Team USA skated off the TD Garden ice empty-handed on Thursday — their hopes of claiming the nation’s first “best-on-best” hockey title since 1996 dashed when Canada’s Connor McDavid rifled a puck into twine 8:18 into overtime of the 4 Nations Face-Off championship.
But even with that sour end, Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan harped on the positives drawn out of a tournament that both put the national spotlight on hockey — and will serve as a catalyst ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
“We sure are proud of this group,” Sullivan said.