The USA's men's Olympic team was able to come back to the States with a gold medal after defeating Team Canada, and it was a great experience for the players all the way to the coaching staff. New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan was the coach of Team USA, and he was asked about his time being around some of the best players in the world.
“It was an incredible run,” Sullivan said. “It was a whole lot of fun from our standpoint to work with that group of players. Just a terrific group of players. It was the honor of a lifetime. It's everything I anticipated it to be and them some. To come back with a gold medal was an incredible thrill. I could not be more proud of the players.”
Mike Sullivan on coaching Team USA in the Olympics:
"Just a terrific group of players. It was the honor of a lifetime. It's everything I anticipated it to be and them some. To come back with a gold medal was an incredible thrill. I could not be more proud of the players" pic.twitter.com/lR9DY0eWd2
— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) February 25, 2026
Sullivan played a big part in getting the group of players together, and after the gold medal win, he spoke about how proud he was.
“I couldn't be more proud of the group of players that we have,” Sullivan said via Remy Mastey of The Hockey News. “Those guys played their hearts out, and all of us were really proud of how we became a team. There were a lot of obviously, really talented players, but one of the messages that we gave to them from the start, before the Four Nations tournament, was talent alone won’t win.”
Having a gold medal on your resume is big, and it's something that Sullivan will probably never forget.
Sullivan will now have the chance to lead his group with the Rangers, and the hope is that they can string some wins together as the season continues, with them currently being at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division.
