MONTREAL — The 4 Nations Face-off tournament unofficially started for four Rangers Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
Shortly after standing behind the Penguins bench in a 3-2 win over the Blueshirts, Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan huddled for five minutes with Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck and Adam Fox.
From opposing sides to uniting as countrymen, the aforementioned five and the rest of the top Americans in the NHL will look to capture the United States’ first best-on-best tournament crown since the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.
“He kept it pretty quick,” Fox said of the meeting. “They were just sending out some video clips for structure, and he was just telling us how he wanted us to learn the system, but not be too hands on with it before. Just getting acclimated and kind of introducing himself, as well.”
The Rangers are represented more than any other NHL team on Team USA, with three forwards and a defenseman chosen among the cream of the crop of U.S.-born players in the league.
Of course, Miller was selected when he was still a Canuck, but now he counts toward the Blueshirts total after he was traded back to New York on Jan. 31.
With the addition of Miller, the Blueshirts have six players skating for their respective countries at the NHL’s first international event in nine years. That’s the second most of any NHL club.
“It’s nice that they’re here, get to know them a little bit more,” Miller said of having three Rangers teammates on Team USA with him. “I just think it gives us a leg up in the sense of getting to know them, as in having a friendship and a bond, so when we go back, a little more glue there.”
Team USA practiced Tuesday at Bell Centre, which will host the first four games of the tournament before it transfers to Boston for the final three, including the championship game.
On defense, Fox has skated on the first pair with the Hurricanes’ Jaccob Slavin. The Jericho, N.Y., native has also taken reps on the first power play.
Miller is centering Team USA’s third line with the Senators’ Brady Tkachuk on his left wing and the Wild’s Matt Boldy on his right, while Trocheck skated in the middle of the fourth line with the Islanders’ Brock Nelson and the Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin.
Kreider has rotated in on the fourth unit, as well, but appears to be the likely choice to serve as a scratch when the U.S. opens the tournament against Finland on Thursday.
It’s possible Kreider gets in later in the tournament, especially if there’s an injury to the forward group. For now, however, the idea of having to face the best man in his wedding, Mika Zibanejad, when Team USA plays Sweden in Boston only makes the longest-tenured Ranger smile.
“I think he knows all of my tricks,” Kreider quipped. “Unfortunately, his bag of tricks is a lot deeper than mine. Not sure how often I’m going to be on the ice against him, he’s kind of on whole other level.”
Zibanejad looks to be right in his element with his fellow Sweden natives, the irremovable smile on his face indicative of just how happy he is to be here.
The fact that he’s been centering Sweden’s top line between the Maple Leafs’ William Nylander and the Penguins’ Rickard Rackell in practice gives the 31-year-old even more to look forward to.
“I feel like a kid again, honestly,” Zibanejad said. “Speaking Swedish to my teammates, having meetings in Swedish, it just kind of brings you back. I’ve been away for, what, 14 years now from Swedish hockey? I feel like it doesn’t take a very long time to get used to the guys, to the coaches, to just the way of thinking, I guess. It’s been a lot of fun and it’s exciting.
“Obviously, we want to win and that’s the mentality we’re going in with tomorrow. Nothing changes there, but I think there’s a different excitement for a tournament like this.”
Defenseman Urho Vaakanainen, who the Rangers acquired in December in the Jacob Trouba deal with the Ducks, knew he was an extra for Team Finland since Christmas time. And when Finland’s blueline suffered three separate injuries, Vaakanainen officially got the call to fill in.
Primarily skating on the left of the Senators’ Nikolas Matinpalo, Vaakanainen looks primed for third-pair minutes just like he’s received in his first 23 games with the Rangers.
“It’s awesome, first men’s national team tournament for me, so it’s going to be special,” Vaakanainen said. “Just a great honor.”
