REVENGE IS BEST SERVED GOLD

A rising rivalry between Team USA and Sweden went the American way at the 2024 world juniors, with Rutger McGroarty & Co. making good on a past grievance

BY RYAN KENNEDY

WHEN YOU THINK about rivalries at the World Junior Championship, some are pretty obvious: Canada and the U.S. or the Swedes and Finns are naturals. But as we found out in Gothenburg this year, a new blood feud had been lurking under the surface: Team USA versus Sweden. The Americans beat Sweden for gold, and the game ended with a rare WJC fight between even rarer combatants: all 5-foot-9 and 158 pounds of Lane Hutson (MTL) and 6-foot-4, 172-pound Anton Johansson (DET). But according to U.S. captain Rutger McGroarty, the Americans had their sights set on Sweden before the tourney even began. “It’s something we had in our minds,” he said. “It was one game at a time, but I know in the back of our heads, we were ready to play…

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The Hockey News (Digital) - 1 Issue, Rookie Issue 2024

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