Rangers legend Mike Richter expects ‘some amazing hockey’ at 4 Nations Face-Off: report
Mike Richter is best known for backstopping the New York Rangers to their first first Stanley Cup championship in 54 years back in 1994.
But the best performance of his career arguably came two years later, when he was in goal for the United States and led the Americans to victory at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey – still the last time the U.S. has won a best-on-best hockey tournament. Richter and his teammates defeated Canada in a best-of-3 championship series to win gold, and he was named the tournament’s MVP.
Richter is hoping to lose his distinction as the last U.S. goalie to win a best-on-best tournament when the United States faces Canada, Sweden and Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off. The tournament will run from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston. It’s the first best-on-best tournament since the World Cup of Hockey 2016 in Toronto, which was won by Canada.
Richter, now 58, told NHL.com this week that he’s excited to see the return of best-on-best international hockey.
“As a fan, as a player, you want to be in those tournaments,” he told NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. “You have the added responsibility and respect and just honor of putting your country’s jersey on. We all talk about it in the same kind of way, but it’s true. I mean, you have your pride, if nothing else, and you want to beat everybody across from you — but I think the best part about it as a player and as a fan is you are truly seeing the best of the best that are motivated to play well.
“You’re going to get some amazing hockey. I think sports, when you really can’t predict the outcome, it’s compelling, right. It’s a 1-1 game in the last two minutes, you have to sit in your chair and watch this thing. Overtime too. That’s why you do it. And every game in this tournament is going to be like this.”
Richter represented the United States many times on the international stage, outside of the 1996 World Cup victory. He appeared in three Winter Olympics — the 1988 Calgary games right before he turned pro, then the 1998 Nagano Olympics and the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, when he played for the Rangers.
He also tended goal for the United States at the 1991 Canada Cup, where his partner in net was Rangers teammate John Vanbiesbrouck.
Related: Rangers debate: Will fans care about 4 Nations Face-Off even with 5 Blueshirts taking part?
Rangers great believes United States has ‘abundance of riches’ right now at goalie position
If there’s one position where the United States is loaded right now, it’s in goal. Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars and Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins were selected from a deep talent pool.
Richter said the hard part of having so many talented goaltenders for this event is that there’s only one net and a maximum of four games.
“You have almost an abundance of riches there that makes it difficult. When you have one or two guys, you know what you’re doing and just whoever is hot you go with. In the end you want to do the same thing in this tournament — but you also want to give everybody a look and it’s really hard to do,” Richter explained. “So, as we are playing right now, these guys also have an eyeball toward thinking, ‘Let me play my best, let me get myself prepared for this,’ and then it’s just whoever is in a good rhythm at the time because you want to hit the ground running. You have to hit the ground running. You can’t lose a game. You can’t lose a period. You’re going to be behind the eight ball if you do.”
One odd feeling for players in these tournaments, according to Richter, is playing with teammates they’re not familiar with – and who might come from some of their biggest rivals. Richter noted that the widening universe of hockey in the United States might result in the U.S. players being less familiar with each other than they were when he played.
“Communication is key,” he said. You really have to have it. I was lucky because (Rangers teammate) Brian Leetch was on every team I think I was ever on since I was about 15, and we knew each other well. The U.S. had a kind of small group of guys that had played together a lot, so the communication was really good. We had a bit of an older team in 2002 (for the Winter Olympics), but when I think about 1996 it was the same kind of group and with the influx of the Billy Guerins and Keith Tkachuks, who were amazing players and added so much energy.”
Richter, who finished his NHL career with 301 wins, second most in Rangers history, said he has great admiration for veteran Blueshirts goalie Jonathan Quick, who used to be No. 1 in goal for years with the United States national teams, and now backs up Igor Shesterkin on Broadway. Quick looked like he was done after the 2022-23 season, but the 38-year-old has revived his career with the Rangers, the team he grew up rooting for in Connecticut, and is now two victories away from becoming the first U.S.-born goalie with 400 wins.
“I cannot say enough things about this guy,” Richter said about the three-time Stanley Cup champion and 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP. “His career in itself has been amazing … he’s resurrected it too. I can’t remember how many wins he had last year with the Rangers (18), but he got the Rangers 30 points or something like that. Really important points. And that’s such a difficult position to be in.
“Igor Shesterkin is an amazing goalie, but when you get tapped to play that game it’s an important win to get and he did nothing but play professionally. So, you know he’s preparing like a madman for that time, and then he comes out, and this guy is stealing games like every time the guy plays. I mean, how lucky are we as sports fans that we get to see Shesterkin and Quick play. They’re two of the best to ever play the game.”
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