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OCTOBER 2026 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 37 CHEMISTRY KEY T hree moments played a significant role in Team USA's success at the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996. Only one of them happened on the ice, and it had nothing to do with the 37 goals the Americans scored in their seven games en route to a gold medal. The first moment took place when the p l a y e r s r e p o r t e d t o t r a i n i n g c a m p i n Providence, Rhode Island. With a team full of star NHL players, U.S. general manager Lou Lamoriello wanted to unite his play- ers and made sure to outfit everyone with whatever U.S. gear they needed, keeping any NHL apparel in the suitcase. "You had somebody coming in wearing a [New Jersey] Devils golf shirt," said Mike "Doc" Emrick, who called the games on TV. "No, you didn't want that. It was issued when they got together for the first time. Everybody got the various bits of gear that all had Team USA on it. But they were a uni- fied group. That's one thing that I recall." The next key moment came before the first game of pool play, which happened to be against Canada. THE U.S. DEFEATED CANADA IN A THREE-GAME SERIES TO WIN GOLD 30 YEARS AGO AT THE WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY By STEVE DRUMWRIGHT Coming off his third season as an NHL head coach with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Ron Wilson coached the U.S. team. While he didn't have a prepared speech to give, he had a two-part message he thought would give the players a little extra juice. Wilson compared the state of men's hockey to riding a school bus. The Canadians were always driving the bus, with the Americans asked to sit near the back, rarely competing for medals in international events. Wilson also asked his players how they would approach competing against some of their NHL teammates when they faced Canada. He cited Mark Messier's commitment to doing anything to win a critical game. Would U.S. captain Brian Leetch do anything, including scrap with Messier, his New York Rangers teammate, with the game on the line? Same with John LeClair and Philadelphia Flyers teammate Eric Lindros, the 1995 OCTOBER 2026 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 49