NY Rangers HC Mike Sullivan issues bold reminder for J.T. Miller, rest of the team as NHL resumes

Perhaps all Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers needed was a winter break. If that includes an Olympic gold medal along with J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck, even better. However, as much joy as Team USA’s third gold in Winter Olympics history brought from sea to shining sea, the Blueshirts in New York still have much work to do. Not even shining hardware and national pride will suffice.

After a long and frenetic—deservedly so—gold medal celebration, Team USA’s members have to snap back to reality. Like an accountant returning to his regular 9-to-5 job after a bachelor party over the weekend, the Olympic gold medalists must now go back to their daily routines in the NHL.

Artemi Panarin, who sent a sincere confession to Sullivan and the Rangers, is no longer in town. His absence should serve as a raw reminder for the Rangers of what their disappointing results have led to. If they want to keep the rest of the group together, they must pick up the pace. That was exactly what Sullivan told his players in his first practice back in New York.

“So let’s go win some hockey games,” Sullivan told the Rangers during an on-ice huddle, as reported by Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic.

NY Rangers are back in NHL action

No more Olympic Village, no more staying up late in the dining hall chatting with athletes from across the globe. Now, it’s strictly business. Sullivan, Miller, Trocheck, and the Rangers know they must turn the tide on what has been a disheartening campaign.

Sullivan is no longer coaching Team USA in the 2026 Winter Olympics. The hockey rink is no longer smaller, the opposition no longer speaks a foreign language, it’s back to reality for the Rangers, and it’s not particularly a pretty one.

What’s next for the NY Rangers?

New York is dead last in the Eastern Conference with 50 points out of the 114 it has played for. Any shot at making the Stanley Cup Playoffs is more likely to be part of a fever dream than a realistic scenario. Still, the Rangers can’t throw in the towel.

Taking on the visiting Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers face an early test to prove they are a different team coming out of the break. New York is 6-15-4 at home this season, a record that paints a clear picture of why the Rangers were the worst team in the East and the third-worst in the league going into the Winter Olympics.

Maybe Miller, Sullivan, and Trocheck’s experience in Milan will bring winds of change to New York City. Or perhaps the writing is on the wall, and the Rangers are gearing up for a lost battle, no different than lambs headed to the slaughter.