The U.S. men’s hockey team suffered an early exit from the world championship tournament, losing in the quarterfinals to host Czechia by a score of 0-1. This defeat marked the earliest exit for the U.S. in five years, having reached the semifinals in the past three tournaments. Despite their early exit, the U.S. team had a roster filled with talent, including NHL All-Stars Johnny Gaudreau, Seth Jones, Brady Tkachuk, and Zach Werenski.
Gaudreau broke Patrick Kane’s national team records for career points and assists in world championship play, reaching 43 points and 30 assists. Brock Nelson also tied the national team career record for goals at worlds with 19, a record previously held by Bruce Mather and Russell Johnson. The last time the U.S. won silver at worlds was in 1950, and their only gold in a standalone worlds tournament came in 1933. Alex Lyon started the first two games in goal for the U.S., but he was injured leading to Charlie Lindgren joining the team as a replacement and being in goal against Czechia during quarterfinals play where they lost by a score of 0-1
