It's gold or bust' for US men's hockey at the Winter Olympics. The Americans are confident, too

"Burned in Zach Werenski's memory is the first U.S. practice at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February. You look around and see the skill, Werenski said. I was like, This is fast.' It's wave after wave, player after player. He and his countrymen fell short at that tournament, which was designed to be an appetizer of sorts for the return of NHL players to the Olympics."

"Over the summer, when the country's best gathered again for an orientation camp ahead of next month's Games in Milan, USA Hockey general manager Bill Guerin told them that nothing but gold would suffice. I love it, winger Matt Boldy said. You shouldn't be doing anything unless you're trying to be the best at it. The U.S. has not won a so-called best-on-best international competition at the adult level in three decades dating to the 1996 World Cup of Hockey."

"Everyone knows we have the team, top defenseman Quinn Hughes said. I don't think anyone would be surprised if we won, so I think that that should be our goal. It's kind of gold or bust, just like it is for Canada. The U.S. lost to Canada in the final at 4 Nations, in the semifinals at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi and in the gold medal game at the 2010 Games in Vancouver."

Zach Werenski remembered the first U.S. practice at the 4 Nations Face-Off as overwhelmingly fast, with wave after wave of skilled players. The U.S. team lost to Canada at that tournament. USA Hockey general manager Bill Guerin told players at an orientation camp that nothing but gold would suffice ahead of the Milan Games. Winger Matt Boldy said competitors should always aim to be the best. The U.S. has not won a best-on-best adult international competition since the 1996 World Cup and has not won men's Olympic gold since 1980. The roster includes elite defensemen and forwards and faces a Canadian lineup led by McDavid, MacKinnon, Makar and Sidney Crosby.

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