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1996 World Cup of Hockey Team

1996 World Cup of Hockey Team

The 1996 World Cup of Hockey Team cemented itself in U.S. hockey history thanks to the success it enjoyed at the inaugural World Cup of Hockey. Behind the guidance of Head Coach Ron Wilson, Team USA finished the tournament 6-0-1-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) and outscored its opponents, 37-18.

After claiming an impressive 5-3 victory over Canada to open the tournament, the United States swept round-robin play before defeating Russia, 5-2, in the semifinals. In the best-of-three championship series against Canada, the U.S. dropped the opener by a 4-3 count in overtime in Philadelphia before winning a memorable pair of 5-2 victories in Montreal to secure the country’s greatest tournament victory since the 1980 Miracle on Ice. In the third and decisive game, the U.S. received spectacular goaltending from tournament MVP Mike Richter and rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the third period by scoring four goals in the final 3:18 of the game with Tony Amonte accounting for the game-winner.

Forward Brett Hull, defenseman and captain Brian Leetch, and Richter, put forth performances that ensured a U.S. player finished first in nearly every statistical category. Hull paced all skaters with seven goals and 11 points while Leetch shared the tournament lead in assists with seven, and Richter’s .923 save percentage was the best among starting netminders. To date, 16 members from Team USA’s 1996 World Cup of Hockey squad have been inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.


1996 World Cup of Hockey Team

NO. NAME POSITION HEIGHT WEIGHT S/C 1995-96 TEAM BIRTHDATE BIRTHPLACE
2 Brian Leetch D 5-11 190 L New York Rangers 3/3/68 Corpus Christi, Texas
3 Derian Hatcher D 6-5 225 L Dallas Stars 6/4/72 Sterling Heights, Mich.
4 Kevin Hatcher D 6-4 225 R Dallas Stars 9/9/66 Detroit, Mich.
5 Mathieu Schneider D 5-10 192 L Toronto Maple Leafs 6/12/69 New York, N.Y.
6 Phil Housley D 5-10 185 L New Jersey Devils 3/9/64 St. Paul, Minn.
7 Chris Chelios D 6-1 186 R Chicago Blackhawks 1/25/62 Chicago, Ill.
8 Bryan Smolinski F 6-1 200 R Pittsburgh Penguins 12/27/71 Toledo, Ohio
9 Mike Modano F 6-3 200 L Dallas Stars 6/7/70 Livonia, Mich.
10 John LeClair F 6-2 215 L Philadelphia Flyers 7/5/69 St. Albans, Vt.
11 Tony Amonte F 6-0 190 L Chicago Blackhawks 8/2/70 Hingham, Mass.
12 Bill Guerin F 6-2 200 R New Jersey Devils 11/9/70 Wilbraham, Mass.
14 Shawn McEachern F 5-11 195 L Boston Bruins 2/28/69 Waltham, Mass.
15 Brett Hull F 5-10 201 R St. Louis Blues 8/9/64 Belleville, Ontario
16 Pat LaFontaine F 5-10 180 R Buffalo Sabres 2/22/65 St. Louis, Mo.
17 Keith Tkachuk F 6-2 210 L Winnipeg Jets 3/28/72 Melrose, Mass.
18 Adam Deadmarsh F 6-0 195 R Colorado Avalanche 5/10/75 Trail, B.C.
19 Doug Weight F 5-11 191 L Edmonton Oilers 1/21/71 Warren, Mich.
20 Gary Suter D 6-0 190 L Chicago Blackhawks 6/24/64 Madison, Wis.
21 Scott Young F 6-0 190 R Colorado Avalanche 10/1/67 Clinton, Mass.
22 Steve Konowalchuk F 6-1 195 L Washington Capitals 11/11/72 Salt Lake City, Utah
25 Brian Rolston F 6-2 185 L New Jersey Devils 2/21/73 Flint, Mich.
28 Shawn Chambers D 6-2 200 L New Jersey Devils 10/11/66 Royal Oak, Mich.
29 Joel Otto F 6-4 220 R Philadelphia Flyers 10/29/61 Elk River, Minn.
30 Jim Carey G 6-2 205 L Washington Capitals 5/31/74 Dorchester, Mass.
31 Guy Hebert G 5-11 185 L Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 1/7/67 Troy, N.Y.
35 Mike Richter G 5-11 187 L New York Rangers 9/22/66 Abginton, Pa.

1996 World Cup of Hockey Team Staff

TITLE NAME HOMETOWN
General Manager Lou Lamoriello East Rutherford, N.J.
Assistant General Manager Jack Ferreira Anaheim, Calif.
Team Leader Brian Petrovek Colorado Springs, Colo.
Head Coach Ron Wilson Orange, Calif.
Assistant Coach John Cunniff West Orange, N.J.
Assistant Coach Paul Holmgren Hartford, Conn.
Assistant Coach Keith Allain Gambrills, Md.
Equipment Manager Bob Webster Littleton, Colo.
Equipment Manager Chris Kincaid Whittier, Calif.
Medical Trainer Peter Demers Los Angeles, Calif.
Masseur Hans-Juergen Merz Playa del Rey, Calif.
Physician Barry Fisher Long Island, N.Y.
Public Relations Darryl Seibel Colorado Springs, Colo.
Public Relations/Team Services Rick Minch Los Angeles, Calif.