WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: U.S. not shy about goal in Denmark: win for 'J.J.'

The elephant residing in Team USA's locker room at the 2018 IIHF Men's World Championship is the center of attention.
They're playing to honor the memory of Jim Johannson, the beloved former USA Hockey executive director, whose sudden death Jan. 21 at age 53 shocked the hockey world.
"It's out there now," said Bill Zito, Blue Jackets' assistant general manager and GM of the U.S. team. "It's no longer the ever-present elephant in the room. We took our team picture [Monday], and 'J.J.' had a spot in the middle of the front row. We talk about him all the time. We celebrate him. It went from being that unspoken thing to, 'Don't forget that we're going to try to win for 'J.J.'"

Playing for "J.J." is as personal as it gets for the Americans, from top to bottom.
That includes Zito, a longtime friend of Johannson's, who was among a contingent of Blue Jackets personnel who flew to Colorado Springs during a road trip to attend a memorial in late January. It also includes forward Cam Atkinson, one of the top players for the U.S. in the preliminary round.
READ MORE: Jim Johannson leaves lasting impact on many in Jackets organization
"That's the main focus here, winning gold and doing it for 'J.J.' … and what better way of doing that than winning gold and representing the USA in his honor?" said Atkinson, who's tied for sixth overall in scoring with 10 points (six goals, four assists). "His brother [John Johannson] is here right now, so we know we have a specific mission and a goal. It's to win gold, but we're doing it all for 'J.J.'"
Johannson's impact on amateur hockey in the U.S. was extensive, going back to his playing days.
He played college hockey at the University of Wisconsin, winning a national championship as a freshman. He also played in two Olympics for the U.S., in 1988 and 1992, and wore the stars and stripes again in 1992 at the world championship.
Johansson joined USA Hockey in 2000 and began a stage of his career in which he advocated for and grew the sport of hockey in the U.S. His legacy includes the creation of the United States National Team Development Program (USNTD), which has helped boost the U.S. into a consistent international contender in all age groups.
The world championship has been the least successful of those ventures for the Americans, largely because it takes place after the grueling NHL season, but this time was different.
This time, it's for 'J.J.'
"It's very difficult, the more you talk about it," Zito said. "You try and reflect, and it's sad, but at the same time there's a driving feeling."
That feeling started early, with a speech delivered by U.S. captain Patrick Kane. It has built from there, powering the U.S. to an impressive run in Group B of the preliminary round.
Rather than keeping their Johannson motivation under wraps, an unspoken goal, the U.S. team has brought it to the forefront. Kane, whose Chicago Blackhawks missed the playoff for the first time since 2008, got on board early.
Zito then surrounded him with a team that only lost once in the preliminary round (seven games), falling 6-2 to Finland on Tuesday. Prior to that game, the U.S. had outscored its first six opponents by a combined 37-10 margin.
Atkinson won a game against Canada in a shootout, scoring two shootout goals to open the tournament. He also won a game against Latvia last week in overtime. Kane had 17 points on six goals and 11 assists, and heads to the quarterfinals tied for first in scoring with Finland's Sebastian Aho (nine goals, eight assists).
Defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who joined the roster after the Boston Bruins were eliminated from the playoffs last week, had eight points (three goals, five assists) in just three games.
"Every year, it seems like the group that wins it is truly a team," Zito said. "It's exceeded my expectations on how well the group gets along, on and off the ice. Guys know their roles and play them, and every guy on the team is celebrated, not just the 'stars.' Everybody's on equal ground, and it's kind of neat to see. It's a really good group."
It's a group Johannson would've appreciated, rife with U.S. talent groomed through the USA Hockey system.
It has elite NHL players. It has solid to strong NHL veterans. It has two Blue Jackets, Atkinson and Sonny Milano. It even has a draft-eligible 18-year old defenseman in Quinn Hughes (University of Michigan) and a goalie, Scott Darling, whose pads and blocker are the talk of the tournament - covered in stars and stripes.
"I think everybody knows that beyond being a good person and good teammates for each other, that's what [Johannson] was really about," Zito said. "He dedicated a considerable amount of his energy in getting people to be proud to play for Team USA and treat people well, and to be men. So, I think the greatest honor we could pay would be to have success."
LOOKING AHEAD
Thursday
Quarterfinals
Russia vs. Canada, 10:15 a.m., Royal Arena, Copenhagen (NHL Network, 8 p.m. replay)
USA vs Czech, 10:15 a.m., Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning (NHL Network)
Sweden vs Latvia, 2:15 p.m., Royal Arena, Copenhagen (NHL Network)
Finland vs Switzerland, 2:15 p.m., Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning
Saturday
Semifinals
Royal Arena, Copenhagen (NHL Network)
Sunday
Gold, Bronze games
Royal Arena, Copenhagen (NHL Network)