PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Early on as he started coaching Team USA Mike Sullivan realized this was going to be something different than just four teams playing in a tournament in place of an all-star game.
“I think there may have been a miscalculation by everyone in what this tournament meant to the players themselves and all of us that were associated with the respective teams,” Sullivan said Friday as he returned to the Penguins. “I think early on everybody got a taste of the intensity and the investment that the players were making in trying to win and represent their nation. I think once those first few games took place in Montreal, I think people got a clear understanding that this was going to be a special and unique event.”
Sullivan said that first game the US played against Canada was electric, capturing the attention of hockey fans around the globe. They were also aware of how many eyes were focusing on them. Players and coaches were doing interviews all over the place before the championship game and even shows that never talked about hockey were leading their programs discussing the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“The pace of play,” Sullivan said. “The physicality. The emotion on both sides, for me, was just remarkable.”
He said the last few days have been a rollercoaster of those emotions. Pride is the number one emotion in the American players and how hard they played. There was also disappointment, while he said he congratulated Sidney Crosby, obviously they took the loss hard.
“It was an unbelievable event,” Sullivan said. “It was an incredible celebration of hockey. It was the best 10 days of hockey I’ve witnessed with just best on best.”
Now Sullivan transitions back to being the Penguins head coach. He said it was strange to get off the plane from Boston this morning. He compared it to taking one hat off and putting on another.
“When we were pulling up (to the Penguins practice facility) it was like Groundhog Day, you just get back and do your thing,” Sullivan explained. “We are excited with getting after it again with the Pittsburgh Penguins group. We’ve got some important games coming up that we have to get ready for.”
43 hours after coaching Team USA in one of the biggest hockey games on American soil, Sullivan works to find a way to get his last-place team back in a playoff hunt with 25 games to go.