Part of the fallout from Team USA’s official Olympic roster unveil on Friday was Adam Fox’s exclusion.
Sure, there could be many ways to slice and dice the call. You could frame it any way you like, and it still doesn’t quite compute. That’s the sentiment that multiple sources conveyed regarding the matter.
Let’s start with Emily Kaplan of ESPN. On Thursday, the notable insider tweeted the following about Fox’s Olympic snub:
Adam Fox did not make the U.S. Olympic team. Heard New York Rangers personnel involved with Team USA - GM Chris Drury, coach Mike Sullivan, assistant David Quinn - all pushed very hard for Fox, but they understood the decision especially given depth USA has on D.
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) December 31, 2025
It seems that Team USA GM Bill Guerin did not take Ranger coach Mike Sullivan’s pleas into account. If anything, Sullivan’s lobbying in favor of Fox largely fell on deaf ears. Who better than Sullivan, the Team USA Coach, to assess what Fox can do?
Even Jon Cooper of Team Canada made the call on the final roster spots. If Canada has that much faith in its coach, why shouldn’t the US? Sullivan, like Cooper, is a two-time Stanley Cup champ. Sullivan has all the requisite elements to justify his inclusion as one of the all-time great coaches.
But then, Michael Russo of The Athletic shed some important light on the matter:
“As for Fox, this was clearly Guerin’s decision because there’s no doubt USA Hockey’s Rangers contingent — Sullivan (the U.S. head coach), assistant coach David Quinn (a U.S. assistant coach) and GM Chris Drury (one of Guerin’s management team) — went to bat for him. But in the end, the U.S. felt pace of play was an issue for Fox at the 4 Nations and his mistakes on Connor McDavid’s championship-winning goal in overtime were embedded in their brain.”
So, if Russo is to be believed, and there’s no reason not to, it was Guerin who made the call on Fox. That’s no bueno as it seems Guerin overrode Sullivan and Quinn. Plus, Chris Drury’s influence went for naught in this situation.
While there may still be a chance for Fox to make the team, it seems the ship has sailed. Fox has said all the right things following the very public snub. He’ll have the opportunity to prove everyone wrong on the ice when he suits up for the Rangers.
However, you have to wonder if this situation has sown any seeds of frustration between Sullivan and his coaching staff and Guerin. Maybe this issue is the only contentious one. But then again, it does raise some questions about the dynamics within Team USA’s management.
Be that as it may, it will be up to Sullivan to rally the troops. If there’s a coach who can take on Cooper and Canada, it’s Sullivan.
Perhaps this time Napoleon can defeat Wellington at Waterloo.