{"id":467160,"date":"2026-02-22T19:24:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T19:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/467160\/"},"modified":"2026-02-22T19:24:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T19:24:16","slug":"mike-sullivan-takes-firm-stand-for-team-usas-ny-rangers-with-clear-message-after-2026-winter-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/467160\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Sullivan takes firm stand for Team USA’s NY Rangers with clear message after 2026 Winter Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"

It wasn\u2019t always easy, but Mike Sullivan<\/a> and Team USA are now Olympic gold medalists. In reality, Sullivan won\u2019t receive a medal, as the Winter Olympics only award that honor to athletes. Still, his name will go down in the history books as the man who led the Stars and Stripes to their third Olympic crown.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, those who won\u2019t wear a medal around their necks\u2014or receive any recognition\u2014are the players who were on the bubble and ultimately failed to make the team. <\/p>\n

Much of the controversy stemmed from Sullivan\u2019s decision to name New York Rangers<\/a> forwards J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck to Team USA<\/a>, leaving behind stars with better numbers. After the win over Canada, Sullivan addressed that long-standing point of debate with a blunt admission about how Team USA assembled its roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team was built with personality in mind,\u201d Sullivan told reporters after the gold medal ceremony, via The New York Post\u2019s Mollie Walker. \u201cThere are whiskey drinkers and milk drinkers, and we got a lot of whiskey drinkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Head<\/p>\n

Head coach Mike Sullivan of the Rangers arrives for the game.<\/p>\n

Who was Sullivan sending a message?<\/p>\n

After his statement, fans across the NHL<\/a> couldn\u2019t help but wonder whether Sullivan had just taken a rather direct shot at the players who didn\u2019t make the cut, despite their strong performances during the 2025\u201326 season. Sullivan didn\u2019t give out any names, but if the shoe fits, some may wear it.<\/p>\n

\"Nathan<\/p>\n

see also<\/p>\n

Nathan MacKinnon makes something clear about Sidney Crosby\u2019s absence after loss to Team USA in 2026 Winter Olympics<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

While Miller and Trocheck posted far from mind-blowing numbers in the Winter Olympics<\/a>, Sullivan always made it clear the two brought passion, identity, and chemistry to the lineup. All of the three can\u2019t be expressed in stat sheets, but they can be equally as important as goals, assists, and points.<\/p>\n

By calling Miller and Trocheck to Team USA, players like Cole Caufield and Jason Robertson\u2014undersized stars with skill and scoring touch for days\u2014were left on the outside looking in. Both young forwards shine night in and night out in the NHL. However, at the Olympic level, the game is far more physical, and that appears to be what cost them their seat on the plane to Milan and a spot on the bench at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.<\/p>\n

Sullivan\u2019s bold call pays off<\/p>\n

Hindsight is 20\/20, and Sullivan\u2019s call has now proven beneficial. Had Nathan MacKinnon found the back of the net on a wide-open chance or Devon Toews cashed in on a loose puck in the blue paint, the story would look very different. <\/p>\n

Instead of popping champagne and raising a glass, Sullivan might have been met with rotten tomatoes and a deafening chorus of second-guessing. Just like Team USA\u2019s upstairs neighbors now face questions about why Connor Bedard didn\u2019t play for Team Canada<\/a> in the Winter Olympics.<\/p>\n

Team USA\u2019s experience in Italy is yet another reminder that history is written by the victors. As the 2026 Winter Olympics chapter comes to an end, it\u2019s clear the pen and paper are firmly in the grasp of the bald American eagle.<\/p>\n

SurveyHow would you grade the 2026 Winter Olympics?<\/p>\n

How would you grade the 2026 Winter Olympics?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It wasn\u2019t always easy, but Mike Sullivan and Team USA are now Olympic gold medalists. In reality, Sullivan…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467161,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5111],"tags":[5,1955,3328,35,5190,5193,4,36,3255,2787],"class_list":{"0":"post-467160","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-rangers","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-mike-sullivan","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-rangers","12":"tag-newyork","13":"tag-newyorkrangers","14":"tag-nhl","15":"tag-rangers","16":"tag-team-usa","17":"tag-winter-olympics"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116115922991714338","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467160"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467160\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/467161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}