United States men's national ice hockey team facts for kids

This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see United States women's national ice hockey team.

Quick facts for kids
United States
First international

Nickname(s)	Team USA
Association	USA Hockey
General Manager	Bill Guerin
Head coach	Mike Sullivan
Assistants	Derek Lalonde Ty Hennes Jack Capuano Greg Moore
Captain	Auston Matthews
Most games	Mark Johnson
Most points	Mark Johnson (146)
IIHF code	USA
IIHF ranking	4 (May 28, 2023)
Highest IIHF ranking	4 (2016, 2018, 2021–23)
Lowest IIHF ranking	7 (2003, 2006–07, 2012)
Team colors

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	75 (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 a group of top male ice hockey players who represent the U.S. in international games. The team is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It also has special training programs for young players (U18 and U17) in Plymouth, Michigan. USA Hockey controls the team, which is the main organization for ice hockey in the United States. The U.S. team is currently ranked 6th in the world by the IIHF World Rankings.

The U.S. team has won gold medals at the 1960 and 1980 Winter Olympics. More recently, they earned silver medals at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics. They also won the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, beating their rivals, the Canadian team, in the finals. The team's most recent medal at the World Championships was a bronze in 2021. They won this tournament in 1933 and again in 1960.

Unlike some other countries, the U.S. often sends younger players to the World Championships instead of their best NHL stars. This gives new players a chance to gain experience on the international stage. Overall, the U.S. team has won many medals: eleven at the Olympics (two gold), nineteen at the World Championships (two gold), and one gold at the Canada Cup/World Cup. The U.S. is one of the most successful ice hockey teams in the world. It is part of the "Big Six" group, which includes the six strongest men's ice hockey nations. The other five are Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, and Sweden.

Team USA's History in Ice Hockey
Competitive Record
Team Roster and Awards
- Current Roster
- IIHF World Championship Awards
Images for kids
See also

Team USA's History in Ice Hockey

The most famous moment for the American ice hockey team is the "Miracle on Ice" from the 1980 Winter Olympics. This happened in Lake Placid, New York. A team of American college players beat the strong, professional team from the Soviet Union. They went on to win the gold medal. Even though ice hockey isn't the biggest sport everywhere in the U.S., this "Miracle" is often called one of America's greatest sports achievements.

The U.S. also won a gold medal at the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley, California. They beat the Soviet Union, Canada, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden. This victory isn't as well-known as the 1980 win, so it's sometimes called the "Forgotten Miracle."

Growth of American Ice Hockey Talent

In the 1980s and 1990s, American hockey saw a big increase in talented players. Many of these players became stars in the NHL. Some famous names include Tony Amonte, Chris Chelios, Brett Hull, Pat LaFontaine, Brian Leetch, and Mike Modano. For a while, the U.S. team was only allowed to use amateur players in tournaments. But they still did very well. They reached the finals of the 1991 Canada Cup and won the 1996 World Cup.

Six years later, the International Olympic Committee and the NHL made a deal. This allowed NHL players to play in the Olympics. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, the U.S. team won a silver medal with many NHL stars. However, by the 2006 Olympics, many of these older players had retired. The 2006 team finished 8th, but it was a team with many promising young NHL players like Rick DiPietro and John-Michael Liles.

The 2010 Olympic Team's Success

The 2010 U.S. Olympic team was much younger and faster than previous teams. It included players like Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel, and Zach Parise. The team also had experienced players like goalie Ryan Miller and captain Jamie Langenbrunner. The U.S. team surprised everyone by beating Canada 5–3 in the first round. This made them the top team going into the playoff rounds.

After beating Finland 6–1, the U.S. reached the gold medal game. They played Canada again and lost in overtime 3–2, earning a silver medal. The gold medal game between Canada and the U.S. was watched by about 27.6 million U.S. homes. It was the most-watched hockey game in America since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice."

Recent Olympic Challenges

For the 2018 Olympics, the NHL decided not to let its players participate. This was due to disagreements about insurance and advertising rules. This put the American team at a disadvantage, as many NHL players are from the U.S. As a result, the U.S. team had to quickly put together a team of players from European leagues, minor leagues, and college.

This team did not do as well. They lost to Slovenia and the Olympic Athletes from Russia in the early rounds. They were then knocked out by the Czechs in the quarterfinals. The Russian team, however, did very well without NHL players. Their team was mostly made up of players from their own league, the KHL, and included former NHL stars.

In 2021, Stan Bowman was chosen to be the general manager for the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team for the 2022 Beijing Games. However, he resigned in October 2021. In February 2024, Bill Guerin was named the new general manager for the 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics. In May, Mike Sullivan was chosen as the head coach for both events.

Competitive Record

Olympic Games Results

Games	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Coach	Captain	Round	Position
1920 Antwerp	4	3	1	0	52	2	Fellowes, CorneliusCornelius Fellowes Schooley, RoyRoy Schooley	McCormick, JoeJoe McCormick	Silver medal round	2 Silver
1924 Chamonix	5	4	1	0	73	6	Haddock, William S.William S. Haddock	Small, IrvingIrving Small	Final round	2 Silver
1928 St. Moritz	Did not participate
1932 Lake Placid	6	4	1	1	27	5	Winsor, AlfredAlfred Winsor	Chase, JohnJohn Chase	Final round	2 Silver
1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen	8	5	2	1	10	4	Prettyman, AlbertAlbert Prettyman	Garrison, JohnJohn Garrison	Final round	3 Bronze
1948 St. Moritz	8	5	3	0	86	33	Garrison, JohnJohn Garrison	Harding, GoodwinGoodwin Harding	Round-robin	4th, DSQ
1952 Oslo	8	6	1	1	43	21	Pleban, ConnieConnie Pleban	Van, AllenAllen Van	Round-robin	2 Silver
1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo	7	5	2	0	33	16	Mariucci, JohnJohn Mariucci	Campbell, GeneGene Campbell	Final round	2 Silver
1960 Squaw Valley	7	7	0	0	48	17	Riley, JackJack Riley	Kirrane, JackJack Kirrane	Final round	1 Gold
1964 Innsbruck	7	2	5	0	29	33	Jeremiah, EddieEddie Jeremiah	Brooks, HerbHerb Brooks Reichart, BillBill Reichart	Round-robin	5th
1968 Grenoble	7	2	4	1	23	28	Williamson, MurrayMurray Williamson	Nanne, LouLou Nanne	Round-robin	6th
1972 Sapporo	6	4	2	0	23	18	Williamson, MurrayMurray Williamson	Sheehy, TimTim Sheehy	Round-robin	2 Silver
1976 Innsbruck	6	3	3	0	23	25	Johnson, BobBob Johnson	Taft, JohnJohn Taft	Round-robin	5th
1980 Lake Placid	7	6	0	1	33	15	Brooks, HerbHerb Brooks	Eruzione, MikeMike Eruzione	Final round	1 Gold
1984 Sarajevo	6	2	2	2	23	21	Vairo, LouLou Vairo	Verchota, PhilPhil Verchota	7th place game	7th
1988 Calgary	6	3	3	0	35	31	Peterson, DaveDave Peterson	Leetch, BrianBrian Leetch	7th place game	7th
1992 Albertville	8	5	2	1	25	19	Peterson, DaveDave Peterson	Donatelli, ClarkClark Donatelli	Bronze medal game	4th
1994 Lillehammer	8	1	4	3	28	32	Taylor, TimTim Taylor	Laviolette, PeterPeter Laviolette	7th place game	8th
1998 Nagano	4	1	3	0	9	14	Wilson, RonRon Wilson	Chelios, ChrisChris Chelios	Quarter-finals	6th
2002 Salt Lake City	6	4	1	1	26	10	Brooks, HerbHerb Brooks	Chelios, ChrisChris Chelios	Gold medal game	2 Silver
2006 Turin	6	1	4	1	16	17	Laviolette, PeterPeter Laviolette	Chelios, ChrisChris Chelios	Quarter-finals	8th
2010 Vancouver	6	5	1	—	24	9	Wilson, RonRon Wilson	Langenbrunner, JamieJamie Langenbrunner	Gold medal game	2 Silver
2014 Sochi	6	4	2	—	20	12	Bylsma, DanDan Bylsma	Parise, ZachZach Parise	Bronze medal game	4th
2018 Pyeongchang	5	2	3	—	11	12	Granato, TonyTony Granato	Gionta, BrianBrian Gionta	Quarter-finals	7th
2022 Beijing	4	3	1	—	17	7	Quinn, DavidDavid Quinn	Miele, AndyAndy Miele	Quarter-finals	5th
2026 Milan/Cortina	Qualified

Results Against "Big Six" Teams at the Olympics

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 Results

Note: From 1920 to 1968, the Olympic ice hockey tournament was also counted as the World Championship for that year.
Note: World War II caused all tournaments from 1940 to 1946 to be cancelled.
Note: In 1972, the World Championships and Winter Olympics were held as separate tournaments for the first time.
Note: No World Championships were held during the Olympic years 1980, 1984, and 1988.
Note: The 2020 tournament was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

1920 – 2 Silver

1924 – 2 Silver

1928 – did not participate
1930 – did not participate
1931 – 2 Silver

1932 – 2 Silver

1933 – 1 Gold

1934 – 2 Silver

1935 – did not participate
1936 – 3 Bronze
1937 – did not participate
1938 – 7th place
1939 – 2 Silver

1947 – 5th place
1948 – 4th place
1949 – 3 Bronze
1950 – 2 Silver

1951 – 6th place
1952 – 2 Silver

1953 – did not participate
1954 – did not participate
1955 – 4th place
1956 – 2 Silver

1957 – did not participate
1958 – 5th place
1959 – 4th place
1960 – 1 Gold

1961 – 6th place
1962 – 3 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 – 3 Bronze
1997 – 6th place
1998 – 12th place
1999 – 6th place
2000 – 5th place
2001 – 4th place
2002 – 7th place
2003 – 13th place
2004 – 3 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 – 3 Bronze
2014 – 6th place
2015 – 3 Bronze
2016 – 4th place
2017 – 5th place
2018 – 3 Bronze
2019 – 7th place
2021 – 3 Bronze
2022 – 4th place
2023 – 4th place
2024 – 5th place
2025 – qualified

Canada Cup / World Cup of Hockey Results

Games	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Coach	Captain	Round	Position
1976	5	1	3	1	14	21	Pulford, BobBob Pulford	Nyrop, BillBill Nyrop	Group stage	5th
1981	6	2	3	1	18	23	Johnson, BobBob Johnson	Ftorek, RobbieRobbie Ftorek	Semi-finals	4th
1984	6	3	2	1	23	22	Johnson, BobBob Johnson	Langway, RodRod Langway	Semi-finals	4th
1987	5	2	3	0	13	14	Johnson, BobBob Johnson	Langway, RodRod Langway	Group stage	5th
1991	8	5	3	0	29	26	Johnson, BobBob Johnson	Otto, JoelJoel Otto	Finals	2 Silver
1996	7	6	1	0	37	18	Wilson, RonRon Wilson	Leetch, BrianBrian Leetch	Finals	1 Gold
2004	5	2	3	0	11	11	Wilson, RonRon Wilson	Chelios, ChrisChris Chelios	Semi-finals	4th
2016	3	0	3	—	5	11	Tortorella, JohnJohn Tortorella	Pavelski, JoeJoe Pavelski	Group stage	7th

Results Against "Big Six" Teams at Canada/World Cup

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

4 Nations Face-Off Results

Games	GP	W	L	GF	GA	Coach	Captain	Position
2025	4	2	2	12	7	Sullivan, MikeMike Sullivan	Matthews, AustonAuston Matthews	Runners-up

Team Roster and Awards

Current Roster

This is the team roster for the 2024 IIHF World Championship.

Head coach: John Hynes

No.	Pos.	Name	Height	Weight	Birthdate	Team
1	G	Augustine, TreyTrey Augustine	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)	81 kg (179 lb)	(2005-02-23) February 23, 2005 (age 20)	Michigan State Spartans
4	D	Jones, SethSeth Jones – A	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	97 kg (214 lb)	(1994-10-03) October 3, 1994 (age 30)	Chicago Blackhawks
5	D	Kesselring, MichaelMichael Kesselring	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)	86 kg (190 lb)	(2000-01-13) January 13, 2000 (age 25)	Utah Hockey Club
6	F	Smith, WillWill Smith	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	82 kg (181 lb)	(2005-03-17) March 17, 2005 (age 20)	San Jose Sharks
7	F	Tkachuk, BradyBrady Tkachuk – C	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	102 kg (225 lb)	(1999-09-16) September 16, 1999 (age 25)	Ottawa Senators
8	D	Werenski, ZachZach Werenski – A	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	99 kg (218 lb)	(1997-07-19) July 19, 1997 (age 27)	Columbus Blue Jackets
9	F	Zegras, TrevorTrevor Zegras	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	84 kg (185 lb)	(2001-03-20) March 20, 2001 (age 24)	Anaheim Ducks
11	F	Kunin, LukeLuke Kunin	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	89 kg (196 lb)	(1997-12-04) December 4, 1997 (age 27)	San Jose Sharks
12	F	Boldy, MattMatt Boldy	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	91 kg (201 lb)	(2001-04-05) April 5, 2001 (age 24)	Minnesota Wild
13	F	Gaudreau, JohnnyJohnny Gaudreau	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)	74 kg (163 lb)	(1993-08-13) August 13, 1993 (age 31)	Columbus Blue Jackets
22	F	Caufield, ColeCole Caufield	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)	79 kg (174 lb)	(2001-01-02) January 2, 2001 (age 24)	Montreal Canadiens
23	F	Eyssimont, MikeyMikey Eyssimont	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	86 kg (190 lb)	(1996-09-09) September 9, 1996 (age 28)	Tampa Bay Lightning
24	F	Leonard, RyanRyan Leonard	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	86 kg (190 lb)	(2005-01-21) January 21, 2005 (age 20)	Boston College Eagles
26	F	Hayes, KevinKevin Hayes	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	98 kg (216 lb)	(1992-05-08) May 8, 1992 (age 33)	Pittsburgh Penguins
29	F	Nelson, BrockBrock Nelson	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	96 kg (212 lb)	(1991-10-15) October 15, 1991 (age 33)	New York Islanders
34	G	Lyon, AlexAlex Lyon	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)	89 kg (196 lb)	(1992-12-09) December 9, 1992 (age 32)	Detroit Red Wings
39	G	Nedeljkovic, AlexAlex Nedeljkovic	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	92 kg (203 lb)	(1996-01-07) January 7, 1996 (age 29)	Pittsburgh Penguins
43	D	Hughes, LukeLuke Hughes	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	89 kg (196 lb)	(2003-09-09) September 9, 2003 (age 21)	New Jersey Devils
45	F	Brindley, GavinGavin Brindley	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)	77 kg (170 lb)	(2004-10-05) October 5, 2004 (age 20)	Columbus Blue Jackets
46	D	Petry, JeffJeff Petry	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	94 kg (207 lb)	(1987-12-09) December 9, 1987 (age 37)	Detroit Red Wings
51	D	Kessel, MatthewMatthew Kessel	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	93 kg (205 lb)	(2000-06-23) June 23, 2000 (age 25)	St. Louis Blues
57	F	Pinto, ShaneShane Pinto	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	91 kg (201 lb)	(2000-11-12) November 12, 2000 (age 24)	Ottawa Senators
72	D	Vlasic, AlexAlex Vlasic	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)	98 kg (216 lb)	(2001-06-05) June 5, 2001 (age 24)	Chicago Blackhawks
79	G	Lindgren, CharlieCharlie Lindgren	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)	83 kg (183 lb)	(1993-12-18) 18 December 1993 (age 31)	Washington Capitals
85	D	Sanderson, JakeJake Sanderson	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	92 kg (203 lb)	(2002-07-08) July 8, 2002 (age 22)	Ottawa Senators
86	F	Farabee, JoelJoel Farabee	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	84 kg (185 lb)	(2000-02-25) February 25, 2000 (age 25)	Philadelphia Flyers

IIHF World Championship Awards

The IIHF gives awards at each World Championship tournament to the best goalie, defenseman, and forward. They have given these awards since 1954. Since 2004, they also give an award for the most valuable player (MVP). The following American team members have won these awards: