The U.S. Men's National Team faces Canada this afternoon to open tournament play at the 2018 IIHF Men's World Championship here in Herning, Denmark. Puck drop is set for 4:15 p.m. local time (10:15 a.m. ET) at the Jyske Bank Boxen and will be televised live in the U.S. exclusively on NHL Network.
The U.S. and Canada have met 44 times previously in a Men's World Championship, including twice at the 2016 event in St. Petersburgh, Russia. Canada leads the series by a 39-1-3-1-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) margin in the event.
The United States enters the 2018 IIHF Men's World Championship seeking its 12th tournament medal and first since 2016, when it claimed a bronze medal. All-time, the U.S. has won gold once (1933), silver four times (1950, 1939, 1934, 1931) and bronze six times (2015, 2013, 2004, 1996, 1952, 1949).
THINGS WORTH MENTIONING
Team USA has finished in the top five of an IIHF Men's World Championship four of the last five years ... The U.S. roster currently sits at 23 ... Team USA arrived April 29 ... Alex DeBrincat joined Team USA on May 1 and Blake Coleman arrived on May 2 ... Patrick Kane is captain while Connor Murphy and Dylan Larkin are alternate captains ... Five U.S. players are making their international debuts ... Jeff Blashill is head coach for the second straight year ... Last year, Team USA skated to a fifth place finish with a 6-0-0-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L) mark after tying a U.S. record with six consecutive wins in the preliminary round en route to finishing atop Group A ... Last night, the U.S. National Under-17 Team edged the Youngstown Phantoms, 10-6, to even its USHL Eastern Conference Final series, 1-1. Game three is tonight at 7:05 p.m. ET and can be seen on HockeyTV.com.
THE SERIES VS. CANADA
The two teams last met in 2016, where the U.S. fell to Canada, 4-3, in the semifinal round. After falling, 2-0, the U.S. received goals from Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.), David Warsofsky (Marshfield, Mass.) and Tyler Motte (St. Clair, Mich.) to take a 3-2 lead before Canada scored twice to claim the 4-3 win. Current U.S. netminder Keith Kinkaid (Farmingville, N.Y.) made 26 saves in the game
KANE, MURPHY & LARKIN LEADING TEAM USA
On April 9, USA Hockey announced that Patrick Kane (Buffalo, N.Y.) will serve as captain for the 2018 U.S. Men's National Team. A three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks who has twice represented the U.S. in the Olympic Winter Games (2010, 2014), including helping Team USA to a silver medal in 2010, Kane is skating in his second IIHF Men's World Championship (2008) and seventh international event.
Ahead of its exhibition game on Tuesday, May 1, it was also announced that defenseman Connor Murphy (Dublin, Ohio) and forward Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) will serve as alternate captains. A year ago, Murphy was captain of Team USA while Larkin served as an alternate captain. The duo were part of the 2015 U.S. Men's National Team that earned a bronze medal at the 2015 IIHF Men's World Championship in Ostrava and Prague, Czech Republic.
JEFF BLASHILL RETURNS AS U.S. HEAD COACH
Jeff Blashill (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.), who recently completed his third season as head coach of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, is serving as head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team for the second consecutive year. A year ago, Blashill guided the U.S. Men's National Team to a fifth-place finish in his international head coaching debut at the 2017 IIHF Men's World Championship in Cologne, Germany, and Paris, France.
REMEMBERING JIM JOHANNSON
Prior to today's game, the IIHF will recognize Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of USA Hockey and general manager of the 2018 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team, who passed away in his sleep at his home in Colorado Springs on Jan. 21. Johannson, born March 10, 1964, in Rochester, Minn., had a life-long career in hockey and was one of the most accomplished and respected people in the sport. Johannson's time with USA Hockey included 34 gold, 19 silver and 11 bronze medals; the launching and implementation of the highly acclaimed American Development Model; and securing USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich. as a home for all U.S. teams to utilize. He had served on 18 consecutive U.S. Men’s National Teams (1999-2017).
U.S. Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Round | Result | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tues., May 1 | Denmark | Exhibition | W, 3-2 | KVIK Hockey Arena Herning, Denmark |
| Fri., May 4 | Canada | Preliminary | W, 5-4 (SO) | Jyske Bank Boxen Herning, Denmark |
| Sat., May 5 | Denmark | Preliminary | W, 4-0 | Jyske Bank Boxen Herning, Denmark |
| Mon., May 7 | Germany | Preliminary | W, 3-0 | Jyske Bank Boxen Herning, Denmark |
| Thurs., May 10 | Latvia | Preliminary | W, 3-2 (OT) | Jyske Bank Boxen Herning, Denmark |
| Fri., May 11 | Korea | Preliminary | W, 13-1 | Jyske Bank Boxen Herning, Denmark |
| Sun., May 13 | Norway | Preliminary | W, 9-3 | Jyske Bank Boxen Herning, Denmark |
| Tues., May 15 | Finland | Preliminary | L, 2-6 | Jyske Bank Boxen Herning, Denmark |
| Thurs., May 17 | Czech Republic | Quarterfinals | W, 3-2 | Jyske Bank Boxen Herning, Denmark |
| Sat., May 19 | Sweden | Semifinals | L, 0-6 | Royal Arena Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Sun., May 20 | Canada | Bronze-Medal Game | W, 4-1 | Royal Arena Copenhagen, Denmark |
2018 Men's Worlds News
Kane Earns Best of May Honor for Team USA Awards
- By USAHockey.com 06/06/2018, 1:45pm EDT
Kane, U.S. Men's National Team Up For Best of May Team USA Awards
- By USAHockey.com 06/01/2018, 9:15am EDT
U.S. To Compete in Group A at 2019 Men's World Championship
- By USAHockey.com 05/22/2018, 2:00pm EDT
U.S. Records Broken in Bronze Medal Performance at 2018 Men's Worlds
- By USAHockey.com 05/22/2018, 9:15am EDT
2018 MWC Notebook: May 21
- By USAHockey.com 05/21/2018, 3:00am EDT