Guerin named U.S. hockey GM for 2026 Olympics

Minnesota Wild general manager and three-time U.S. Olympian Bill Guerin will be responsible for overseeing the building of the United States teams competing in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament next year and the 2026 Winter Games, USA Hockey announced Thursday.

The hiring of Guerin as GM is a carryover from three years ago, when he was tabbed as the U.S. Olympic team general manager before having to relinquish the role after the NHL decided against players competing at the 2022 Beijing Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement comes a week after the NHL announced it will replace its All-Star Game next season with a four-nation round-robin tournament featuring teams from the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden.

The league also announced it will participate in the next two Olympics, starting with the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, after skipping the previous two.

“It’s an honor beyond belief to be asked to do this and I couldn’t say yes quick enough,” Guerin said in statement released by USA Hockey. “I’ve been fortunate to have many great days in hockey and this is among the very best.”

Guerin, 53, is from Worcester, Massachusetts, and was a member of the Olympic silver medal-winning U.S. team in 2002, and also won Stanley Cup titles in 1995 and 2009 over an 18-season NHL career. He’s in his fifth season as the Wild’s general manager.