Jack Eichel has been the No. 1 center for a Stanley Cup championship team and now a team USA gold medal team. Those are the kind of credentials that get a player into the Hall of Fame one day.
Eichel and Golden Knights teammate Noah Hanifin earned gold medals at the Winter Olympics in Milan on Sunday with a 2-1 overtime win against Canada. At the other end of the ice, VGKers Mark Stone, Mitch Marner and Shea Theodore were awarded silver medals.
The game was an instant classic and thrilled millions of traditional and non-traditional hockey fans in the U.S. The Golden Knights had five players plus head coach Bruce Cassidy in the gold medal game on Sunday, which is more than any other NHL franchise. All five players had excellent tournaments and will now return to the Golden Knights to pick up the torch of a potential Stanley Cup run.
In Vegas, hockey fans all over the city set alarms for the 5:10 AM puck drop. Families watched in pajamas, Team USA jerseys, Golden Knights merchandise and maybe even a little Team Canada swag.
Regardless of the winner, the game was great for hockey. The rivalry between Canada and the U.S. has hit a new high. It was the third gold medal in hockey at the Olympics for the men’s American program and the first since The Miracle on Ice in 1980.
Eichel continues to build A Hall of Fame résumé where he has clearly become the number one center among U.S born players. The 29-year-old joins Neal Broten as the only two players to ever win the Hobey Baker Trophy, the Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal.
Eichel spoke with broadcaster Jackie Redmond after the historic win.
“It's hard to put into words. It's crazy. Yeah, just really proud of the group, I'm emotional. It just means a lot, you know?” said the Massachusetts native. “Ah, just, geez, I don't know, just stick with it. So many good people behind me that helped me, and it just means the world to be here, you know? It's tough to get it out right now. It's a lot of pride, and that group of guys is really unselfish, just came together. Yeah, it's just, I'm sorry I'm emotional.”
Eichel is fiercely patriotic and a man of convictions. He stuck to his beliefs as a young player in Buffalo when the Sabres’ medical team wanted him to follow their advice despite Jack’s reluctance to undergo the type of surgery, they had chosen for him.
Eventually he was declared unfit to play, stripped of his captaincy and traded to Vegas. The Golden Knights worked with Eichel, and he underwent a surgery with the method and doctor of his choosing.
The decision was a turning point in his career with a Stanley Cup and Olympic gold following.
“Ah, yeah. You know, it's something we'll have together, and we'll be able to have this forever, so it means a lot. I'm just so proud of that group. My family, I think of, and all the people that have helped me. I’m just really proud,” he said.
