from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

While Burke's Leafs continue to struggle to find traction in rejoining the NHL's elite clubs -- they are the only NHL team to have missed the playoffs in every season since the last lockout -- there is no disputing the masterful job Burke and his management team did in assembling of the U.S. coaching staff and playing roster in Vancouver, and then stickhandling them through the landmines that such a tournament presents en route to the emotionally charged gold medal game.

But here's where it gets interesting for head of USA Hockey David Ogrean and top officials like Jim Johannson, who is the assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. What's the goal for USA Hockey when it comes to best-on-best tournaments like the Olympics?

Is it about sharing the experience? Is it about making sure people like Paul Holmgren, Ray Shero, Dean Lombardi, Stan Bowman, George McPhee, Dale Tallon or David Poile all get a turn?

Or is it about balancing that kind of "everyone on the bus" philosophy with consistency and hoping that consistency yields success in those competitions, which ultimately benefits everyone in a national body like USA Hockey?

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