Ranking USA's Olympic hockey teams from 1998 to 2014
It remains unclear whether or not the NHL will allow its players to participate in the 2022 Beijing Olympics after they missed out in 2018. If they do, the Americans will be in a great position to put forward perhaps their strongest team yet.
When the IIHF unveiled the groups for the 2022 Games in April, we looked back at some of the best lineups Team Canada has ever assembled. In this edition, we look south of the border and focus our attention on the United States.
Though we considered the raw talent on each roster, we also prioritized how each team performed and where it finished in the tournament.
5. 1998 Nagano
Brian Bahr / Getty Images Sport / GettyGM: Lou Lamoriello
Coach: Ron Wilson
Finish: Sixth place
Record (W-L-T): 1-3-0
GF-GA: 9-14
Forwards
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Keith Tkachuk | Mike Modano | Bill Guerin |
| Doug Weight | Pat LaFontaine | Brett Hull |
| John LeClair | Jeremy Roenick | Tony Amonte |
| Joel Otto | Jamie Langebrunner | Adam Deadmarsh |
Defense
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Gary Suter | Kevin Hatcher |
| Brian Leetch | Chris Chelios |
| Derian Hatcher | Mathieu Schneider |
| Bryan Berard | Keith Carney |
Goalies
| G |
|---|
| Mike Richter |
| John Vanbiesbrouck |
| Guy Hebert |
It's rather remarkable that this American roster only managed to muster nine goals through four games.
The team featured the NHL's leading goal scorer in Tkachuk and four of the top 11 scorers from the previous season. Brett Hull and Mike Modano ended up netting two goals apiece, while only two other American forwards scored during the tournament.
After opening with a 4-2 loss to Sweden, Team USA scored five of its nine goals in its sole victory over Belarus. It was all downhill from there, as the club suffered a 4-1 loss to Canada before being eliminated by the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals.
Unfortunately, this group is best remembered for its antics off the ice. After being eliminated, the players were reprimanded for trashing their hotel rooms at the Olympic Village, causing about $1,000 in damages.
4. Turin 2006
Elsa / Getty Images Sport / GettyGM: Don Wadell
Coach: Peter Laviolette
Finish: Eighth place
Record (W-L-T): 1-4-1
GF-GA: 16-17
Forwards
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Knuble | Mike Modano | Erik Cole |
| Bill Guerin | Doug Weight | Mark Parrish |
| Brian Rolston | Scott Gomez | Brian Gionta |
| Keith Tkachuk | Craig Conroy | Jason Blake |
| Chris Drury |
Defense
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Mathieu Schneider | Chris Chelios |
| Derian Hatcher | Jordan Leopold |
| John-Michael Liles | Brian Rafalski |
| Brett Hedican |
Goalies
| G |
|---|
| Robert Esche |
| John Grahame |
| Rick DiPietro |
After coming so close to capturing gold at the previous Olympic Games in 2002, Turin was a nightmare for Team USA.
The team bolstered an experienced lineup with a handful of Hall of Famers and Stanley Cup champions, but that winning pedigree failed to translate during the Olympic tournament. This American roster missed the presence of offensive spark plugs like Hull and Jeremy Roenick, as five forwards failed to contribute a single goal.
The alarm bells rang early for Team USA following a tie against Latvia in its opening contest. A 4-1 win over Kazakhstan didn't exactly jolt the club with confidence, and any momentum it generated was quickly halted by three consecutive one-goal losses to Slovakia, Sweden, and Russia.
After finishing fourth in their group, the Americans drew a Finnish team in the quarterfinals that had yet to lose a game and had conceded only two goals. Despite a valiant effort, Team USA fell short with a 4-3 loss and finished a nation-worst eighth for just the second time.
3. 2014 Sochi
Lars Baron / Getty Images Sport / GettyGM: David Poile
Coach: Dan Bylsma
Finish: Fourth place
Record (W-OTW-OTL-L): 3-1-0-2
GF-GA: 20-12
Forwards
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| James van Riemsdyk | Joe Pavelski | Phil Kessel |
| Zach Parise | Ryan Kesler | Patrick Kane |
| Dustin Brown | David Backes | Ryan Callahan |
| Max Pacioretty | Paul Stastny | T.J Oshie |
| Derek Stepan | Blake Wheeler |
Defense
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Ryan Suter | Ryan McDonagh |
| Brooks Orpik | Paul Martin |
| Cam Fowler | John Carlson |
| Kevin Shattenkirk | |
| Justin Faulk |
Goaltending
| G |
|---|
| Jonathan Quick |
| Ryan Miller |
| Jimmy Howard |
With 13 holdovers from the club that earned silver at the 2010 Vancouver Games, Team USA produced a commendable effort in Sochi but ultimately failed to meet expectations.
The biggest change to the team's roster construction came on the blue line. General manager David Poile favored younger, more mobile defensemen, which worked to the Americans' advantage throughout most of the tournament. It was the offense, however, that would eventually thwart their chances at a gold medal.
The Americans dominated both Slovakia and Slovenia while picking up a shootout victory against Russia to secure a spot in the quarterfinals against the Czech Republic. After winning that game 5-2, Team USA ran into the most dominant Canadian team assembled in quite some time and was blanked 1-0 in a nail-biting semifinal contest.
What overshadowed this particular group's strong tournament was the way it ended. With a chance at the bronze medal, the Americans were shut out for the second consecutive contest in an embarrassing 5-0 loss to Finland.
2. Salt Lake City 2002
GEORGE FREY / AFP / GettyGM: Craig Patrick
Coach: Herb Brooks
Finish: Silver
Record (W-L-T): 4-1-1
GF-GA: 26-10
Forwards
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| John LeClair | Mike Modano | Brett Hull |
| Keith Tkachuk | Jeremy Roenick | Scott Young |
| Adam Deadmarsh | Doug Weight | Bill Guerin |
| Brian Rolston | Chris Drury | Tony Amonte |
| Mike York |
Defense
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Gary Suter | Chris Chelios |
| Brian Leetch | Aaron Miller |
| Phil Housley | Brian Rafalski |
| Tom Poti |
Goalie
| G |
|---|
| Mike Richter |
| Mike Dunham |
| Tom Barrasso |
With three Hall of Fame talents on the blue line, the 2002 Americans formed arguably the best defensive team the nation has ever assembled. The club also rostered seven of the top 80 NHL point scorers in history, giving it plenty of offensive firepower.
John LeClair led the tournament with six goals in eight games while Brett Hull finished second in points with eight. Netminder Mike Richter was sensational between the pipes, authoring .932 save percentage in 240 minutes of action.
Team USA flexed its muscles throughout the preliminary round, thumping Finland 6-0 and Belarus 8-1 en route to claiming the top spot in Group D. After tying Russia earlier in the tournament, the Americans took the rematch in the semifinals by a score of 3-2 to set up the gold medal game against Canada.
The final coincidentally fell on the anniversary (Feb. 24) of each nation's last gold medal in men's Olympic hockey. Team USA had allowed only five goals to that point in the tournament but doubled the number with a 5-2 loss to the Canadians. In the end, the Americans were forced to settle for silver despite dominating much of the event.
1. Vancouver 2010
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyGM: Brian Burke
Coach: Ron Wilson
Finish: Silver
Record (W-OTW-OTL-L): 5-0-0-1
GF-GA: 24-9
Forwards
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Zach Parise | Paul Stastny | Jamie Langenbrunner |
| Ryan Malone | Joe Pavelski | Phil Kessel |
| Patrick Kane | Ryan Kesler | Dustin Brown |
| Bobby Ryan | David Backes | Chris Drury |
| Ryan Callahan |
Defense
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Ryan Suter | Brian Rafalski |
| Brooks Orpik | Jack Johnson |
| Tim Gleason | Erik Johnson |
| Ryan Whitney |
Goalies
| G |
|---|
| Ryan Miller |
| Tim Thomas |
| Jonathan Quick |
This American club featured several players who were in their prime, as well as a few wily veterans on the blue line. The team dominated the round-robin and ultimately came one goal shy of finishing the tournament with a perfect record and capturing the nation's first gold medal in men's hockey since the "Miracle on Ice" at the 1980 Games in Lake Placid.
Team USA suffered a tough blow just weeks before the tournament when it lost defensemen Mike Komisarek and Paul Martin to injuries. They were replaced by Ryan Whitney and Tim Gleason, which left the club with only two right-shooting rearguards in Brian Rafalski and Erik Johnson.
The Americans adapted well thanks to their well-rounded offense and elite play in goal from netminder Ryan Miller, who owned a tournament-best .945 save percentage. The club outscored its opponents 14-5 during round-robin play, which included an impressive 5-3 win over Canada.
After throttling Finland 6-1 in the semifinals, Team USA owned a perfect record heading into the final game - a rematch against Canada with the gold medal on the line. Despite carrying all that momentum into the contest, the Americans were halted by Sidney Crosby's overtime heroics and were forced to settle for a silver medal.
Copyright (C) 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.