After the United States assembled its team for the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, Hockey Hall of Fame member Brian Leetch remembers there was a different feeling than when he skated with earlier USA Hockey teams.
"That was the first tournament I remember going into that … we didn't go in with just hope that we could catch some breaks and our goaltending would play well and we could win some games," said Leetch, who was U.S. captain. "We went in with the expectation that we could win that tournament."
Leetch did his part, tying for the tournament scoring lead among defensemen with seven points, all assists.