U.S. men's hockey team makes world championship final, best since 1950
The U.S. men's hockey team reached the final of the world championship, ensuring its best finish at a standalone worlds since 1950.
The Americans beat host Sweden 6-2 in Saturday's semifinal on goals from Brady Skjei, Cutter Gauthier, Conor Garland, Mikey Eyssimont, Jackson LaCombe and Shane Pinto.
Later Saturday, Denmark plays Switzerland for the other spot in Sunday's final. Neither nation has ever won a world title.
The U.S.' last silver at a standalone worlds came in 1950. Its lone gold at a standalone worlds came in 1933.
For a time, the Olympics also counted as world championships. The U.S.' Olympic medals in 1952 (silver), 1956 (silver) and 1960 (gold) were also world championship medals.
The U.S.' last Olympic men's hockey title came in 1980.
The U.S. was eliminated from worlds in the quarterfinals last year. The Americans were fourth at worlds in 2022 and 2023 and have made the semifinals 13 times since the IIHF reinstituted a bracketed playoff round in 1992.
Before this year, their best finish in that span was third place overall, having lost their previous 12 semifinals.
The U.S. team at these worlds features two players from last February's 4 Nations Face-Off: goalie Jeremy Swayman and defenseman Zach Werenski, who led all players at 4 Nations with six points.
Many top NHL players miss worlds because the tournament takes place during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The U.S. head coach at worlds is the San Jose Sharks' Ryan Warsofsky.
The U.S. has already qualified for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, where NHL players are expected to participate for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games.
The U.S. head coach for the Olympics is the New York Rangers' Mike Sullivan.
Nick Zaccardi,
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
As NHL's ‘old guys' dominate Stanley Cup Final, will it affect how teams are constructed?
EDMONTON — A Stanley Cup Final for the ages is being served up with a distinct touch of gray. It features the NHL's second-oldest starting goaltender in 36-year-old Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers, who has been scored on twice already by 40-year-old forward Corey Perry. The Edmonton Oilers are now riding with a 33-year-old journeyman backup in their crease, Calvin Pickard, and the coaching staff turned to 33-year-old Jeff Skinner when searching for a lineup spark entering Game 4. Advertisement Meanwhile, at age 37, Panthers forward Brad Marchand has put himself in the Conn Smythe Trophy conversation, while helping elevate a line centered by Anton Lundell, who at 23 is Florida's youngest regular skater. As the NHL's championship series enters Game 5 tied 2-2 on Saturday night, perhaps we can chalk up the Panthers' and Oilers' ability to keep exchanging momentum-swinging haymakers in this series to their tenured rosters. 'I've heard this a million times this year: I think we're the oldest team in the NHL,' said Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm, a 35-year-old appearing in his third Stanley Cup Final. 'Having all of that experience on our side is huge in situations like this, where you've got to go game by game, you've got to go day by day and just make sure that you don't let that flow into each other too much.' Among the 32 goals scored through the opening four games of this final — the most since the 1981 series between the New York Islanders and Minnesota North Stars — just two came off the stick of a player below the age of 25. In fact, the average cumulative age attached to each of those goals is 31 years, 83 days — well above the league average from the regular season. What does that tell us? Well, the NHL is starting to skew a little older, which can be seen in the average age of players jumping from 27.1 years during the 2017-18 season to 28.3 years in 2024-25. And when the games matter most, some of the NHL's most successful franchises seem to be growing increasingly reliant on the stability offered by a player much closer to the end of his career than the start of it. The lesson was internalized a long time ago by veteran Panthers coach Paul Maurice, who remembers scratching a 37-year-old Paul Coffey with the Carolina Hurricanes for Game 1 of a series against Boston Bruins in April 1999, only to see the Hockey Hall of Famer rejoin the lineup and play more than 30 minutes in Game 2. Advertisement 'The older guys have a perspective that young players don't,' said Maurice. 'Young players can be great, but I think you can almost be assured that you're going to get the very best out of your older players in (the) playoffs.' That's certainly been the case in a Stanley Cup Final where we've seen Perry score a tying goal with 18 seconds left in Game 2, only to have Marchand reply with the double-overtime winner. They're among a number of intriguing veterans who are set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1 — a list that also includes Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Matt Duchene and John Tavares, among others — which begs the question: Will the success of the Panthers and Oilers affect the team-building strategies of other rivals? There was a mixed response among the player agents and team executives contacted on Friday. One GM indicated that age doesn't tend to be a major factor in decisions except when it comes to a player he already has other reservations about, while a second GM said that he's always valued experience when trying to build a contending team and has only had that idea reinforced by seeing how the in-season additions paid off for Edmonton and Florida. A third team executive noted that it's important what kind of team is adding the graybeards, noting that the Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings are among the teams who have seen minimal return from adding veteran free agents in recent years to cores that weren't strong enough to maximize them. One veteran player agent said he thinks the Stanley Cup Final will influence how other top teams approach roster construction. 'You need some youthful exuberance and speed and all of that, and yet you need to mix that with maturity and calmness,' he said. 'The blend and having clear roles is the key.' Advertisement Ultimately, the unique era preceding this one may have skewed expectations for rebuilding teams. The Pittsburgh Penguins reached the Stanley Cup Final with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on entry-level contracts immediately before the Blackhawks accomplished the same feat with Kane and Toews driving the team. Stepping back, those situations look more like outliers than the rule — with the majority of franchise-level players reaching age 25 before their team wins a Cup. All of Florida's top players were north of that age when they captured last year's championship, while Connor McDavid (28) and Leon Draisaitl (29) are in a similar window while trying to wrestle this one away from them. If the Oilers manage to win it, the 40-year-old Perry will have played an important role, too. He spoke up during the first intermission on Thursday night with his team trailing 3-0 and Edmonton managed to pull off an epic comeback afterward. Perry did something similar while playing for the Montreal Canadiens in 2021, when they recovered from a 3-1 series deficit against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 1 before going on a run to the Cup Final. 'It wasn't wisdom,' said Perry, when asked about his speech. 'It was just honesty.' 'I mean he's been in the league for over 20 years so he's been through everything,' added teammate Jake Walman. 'Nothing can faze him and he's just kind of rubbing that off on us.' At the risk of ignoring some of the other contributors to an unforgettable Game 4 that included a three-goal comeback, multiple lead changes, a last-minute tying goal and an overtime finish, the two youngest scorers in this series both had big moments. Lundell struck in the final minute of the first period to make it 3-0 for Florida before Vasily Podkolzin, a fellow 23-year-old, tied it up for Edmonton at 15:05 of the second period. Podkolzin also sent the pass to Draisaitl on the play where he won the game in overtime. 'You know what? We're like an old team,' he said. 'We have so many old guys, we are pretty calm usually. I am calm with them.' (Top photos of Brad Marchand and Corey Perry: Perry Nelson / Imagn Images and Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers: How to watch Game 4 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final tonight
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Brett Kulak and the Edmonton Oilers will play the Florida Panthers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, here's how to watch. () The Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers are no strangers; the two NHL teams met in last year's Stanley Cup Final (the Panthers took the trophy home, winning in seven thrilling games). Florida currently leads this year's Stanley Cup Final series 2-1, with the teams playing at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida for Game 4 tonight (June 12) at 8 p.m. ET. You can catch the entire Stanley Cup series on TNT and Max, here's everything you need to know about how to watch the Panthers vs. Oilers series, and get live updates on Game 4 here. How to watch the Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers: Dates: June 12, 2025 Advertisement Time: 8 p.m. (Game 4) TV channel: TNT, TruTV Streaming: Max, Sling, DirecTV and more Where to watch the Panthers vs. Oilers: You can tune in to every game of the Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Final on TNT and truTV. These channels are available on platforms like DirecTV, Sling and Fubo. Games will also be streaming on Max. Stanley Cup Final channel: All games in the Stanley Cup finals series between the Oilers and the Panthers will air on TNT and truTV. How to watch the Stanley Cup Finals without cable: Watch TNT and more DirecTV MySports Pack DIRECTV's MySports pack is a curated live TV package geared toward sports fans, with access to ESPN's suite of channels, TBS, TNT, USA, FS1 and an included subscription to ESPN+ for $69.99/month. The MySports pack guarantees access to thousands of live televised events, plus all the live-streaming and library content on ESPN+, all on one interface and one bill. You can try it for free for five days before committing. Try free at DirecTV Disney Best Max bundle Max, Disney+ and Hulu bundle (ad-free) The Disney+, Hulu, Max bundle gets you exactly what it sounds like: access to Disney+, Hulu and Max. If you go ad-free ($29.99/month) you'll save up to 38% off compared to individually paying for all three services — and gain access to the Stanley Cup Final, French Open and more. If you don't already have access to these platforms, this is a great option that really covers your bases, streaming-wise. You'll get access to three vast libraries, fully stocked with everything MCU, all those Disney princesses (new and old), Hulu's robust catalog of shows on-demand the day after they air, including the latest episodes of Abbott Elementary, Grey's Anatomy and more, and the most recent seasons of The Last of Us, The Pitt and White Lotus. $29.99/month at Disney Who is playing in the Stanley Cup Finals? This year, the Florida Panthers will play the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals. 2025 Stanley Cup Finals TV schedule: All times Eastern. Advertisement Game 1 : Wednesday, June 4 Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers Game 2 : Friday, June 6 Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers Game 3 : Monday, June 9 Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers (Florida leads 2-1) Game 4 : Thursday, June 12 Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers- 8 p.m. (TNT, truTV, Max) Game 5* : Saturday, June 14 Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers - 8 p.m. (TNT, truTV, Max) Game 6* : Tuesday, June 17 Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers - 8 p.m. (TNT, truTV, Max) Game 7*: Friday, June 20 Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers - 8 p.m. (TNT, truTV, Max) *if necessary More ways to watch the Stanley Cup Finals:
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former NBA Player Feels Anthony Edwards Would Go "Supernova" With Kevin Durant On The Timberwolves
Former NBA Player Feels Anthony Edwards Would Go "Supernova" With Kevin Durant On The Timberwolves originally appeared on Fadeaway World. The Phoenix Suns' imminent rebuild seems to be on the horizon after missing the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season. Trading an aging Kevin Durant seems to be the better option for them instead of their All-Star, who is in his prime, Devin Booker. Advertisement The recent buzz seems to have made it an inevitability that we will hear about a Kevin Durant trade this summer. It is more a question of 'when and where?' instead of 'if' at this point. The former NBA player Jay Williams recently appeared on ESPN and claimed that the Minnesota Timberwolves should be the frontrunners to get Durant only due to the resulting impact on Anthony Edwards. "I personally feel that the best fit is Minnesota. Number 1, it's like Outlaws, right? It's like Tupac and Snoop on the album cover; that is, Anthony Edwards and Kevin Durant. USA Basketball was an incredible time for them. You saw their bond continue to mature." "Anthony Edwards does not call any player in the world his favorite player; he's one of the most competitive dudes you've ever met, he'll call KD that. And Marc Lore, Alex Rodriguez, new ownership in Minnesota, if it's a year deal, I would sign KD to an extension, because it helps Anthony Edwards get to that next level. He's a superstar, but Anthony Edwards can become a supernova if he has KD by his side." Following his experience with veterans like Stephen Curry and LeBron James in the Olympics, the resulting impact on his game was visible in this season itself. He first led the Timberwolves to beat Kevin Durant's Suns 4-0 in their season series. Then in the Playoffs, his team beat both Curry and James' teams, the Warriors and the Lakers, in five games to head to his second consecutive Western Conference Finals experience. Advertisement Anthony Edwards averaged 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 79 games this season. Edwards and the Timberwolves seem to be on the precipice of becoming a team that could win multiple championships over the next decade. If he gets another 25 points per game scorers like Durant on his team, he would no longer feel pressured to carry their offensive load and play even more freely. Julius Randle, who came to the Timberwolves as part of a trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, was a consistent second option for Edwards this season. However, his lack of experience in the Playoffs proved pivotal, and he failed to show up for them in two games and finished with 6 and 5 points in games 2 and 4 of their series against the Thunder. If they replace Randle with Durant as the second option for Edwards, it would propel the Timberwolves and Edwards personally to another level. Should Rodriguez and Lore pull the trigger and go all in on a win-now move for Durant? Let us know what you think in the comments section. Related: Ex-Warriors Teammate Feels Kevin Durant Is Unfairly Blamed For Suns' And Nets' Failures To Create Superteams This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
