USA Hockey men's head coach Mike Sullivan grew up inspired by the ‘Miracle on Ice’ gold medal-winners of 1980. “As a kid playing hockey in the Boston area and certainly playing street hockey in front of the house, or playing hockey on the ponds, we were always pretending that we were those guys, and hopefully someday we got the opportunity ourselves,” Sullivan said. Now, he’s living out his childhood dream as he prepares to lead his squad onto the ice at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

While his opportunity indeed has arrived, make no mistake, this current gig as the head honcho is far from Sullivan’s first rodeo with USA Hockey. He began this current stretch of head-coaching tenure back in February when he led the U.S. hockey team to a runner-up finish against Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off. However, his first experience with USA Hockey came in 2006 when he served as an assistant coach at the 2006 Torino Olympics. He then went on to assume the role of head coach for the 2007 IIHF Men’s World Championships team and then as an assistant coach at 2008 Worlds. Rounding out his experience, he took on the role of an assistant coach for the U.S. at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. 

Despite his extensive résumé, the 57-year-old coach realizes the opportunity to be at the helm of the 2026 Olympic team may be the pinnacle of his career.  

Anytime you have an opportunity to represent the nation you become part of something that's bigger than yourself. In a lot of ways, it's bigger than sport.

Outside of coaching USA Hockey, Sullivan’s day-to-day responsibility is as head coach of the New York Rangers, a role he started in May. Though coaching the "Blueshirts" isn’t exactly a diminutive position, he realizes the magnitude of the Olympic stage is next level and his players do, too. “They all have terrific NHL careers, some of them are Stanley Cup winners. I think a gold medal is just another one of those milestones that we all strive to reach,” Sullivan said.

The last time the U.S. took home gold was when childhood dreams were blossoming for Sullivan — the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Games. Now, nearly five decades later, USA Hockey appears primed and ready for the moment. “I’m not sure there’s been a deeper pool of American-born players and that speaks volumes for the growth of the sport in the United States,” Sullivan said. Competition will be at its peak at the 2026 Games, as NHL players return for the first time since Sochi 2014. Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy were the first six named to the Olympic roster in June. The full 25-man roster is expected to be unveiled January 11.

At the end of August, 44 players were invited to attend the U.S. men’s hockey orientation camp in Plymouth, Michigan. While there was no ice time or head-to-head competition, it was the clear start of the road to Milan Cortina. Therefore, Sullivan wasted no time speaking with the team about their identity and who they want to be when they arrive on the world’s biggest stage. “We want to become a team that is emblematic of the values that we hold dear. We want to be fiercely competitive. We want to play the game with courage, and we want to care for one another. We want to care so much to the point that we’re willing to do whatever it takes to win,” Sullivan said. He also wants to put a product on Olympic ice that people can be proud of — made up of speed, skill and will. 

Sullivan said despite the 3-2 overtime loss to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-off final in February, the team showed they possess the desired qualities on and off the ice to succeed. Even though it wasn’t the outcome Sullivan hoped for, the head coach was impressed by the caliber of play from both sides. “I think it’s one of the greatest rivalries in sports. I’ve never witnessed hockey played at such an elite level, the speed, the execution, the physicality and the emotional commitment, everything we love about our game was on display,” Sullivan said.

Now, Sullivan believes this team has the opportunity to "put a stamp on the history of the sport." He's proud of how hockey has grown substantially in the U.S. over the last 25-30 years and said, "When the U.S. and Canada have an opportunity to play against one another, it’s an opportunity for us to prove it."

Men’s Olympic hockey begins in Milan Cortina on February 11, 2026.

*NBC Sports' Nick Zaccardi contributed to the writing of this article*