2019 – 7th place
- 2021 – Bronze
- 2022 – 4th place
- 2023 – 4th place
Canada Cup / World Cup of Hockey
Games | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Coach | Captain | Round | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1976 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 21 | Bob Pulford | Bill Nyrop | Group stage | 5th |
1981 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 23 | Bob Johnson | Robbie Ftorek | Semi-finals | 4th |
1984 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 22 | Bob Johnson | Rod Langway | Semi-finals | 4th |
1987 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 14 | Bob Johnson | Rod Langway | Group stage | 5th |
1991 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 26 | Bob Johnson | Joel Otto | Finals | |
1996 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 18 | Ron Wilson | Brian Leetch | Finals | |
2004 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 11 | Ron Wilson | Chris Chelios | Semi-finals | 4th |
2016 | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | 5 | 11 | John Tortorella | Joe Pavelski | Group stage | 7th |
Results by "Big Six" opponent
Opponents | Played | Won | Tied | Lost | Biggest victory | Biggest defeat |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 5:2 (x2) | 3:8 |
Czechoslovakia/ Czech Republic |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6:2 | 1:3 |
Finland | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7:3 | 1:2 |
Soviet Union/ CIS/ Russia |
9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5:2 (x2) | 0:5 |
Sweden | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 7:1 | 2:9 |
Total | 41 | 18 | 3 | 20 | 7:1 | 2:9 |
Team
Current roster
Roster for the 2023 IIHF World Championship.
Head coach: David Quinn
No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | G | Casey DeSmith | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | 13 August 1991 | Pittsburgh Penguins |
3 | D | Henry Thrun | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 12 March 2001 | San Jose Sharks |
4 | D | Connor Mackey | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 89 kg (196 lb) | 12 September 1996 | Arizona Coyotes |
7 | D | Ronnie Attard | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 94 kg (207 lb) | 20 March 1999 | Lehigh Valley Phantoms |
9 | F | Sammy Walker | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | 79 kg (174 lb) | 7 June 1999 | Iowa Wild |
10 | F | Drew O'Connor | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | 91 kg (201 lb) | 9 June 1998 | Pittsburgh Penguins |
11 | F | Luke Tuch | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) | 7 March 2002 | Boston University Terriers |
12 | D | Dylan Samberg | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 99 kg (218 lb) | 24 January 1999 | Winnipeg Jets |
13 | F | Nick Bonino – C | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 20 April 1988 | Pittsburgh Penguins |
15 | D | Scott Perunovich | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | 79 kg (174 lb) | 18 August 1998 | Springfield Thunderbirds |
17 | F | T. J. Tynan | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 75 kg (165 lb) | 25 February 1992 | Ontario Reign |
19 | F | Cutter Gauthier | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 19 January 2004 | Boston College Eagles |
20 | D | Lane Hutson | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 70 kg (150 lb) | 14 February 2004 | Boston University Terriers |
21 | F | Sean Farrell | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 79 kg (174 lb) | 2 November 2001 | Montreal Canadiens |
22 | F | Anders Bjork | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 86 kg (190 lb) | 5 August 1996 | Chicago Blackhawks |
23 | F | Mikey Eyssimont | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | 9 September 1996 | Tampa Bay Lightning |
25 | D | Nick Perbix | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 87 kg (192 lb) | 15 June 1998 | Tampa Bay Lightning |
27 | F | Matthew Coronato | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | 83 kg (183 lb) | 14 November 2002 | Calgary Flames |
29 | G | Drew Commesso | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | 19 July 2002 | Rockford IceHogs |
38 | F | Patrick Brown | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 95 kg (209 lb) | 29 May 1992 | Ottawa Senators |
40 | G | Cal Petersen | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | 19 October 1994 | Ontario Reign |
43 | D | Tyler Kleven | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 94 kg (207 lb) | 10 January 2002 | Ottawa Senators |
56 | F | Rocco Grimaldi | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | 73 kg (161 lb) | 8 February 1993 | Rockford IceHogs |
83 | F | Conor Garland – A | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | 75 kg (165 lb) | 11 March 1996 | Vancouver Canucks |
89 | F | Alex Tuch – A | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | 99 kg (218 lb) | 10 May 1996 | Buffalo Sabres |
91 | F | Carter Mazur | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | 78 kg (172 lb) | 28 March 2002 | Grand Rapids Griffins |
IIHF World Championship directorate awards
The IIHF has given awards for each year's championship tournament to the top goalie, defenseman, and forward (all since 1954), and most valuable player (since 2004). The following American team members have won awards.
- 1955 – Don Rigazio (goalie)
- 1956 – Willard Ikola (goalie)
- 1959 – Bill Cleary (forward)
- 1960 – Jack McCartan (goalie)
- 1962 – John Mayasich (defenseman)
- 1967 – Carl Wetzel (goalie)
- 2004 – Ty Conklin (goalie)
- 2014 – Seth Jones (defenseman)
- 2018 – Patrick Kane (MVP)
- 2021 – Cal Petersen (goalie)
Uniform evolution
See also
In Spanish: Selección de hockey sobre hielo de Estados Unidos para niños
- List of United States national ice hockey team rosters