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The Kings were represented by five players at this year’s Winter Olympics, and three of them returned home with medals.
So, too, did goaltending coach Mike Buckley, who helped guide a Herculean effort from Connor Hellebuyck to secure Team USA’s first gold medal since the “Miracle on Ice” 46 years ago. That meant equipment manager Darren Granger and tournament favorite Canada had to settle for silver. Meanwhile, former Ontario Reign head coach John Wroblewski completed the sweep for the Americans, stewarding the women’s team to a mirror-image golden victory, 2-1 in overtime, against Canada.
Here is a brief glimpse at the five Kings who laced up their skates in Milan:
Armia, who has been an uncommon two-way weapon on the penalty kill for the Kings, did more than check, bring physicality and excel shorthanded with Finland. For Leijonat, Armia tallied a team-topping eight points, placing him in a four-way tie for fourth place in overall scoring. Only Connor McDavid (Canada), Macklin Celebrini (Canada) and Lucas Raymond (Sweden) racked up more points than Armia, who notched three points in a bronze-medal game romp over Slovakia. Finland earned a medal for the seventh time in the past nine tournaments after winning its first gold in 2022.
Doughty’s selection was questioned by some, given Canada’s formidable depth as well as his inconsistent health and mixed form this season and last. Yet his emotional and effective performance at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, along with gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, pushed the Canadian icon and future hall of famer onto the roster. He had just one point but was effective defending, retrieving pucks and initiating transition. Had Canada prevailed, Doughty and Sidney Crosby would have been the first two non-Soviet players to have won three Olympic gold medals in men’s ice hockey.
Fiala, one of the top forwards for an emergent Swiss side that excelled at the World Championships in recent years, saw his tournament cut calamitously short. In the second game for the Swiss, against Canada, Fiala broke his left leg in gruesome fashion for the second time in his career. With the game out of reach, 5-1 in Canada’s favor, Fiala was checked by Tom Wilson as his skate became entangled with the boards. He was taken from the ice prone on a stretcher and underwent season-ending surgery. The Swiss did not medal despite rallying around Fiala after his injury.
Kempe skated in all five games for the Swedes, who failed to win a medal after Quinn Hughes eliminated them in the quarterfinals with an overtime goal to match the one his brother Jack scored in the gold-medal game. Kempe was one of two goal-scorers in the span of 41 seconds against Latvia and headed home with two goals and two assists. When he dons black and silver anew, he’ll be skating opposite marquee trade acquisition Artemi Panarin.
Kuemper dressed only for the game against the Swiss, but did not play. Otherwise, he served as the third goaltender for Team Canada behind Logan Thompson and Jordan Binnington, who reprised his role from 4 Nations as the go-to guy in goal. Despite his non-participation, Kuemper fell just shy of becoming a triple gold club member, adding a silver medal to his World Championship gold (2021) and Stanley Cup (2022).
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