MONTREAL — There was Guy Gaudreau, front and centre at Team USA’s practice, continuing to provide inspiration and honouring the memories of his late sons, Johnny and Matthew, ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“He came in for the dinner last night,” said USA general manager Bill Guerin on Tuesday. “We had a big, full-staff dinner, I thought it was important that he was there. Johnny and Matthew were a big part of USA Hockey and a tremendous loss. They’re with us in spirit. I just think it was important that Guy was there. The coaches wanted him out for practice, and the players wanted him in the picture. He’s an amazing guy, we love having him around.”
USA captain Auston Matthews said Johnny’s jersey is hanging in the team’s dressing room, and having his father’s presence at the tournament “means a lot.”
USA coach Mike Sullivan called it an honour.
“He’s a terrific person,” Sullivan said. “I did not know Guy at all until we met him here at the 4 Nations. Obviously, the hockey world, in a lot of ways, it’s a small world and it’s a family. With respect to the United States hockey world, it’s very much a family. All of us feel a certain weight to support Guy and his family through a difficult time. His boys had such an impact on USA Hockey. They had such an impact on hockey in general, and so to have Guy out as part of our coaching staff is a thrill for us, and certainly we want to show him and offer him the support through a difficult time.”
For Noah Hanifin, who played with Matthew at Boston College before playing alongside Johnny over four seasons with the Calgary Flames, it was particularly touching to see Guy Gaudreau be a part of this.
“I think just to have him here and have him to dinner last night, get him on the ice with the guys and the coaches, I think it’s something special,” Hanifin said. “I know he appreciates it. It means a lot to him just because of how much he loves the game, he loves hockey, and yeah, we were really happy he was able to come and spend some time with us.”
Gaudreau was one of several guests at Team USA’s dinner Monday.
The 1980 Miracle on Ice heroes, Mike Eruzione and Rob McClanahan, addressed them team, as did Mike Modano, who helped the USA win the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and retired in 2011 as the highest-scoring American player in the history of the NHL.
“I just felt it was important — and Mike and I talked about this — for the players to meet some of the guys that paved the way,” said Guerin. “This is a great generation of American-born players, but somebody always lays the path for you and I think it was very important to connect the generations.
“It was spectacular. They intermingled with the players, and you know Eruzione — if we had given the guy a microphone, he’d have still been there. It was a nice dinner and a nice event and it was great to have those guys with us.”
It was particularly special, though, to have Gaudreau included.
Many of the players on this team played with Johnny — who had a sparkling NHL career and led USA to the 2013 world junior hockey championship title before participating in several other international tournaments — and all of them were thankful to have Guy be a part of this.
“I mean, it’s incredible to have him around,” said forward Chris Kreider. “John was such a, is such a big part of USA Hockey. Meant so much to every single team he played for and, obviously, represented his country on multiple different stages and played so incredibly well and had such an impact on pretty much everyone here who’s put on a USA jersey and USA Hockey in general. So, I’ve been lucky enough to play with him in college and then play with him a little bit after in some of the international competitions. There’s a ton of gratitude and appreciation for what he meant to the sport of hockey, especially in America, and to have Guy around, it’s an honour.”
First look at USA power play
We saw the Americans place Kyle Connor with Jack Eichel and Matthew Tkachuk while putting Jake Guentzel, Matthews and Jack Hughes together for five-on-five drills Monday, and we got a glimpse of their power-play compositions for the first time on Tuesday.
Adam Fox was on the point of the first one, with Matthews and Eichel flanking Hughes in the bumper and Tkachuk in front of the net. Zach Werenski was at the top of the second one, with Connor and Matthew Boldy on the walls and Guentzel and Brady Tkachuk down the middle.
Watching both units take these reps highlighted the scoring potential of this team.
To see a player like Dylan Larkin, who has scored 144 of his 556 points in the league on the power play, playing the penalty kill instead speaks to that potential.
“This is the tricky part, but we believe we’ve got the right mix,” said Guerin. “They’re buying into their roles. You can only have so many guys on the power play or the penalty kill or whatever it is. They’re all used to playing big minutes, big roles, but (Sullivan) used the term ‘self-sacrifice’ the other day and sacrifices are going to have to be made. You’re going to have to accept a role, do things that you’re normally not asked to do. But with the depth of the team, that’s where we are, and that’s a good thing.”
All signs point to Hellebuyck starting
Connor Hellebuyck settled into his net and slid into the butterfly to absorb the full weight of Matthews’ wicked shot without allowing a rebound.
It hit him flush in the gut — right where he intended for it to — and then it dropped into his glove before he batted it away to the corner and steadied himself for the next one.
In these precise movements, Hellebuyck was exuding the pure confidence and calm of a man who’s prepared to accept the pressure that comes with being Team USA’s goaltender at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
No player here will be under more of it, as he is the tip of the mighty goaltending triumvirate that has the Americans favoured by most to win this tournament.
Sure, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman are two of the best in the world. But Hellebuyck has won 34 of 43 starts — including each of his last six — for the Winnipeg Jets this season. Not only is he the odds-on favourite to repeat as Vezina Trophy winner, he’s also leading the Hart Trophy race.
So, it should come as no surprise to see Hellebuyck lead Team USA onto the ice when the Americans start this tournament against Team Finland on Thursday, even if Sullivan wasn’t prepared to confirm that on Tuesday.
Both Sullivan and Guerin expressed confidence in their three goaltenders, with Guerin calling the depth they provide “a luxury” and Sullivan saying, “all three of them are very capable guys that are capable of playing in a high-stakes environment.”
But both would agree that if the Americans need to rely on all three in a three-game round robin against Finland, Canada and Sweden, they likely won’t be playing in the highest-stakes game of the tournament.
It puts the onus on Hellebuyck to take the net and own it through next Thursday’s championship game.
On Monday, Hughes called the six-foot-four Michiganite “the best goalie in the league.” On Tuesday, Oettinger said one of his objectives in making this team was to “just to learn from him and be around him,” and Swayman said, “I can’t wait to see him perform.”
Whether Hellebuyck can do so with the precision, calmness and swagger that he exuded at Tuesday’s practice — and whether he can build on the incredible season he’s had with the Jets under this type of pressure — is the question.
The 31-year-old’s resume is littered with individual accomplishments, from the Mike Richter Award as best NCAA goaltender during his days at UMass-Lowell to All-American honours to being a first- and second-team NHL All-Star and a one-time world championship All-Star, and to winning the Vezina Trophy twice and the Jennings Trophy once. But the closest he’s gotten to gold in international hockey was bronze at the 2015 worlds, and he’s never gotten as close to sipping from Lord Stanley’s silver and nickel Cup as you’d think his talent would enable him to.
Sure, Hellebuyck has played big in big games. He posted a .922 save percentage to help Winnipeg play 17 playoff games and get to within three wins of the 2018 Cup Final.
But Hellebuyck has followed up the last two regular seasons — two of his best in the league — by faltering when it mattered most.
The goaltender allowed 18 goals over a five-game loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, and another 24 in the five-game loss to the Colorado Avalanche in 2024. The Jets weren’t good enough in front of him, and he didn’t come close to conjuring up the best version of himself when they needed him to.
On Tuesday, Hellebuyck talked about dealing with the heat of that scorching spotlight, saying, “In those pressure moments, it’s easy to lose how you’ve practised and your foundation.”
But he said he’s learned from it and is aiming to use the national platform in front of him to prove he can step up.
“If you want to be the best version of yourself and one of the best players in the world, you’ve got to prove it every single night,” Hellebuyck said. “You can’t take a night off, and tournaments like this and days like this are other stepping stones and other ways to show yourself that you’re doing the right thing.”
That box was checked in Tuesday’s practice by Hellebuyck.
USA defenceman Jaccob Slavin said, “he was making saves you don’t typically expect to see.”
Unless something unforeseen happens, Hellebuyck will be tasked with making them against Finland on Thursday in his first bid to help the Americans live up to the billing as tournament favourites.
“We have all the confidence in the world in Connor,” said Swayman.
“We’re super lucky to have him back there,” said forward J.T. Miller.
And Matthews said, “Helle’s been at the top of the goaltending world for several years.”
You have to think Hellebuyck will have the chance to prove it on this stage.
