from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,
Team USA’s dead horse has been kicked often enough, but it is fair to say that no one has left, or will leave, this tournament with a more damaged reputation than John Tortorella, who was able to coax nothing at all from a flawed roster constructed with flawed ideology (into which the coach surely had significant input) and whose lineup decisions were inscrutable, even to the bitter end.
The hierarchy requires a complete overhaul, though that might be easier said than done given the political turf protection within USA Hockey. But the leading candidates to take control of the next best-on-best American squad should be New Jersey general manager Ray Shero, Rangers GM Jeff Gorton, Pittsburgh assistant GM Billy Guerin and New Jersey assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald.
Coaching candidates would include New Jersey’s John Hynes, Pittsburgh’s Mike Sullivan, Nashville’s Peter Laviolette and, perhaps most intriguingly so, Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper, who holds dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship.
The charismatic North American kids were a revelation, showcasing an elite level of speed, skill and creativity that created an enormous high, which unfortunately came crashing down in the wake of their elimination once everyone realized that brand of hockey would disappear either for forever or until the next time this tournament is held.
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