Nelson and Team USA clicked well right away, forming chemistry on and off the ice en route to wins in their first two games. Although some of the NHL’s top stars are on opposite ends of the ice, such as Nelson becoming linemates with New York Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck, the players were united by the shared pride in playing for their country. Johnny Gaudreau’s legacy was honored in Team USA’s locker room with his jersey and a stall, while his father joined the team for dinner in Montreal before the tournament began.
“It was cool to honor him and have his dad around,” Nelson said. “Johnny touched a lot of guys in there and was close friends with a lot of guys. I was fortunate enough to play with him at international events. To have him there in remembrance is the last we could do.”
Nelson isn’t a newcomer when it comes to playing on an international stage, as he represented Team USA at IIHF Worlds five times in his career. He said the 4 Nations Face-Off felt like a whole new level.
“It was quite a bit different,” Nelson said. “This was most intense, energy-packed and clean hockey I’ve ever been a part of. You can’t really describe it, how awesome it was, and how important those games were, too, and how much everybody laid on the line. I think it reached beyond regular hockey fans.”
Not only was the buy-in high from the players, but the tournament spiked TV ratings and garnered a lot of buzz from the fans. The championship game between the United States and Canada drew 9.3 million viewers on ESPN and 16.1 million viewers across the two counties.
“It was really good for the game of hockey,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “There was nine million people [in the United States] watching that game, that’s pretty impressive. For our game, it’s fun to see the excitement.”
