ESPN.com · Dec 7, 2023
Generation Gold: American NHL players ready for Olympic glory
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Hall of Famer Mike Modano was a member of three U.S. Olympic men's hockey teams. They were filled with NHL stars, but they managed to take home just one medal, a silver in 2002.
If the NHL sends its players to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, the Americans will have another team filled with familiar names: Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, the Hughes and Tkachuk brothers, and the deepest goaltending pool in the nation's history.
When Modano looks at those players, he sees Olympic gold.
"God, that roster's pretty solid. They'll all be in their prime. They'll all be very hungry," Modano told ESPN. "I would say since the 1990s, that's probably the best one we could have."