COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Hockey has named Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin as general manager for Team USA for the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 U.S. Olympic team.
“We’re excited to have Bill leading efforts to build our teams,” said Pat Kelleher, executive director of USA Hockey, in a news release. “He was obviously an extraordinary player and has gone on to become an accomplished executive in the NHL. It’s no secret there’s a lot of excitement around NHL players returning to the Olympics and also for the 4 Nations Face-Off, and we’re thankful to have the passion Bill brings to Team USA.”
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In a call with reporters after the announcement, the 53-year-old Geurin said "it's an opportunity of a lifetime."
Guerin was promoted to president of hockey operations and general manager of the Wild on July 25, 2023, after serving each of his four seasons with the club as general manager.
“With the NHL asking the competing teams to name their first six players for the NHL 4 Nations Faceoff early this summer, it was important for us to name a general manager and we couldn’t be happier to have Bill engaged for both that event and the Olympics,” said John Vanbiesbrouck, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey, in the release. “He brings the same level of competitiveness to his role as a general manager as he did as a player on the ice and that’s a real benefit.”
Guerin was named general manager of the 2022 U.S. Olympic team but the NHL opted not to play because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He is a three-time playing Olympian himself (1998, 2002, 2006), and won a silver medal at the event in 2002.
The NHL 4 Nations Face-Off will debut Feb. 12-20, 2025, featuring international competition between NHL players from the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden. The Olympics are Feb. 6-22, 2026 in Italy.
"I think our player pool is so deep," Guerin told reporters. "The thing is, we've developed such high-end talent, there's such high-end talent out there that we haven't seen before. It's not just three, four guys — there's a ton. They come from all walks of life, there's skilled centers, we have shut-down D ... there's just so much to choose from. We'll have some difficult decisions.
"There will be some disappointment for some players, but for some players it's going to be an opportunity of a lifetime. I just don't see why we shouldn't be thinking gold medals."
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Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was to lead the 2022 Olympic team behind the bench, and Guerin said he hasn't begun the process yet of hiring that position, but said Sullivan would be under consideration again. He said he favors not only having the coach, but the staff of the 4 Nations Face-Off also be part of the Olympic squad.
"I think that just gives us great consistency," Guerin said. "We can really kind of build off of, whatever. I don't know what's going to happen in the 4 Nations, but whatever happens there, we can build off it together and see where we can improve (for the Olympics)."
The Worcester, Massachusetts, native said the Miracle on Ice team had a huge impact on his life.
"In 1980, I was 9 years old and that had a huge impact on how I saw the game of hockey, the path I wanted to go down and how deep I bled the red, white and blue colors," Guerin told reporters.
As for choosing a captain, Guerin said experience, leadership qualities and someone who will be a liason between the coaches and the players will be factors in the decision.
"Somebody that the players graviate to, an inclusive-type of guy, someone with a warrior-type mentality and a winning mentality — a team-first mentality," he said. "I think it will be very important for the players to have a high, high level of buy-in, because what happens in these tournaments is everyone is a star ... but that's not going to be the case. We need guys who are thinking team-first, winning first, and personal accolades and points and stuff like that second."
Later, Guerin said a player like 1980 U.S. Olympic captain Mike Eruzione was the glue of that team and his 2026 Olympic captain would reflect those values.
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"You need a guy like that regardless of the role," Guerin said.
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