But it happened.
It’s still happening.
“It was the greatest honor just to be able to represent the U.S. and all the people back home watching,” Tkachuk said. “Yeah, I’m not going to lie. It’s definitely been a lot crazier than summers past just with the amount of people that have come up and said exactly where they were watching it, so it’s pretty special to hear that.”
Matt Boldy took notice of people looking or staring at him when he was home in the Boston area.
“It’s definitely a little different, the everyday life,” the Wild forward said. “People followed it and were so invested in it, and obviously it meant a lot to the country and youth hockey in the U.S. So, you get noticed a little bit more out and about from people that maybe didn’t follow hockey as much before.”
Werenski thought for sure the hype around it would die down once the NHL season resumed and, surely, once the Stanley Cup Playoffs began.
“It has in terms of the party and all that, but when I walk around my hometown now, before no one would ever recognize me and now all anyone wants to do is talk about the gold medal,” Werenski said. “It’s pretty crazy and it’s a good thing. It’s something I’ll always talk about with anyone.”
Now with months separating the elation of winning, the players also have had time to recognize and process the impact the gold medal has had on them, and somehow it even changed the perception they have of themselves as players.
For Werenski, it’s proof of what he thought already knew, but really hadn’t been proven enough because of limited opportunity, that he can be an impact player in big games against top competition in intense, scrutinized, every-play-matters environments.
“We haven’t had much playoff success here in Columbus recently and I haven’t been in those big games before, or in a long time,” Werenski said. “I think the 4 Nations (Face-Off) was good for me to kind of reassure myself that I can play at this level, I can play in this atmosphere, but then going to the Olympics in that setting on that stage, gold-medal game, Canada, overtime, I felt comfortable and that was very reassuring to me.
“That’s where I want to be as a player, is in those moments. I want the puck on my stick. I want to make plays. I want to be out there. I haven’t done it enough. So, to be in that moment and have the feeling I had as a player, have a ton of confidence against all the best players in the world, it was a good feeling.”
Boldy’s biggest takeaway is what he gained from being around his Team USA teammates.
He realized he belonged.
