Fans of the New York Rangers were already unhappy with the news of Adam Fox being snubbed from the Olympics, and odds are they will be equally disappointed now that head coach Mike Sullivan has broken his silence on the matter. Assembled media asked Sullivan for his thoughts in Miami as the Rangers prepare for the 2026 Winter Classic, and his extended thoughts were quite interesting.
Sullivan doesn't want to talk about his conversation with Fox, defends Team USA process
Sullivan has to walk a fine line given his role as both head coach of the Rangers and Team USA, and while we will never know his true thoughts, it feels like he could have publicly done a better job sticking up for his guy.
When asked, Sullivan said, “Adam and I have had a number of conversations around this, and I will keep that conversation between Adam and I. What I will tell you is these teams that are being picked are the best of the best. And there's so many good players and there are very, very difficult decisions that have to be made. It is a collaborative effort on everybody's part. And that's just the reality of the circumstances. We'll do our very best to be as professional and straightforward as we can be with everyone that's involved. But Foxy and I have had a number of conversations, and I'll keep those between us.“
Make no mistake, Fox is one of the best of the best when it comes to defensemen in the entirety of the NHL, so that line is something that should rub Rangers fans the wrong way. If he's one of the best players when looking at the entirety of the league, he should be one when you shrink the pool to just American players. Fox has one Norris Trophy under his belt, and was a runner-up to Erik Karlsson who only one the award because he had an 100-point season on a bad San Jose Sharks team.
In 7,900 minutes at 5v5 in his career as a professional hockey player, Fox has a GF% of 58.3, a CF% of 53.2, and an xGF% of 53.66. The Rangers score 2.93 goals per 60 minutes he's on the ice, and allow just 2.08 which is an impressive rate. In that same period of time, Quinn Hughes has a GF% of 53.95, a CF% of 53.25, and an xGF% of 50.66. Hughes' teams scored 2.96 goals per 60 minutes he was on the ice, and allowed 2.53 against.
The reason for bringing up Hughes is that he is of similar build and play style to Fox, and one popular point of criticism lobbied against the Rangers' rear guard is his lack of physicality. That Fox has produced at a level better than Hughes speaks to his overall competency, and should invalidates the notion that he can't be on the Olympic team because of his "lack of physicality." And not that it matters, but Fox has 720 blocked shots and 212 hits in his career, and Hughes has 381 blocked shots and 120 hits.
If the decision was based on merit, Brock Faber would not be going to the Olympics, but there was no chance whatsoever that Minnesota Wild and Team USA General Manager Bill Guerin was leaving his guy home.
A lot has been made about Fox having a bad showing at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and that truly feels like it played a significant role in why he wasn't selected.
People for some reason think Slavin and Faber were paired because Slavin/Fox were struggling. They weren't. Slavin/Fox were essentially perfect in the 5 whole minutes they played together. Slavin/Faber, despite some great defensive highlights, got caved.
— JFresh 🎄 (@JFreshHockey) December 31, 2025
Statistically speaking, Fox has one of the strongest resumes since entering the league, and there is no logicial or sound justification for his exclusion. It is understandable that Sullivan can't throw Team USA under the bus, but as the head coach he should have at the very least been able to bring one of his guys, in the same fashion that Jon Cooper has Anthony Cirelli for Team Canada even though there are other forwards who are even more qualified.
Fox is taking the snub in stride
#NYR Adam Fox on when he got the call for Team USA GM Billy Guerin: “Obviously, it’s not what you want to hear. It is what it is.”
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) January 1, 2026
In addition to sharing that the call wasn't something he wanted to hear, Fox felt he did everything he could to make the team. “I don’t think you have any expectation, I would say. I thought my play this year was worthy of it. Track record as well. It’s out of my hands at a certain point. The decision is the decision. I guess that’s how it goes.”
Fox also had a chance to speak about the situation, and like Sullivan, he didn't want to talk about private conversations. When asked about talking to Sullivan, David Quinn, and members of Team USA, Fox explained, "Yeah a little bit. They let me know their thoughts. Obviously, it's conversational. I'll keep it between us."
When pressed on if the relationship with Sullivan and Chris Drury is OK, he said, "Yeah, I think just the focus from the start of the year has been with the Rangers. Whatever that decision was, I think it's still a season, we have a lot of games still till that break. I think my focus is still with the Rangers and trying to win some games here."
Fox has got to be pissed that he's not going to the Olympics, but he showed composure by pivoting the conversation to being about the Rangers and the goal of playing well and winning hockey games. January is going to be a busy month for the organization, and the team will need as close to perfect a month as possible if they want to get back into a playoff picture.