MANALAPAN, Fla. — If you're a hockey fan, you know that morning skates and practices are often “optional” for some and not so much for others. Probably.
Well, the same can be said for the upcoming World Championships in the Czech Republic.
Yes, the competition is certainly voluntary if your country calls, but if you're an American NHLer and your team misses the playoffs and Bill Guerin dials your phone number. , you might want to strongly consider signing on the dotted line and donning the red and white uniform. At the very least, wear a blue sweater if you're hoping to attend his 2025 Quadruple Tournament or his 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
“I think it's important that the men compete,” Guerin, the U.S. general manager for the Quad and Olympics, said at a news conference. The Athletic At the NHL GM meeting held last week in South Florida. “Look, there's some players that are key for both teams. But there's going to be some guys who are on the bubble. If they haven't played in the playoffs or meaningful games in a long time, or Until now –I want to see what kind of performance they will perform.
“So I think the world championships are very important in that respect.”
It's not hard to tell what kind of bubble player Guerin has in mind. That list includes defensemen like Zach Werenski and Seth Jones, forwards like Clayton Keller, Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras, Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch, and even Guerin's Minnesota Wild players. That could include Matt Boldy.
Boldy has been a major contributor to gold medal-winning U.S. teams, including the 2021 World Junior Championship team, but Guerin has publicly criticized his first two postseasons with the Wild. So, to use him as an example, if he's selected for one of the upcoming best-on-best tournaments and the Wild want to miss the playoffs, I'd strongly recommend postponing summer golf by a month. Might need to consider that.
Guerin says this is more of a suggestion than a proclamation.
“I'm looking for commitment. If a trip to the Caribbean is more important than the world championships, you're not really committed,” Guerin said. “Our roster is pretty solid right now. I'm not going to put it in black and white and say, 'If you do this, then yeah.' If you're going to do this, then no. 'But we're trying to put the best team possible on the ice. But we're also looking for dedicated people.
“I understand that there are situations where a man gets married, a man has a child, a man gets injured, etc. I get that. But what if they don't?”
If not, watch May 10-16 in Ostrava and Prague, Czech Republic as the United States looks to win its first-ever, and first-ever, second World Championship. 1933.
As an athlete, Guerin himself represented the United States at three Olympic Games (1998 Nagano, 2002 Salt Lake City, and 2006 Turin), winning a silver medal in 2002. He also competed in two World Junior Championships and two World Cups. The 53-year-old U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer has scored 429 goals in the NHL, the ninth most by a U.S.-born player in NHL history.
Bill Guerin wore red, white, and blue at the 2002 Olympics. (Brian Barr/Getty Images)
What he says is not out of line.
Don't think for a second that a Canadian team wouldn't make a similar “offer” to a Canadian NHL player who didn't make the playoffs or was eliminated in the first round. The rounds are scheduled to open on April 20th and take place around May 4th.
Prior to the Olympic year, the World Championships have always allowed management some influence in selecting subsequent teams. When Wayne Gretzky was executive director of the Canadian Olympic team in Salt Lake City, he loudly advised his athletes to participate in the 2001 world championships. Lou Nanne, who is part of the management team for several U.S. international tournaments, said he used to “demand” the same thing.
It is just one of the things that is understood.
“If you go out there, you get a chance to play in front of scouts and management,” St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong said. He was recently named Canada's Olympic GM and will advise Rick Nash in the World Championship and World Championship GM role. He from Canada will help select the four-nation competition management team. “There's no connection that if you don't go, you're going to be taken off the list — that's not the case — but the reality is that if somebody goes there and somebody tries to play well, somebody gets somebody's attention. I will collect them.”
Nash, a former captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets, said this two years ago when he was assistant GM of Canada's world championship team. From conversations with Doug Armstrong and (Hockey Canada Vice President of Hockey Operations) Scott Salmond, this is the beginning of a process that will take place over the next few years with the Quad and the Olympics.
“International play is a little different. It's completely different from the NHL. Different system, different style of play. For the male players, whether it's the Quad or the Olympics, they get the best opportunity to take the next step. Therefore, it is important for us to gain experience and succeed on the world stage.”
In other words, Nash and Armstrong are offering slightly softer hints than Guerin's blunter hints, but they're also likely to help players like Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki compete in the Quadrangle or the 2026 Olympics. If you want to compete in the tournament, you'll probably still be in Prague. May of this year.
This makes sense, especially considering how painful it is to select the roster ahead of next year's Feb. 12-20 quadruple competition featuring the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland. The event will feature 23 players, three of whom will be goaltenders. This means he will have 20 skaters on each team, or he will have one additional forward and one defenseman. Once the tournament begins, you will not be able to select from the reserve list or taxi squad if you suffer multiple injuries.
Therefore, Guerin particularly wants bubble players who missed this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs to participate in the world championship, and the management team led by GM Brett Peterson (Florida Panthers assistant GM) will decide which players This is so that they can see if they can play a role that they are not used to. To.
Most players in the upcoming tournament will play top-six and top power-play roles on NHL teams. But that may not be the case with the talented rosters competing in the Quad and the Olympics. The Athletic last month predicted what the U.S. roster would look like under Guerin and gave a sense of its depth.
Guerin plans to participate in the World Championship to begin the evaluation process for upcoming tournaments.
“These are short tournaments,” Guerin said. “Almost everyone on the team is a power-play player, a penalty-kill player, or a first-line center, a winger, or a top-pair defenseman. Almost everyone on the team is a star player. I would like to know “Do you have any questions?” Would you be happy with less ice time than usual? If you weren't, would you support those participating in the power play?
“We need good players who are going to be good teammates and players who are willing to take on roles that may be uncomfortable. To me, that's very important. That's an important reason to go to the World Championships, not just this year, which is a Quadruple year or an Olympic year, but we know who you are.
“It's not just the hockey part. For me, the buy-in factor is so big that we get to know you a little bit. It's not just skating, shooting, passing. It's the heart. It's the emotion. That's what you're willing to do for the team.”
The first six players for each country in the four-nation competition must be announced by the end of June. The tournament begins on February 12th in one U.S. city and one Canadian city, with no practice scheduled until February 10th and 11th.
Alex Touch represented the United States at the 2023 World Championships. (Jonathan Knackstrand/Getty Images)
Guerin has already held several meetings and has checked off several items, including staff selection.
That is expected to be announced by USA Hockey next month.
Guerin didn't say which shoulder he hit, but there's a good chance Mike Sullivan of the Pittsburgh Penguins will be the head honcho behind the bench. Sullivan and Guerin have a long relationship dating back to Guerin's time with the Penguins, and Sullivan was scheduled to coach the U.S. team at the 2022 Olympics until the NHL pulled out due to the pandemic.
“Obviously we were well on our way as an Olympic team when the rug was pulled out from under us, so to speak,” Sullivan said. The Athletic last month. “So we went through the process as a group. I don't think there's a better player than Billy to lead that group, with all his experience playing internationally in the NHL and as a manager.” .”
As for Guerin's management staff, New York Rangers GM Chris Drury was scheduled to be Guerin's assistant GM at the Olympics two years ago. Guerin may have been cautious, but he said that doesn't necessarily mean management will play the same role this time around.
He has plenty of American executives to choose from: Drury, New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald, Panthers GM Bill Zito, San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier, Colorado Avalanche GM Chris McFarland, Buffalo Sabers GM. Kevin Adams, Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy, and, of course, American hockey players New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello and Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell. In addition to Peterson, the Wild's director of player personnel, Chris Kelleher, will likely be added to the staff.
Guerin said he has notified his staff but hasn't used it much yet because he wants to respect the fact that the NHL season is still going on.
“When I do something like this, I want to focus on this,” he said. “It's hard to ask guys who are trying to make the playoffs if they want to be in USA Hockey.”
Guerin intends to keep the same staff for the 2026 Olympics as for the four-nation competition for continuity reasons.
“I can't explain how excited I am,” Guerin said. “We are working hard to win.”
And that process begins with the Czech World Championships.
If you're an NHL player who turns down invitations or sends voicemails to Guerin and Peterson, but still wants to play in the Four Nations or the Olympics, you probably won't forget it. Probably.
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US Olympic Team names Wild's Bill Guerin as general manager
Chris Johnston and Aaron Portzline contributed to this article.
(Top photo of Team USA after losing to Latvia at the 2023 World Championship: Jari Pestelacci/Getty Images)
