Wild GM Bill Guerin reveals his favorite hockey memories

Of course, Guerin picked the Cup Final series as his favorite NHL memories but also told Rich Salgado that the 1996 United States team in the World Cup of Hockey was an absolute dream to play for.

“That was, outside the Stanley Cup finals, some of the best hockey I’ve ever been involved with,” Guerin said. “It was so fast, it was passionate, it was dirty, it was tough. It really had everything. It was just a great team.”

Guerin said playing with that team gave them a bond that lasts to this day. The Canadian team was a strong opponent, he said, but that made his experience more fun and more rewarding. “They were just stacked,” he said.

“To me, the graciousness of the Canadian guys and the respect that they showed us and how they just gave us a tip of the hat after that, that was one of the most rewarding things, to hear about the team that you played on, coming from the great Canadian players that we were battling. It was really cool.”

Ultimately, the United States won gold, handing the Canadian team (which featured legends like Wayne Gretzky, Martin Brodeur, Steve Yzerman and Mark Messier, among others) the silver medal. Guerin’s American teammates included Chris Chelios, Brett Hull, Pat Lafontaine and Mike Modano. 

In the seven games of that 1996 tournament, Guerin notched two assists and logged 17 penalty minutes.