Murray says Team North America had fun on, off the ice at World Cup

In retrospect, it shouldn't be surprising that putting a bunch of 23-and-under hockey players from the United States and Canada together on one team produced so much excitement.

That is the legacy of Team North America from the World Cup of Hockey 2016.

"It was a lot of fun on the ice. We had a lot of fun off the ice too, and got to know each other well," Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray said during a video call reunion of Team North America last week that premiered Thursday on Sportsnet, NHL.com and the NHL Facebook, IGTV and YouTube platforms.

"It was so unique because it was such a big tournament and we had no one really looking over our shoulders. So, we got to kind of just go out and play [with] no pressure."

Murray and other members of Team North America got together virtually with host Jeff Marek of Sportsnet to relive some of their experiences at the World Cup of Hockey 2016, which was held at Scotiabank Arena (then Air Canada Centre) in Toronto in September 2016. As it turned out, playing without pressure gave Team North America the freedom to utilize its youthful energy and skill without fear against some of the best players in the world.

Team North America won two of its three games in group play, defeating Team Finland 4-1, losing to Team Russia 4-3 and defeating Team Sweden 4-3 in an overtime thriller that was one of the highlights of the tournament. Although Team North America failed to advance to the semifinals because it lost a head-to-head tiebreaker with Team Russia, it made a lasting impression and provided the players with some lifetime memories.

"It was such a unique atmosphere for us," Murray said. "I think looking back on it we're all going to be pretty grateful to look back and be a part of it."