Bill Guerin simply stated the quiet part out loud. 

With the NHL returning to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years, the silver medallist at the 2002 Games for the United States — and now his country's general manager — has been tabbed with getting the Stars and Stripes back atop the field at a best-on-best tournament. 

Nothing short of gold in Italy will do. 

"We have to win," Guerin told NHL.com in August. "We have to win another one of these." 

It’s hard to believe, but eight years have passed since Canadian icons Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir skated to Olympic gold with their mesmerizing “Moulin Rouge” performance.

The most decorated Olympic figure skaters in history, Virtue and Moir captured five medals (three gold, two silver) across three Winter Games from 2010 to 2018.

After 24 years as partners, they officially retired in 2019 and have since taken different paths, with Virtue moving into business and Moir building a coaching academy.

Canada’s favourite couple-that-isn’t-a-couple — in partnership with OLG’s Quest for Gold program — reflected on life after competition, the thrill of Olympic gold and the future of ice dance amid this season’s judging controversy.

When Madeline Schizas secured her spot in the Olympics, she didn't think her roommates from McMaster University would want to tag along.

The 22-year-old from Oakville, Ont., made her Olympic debut at the Beijing Games in 2022, where she helped Canada to a fourth-place finish in the team event. This year, she earned Canada’s lone spot in women's competition at February’s Milan Cortina Games.

Just weeks before she was set to fly out for Milan, roommates Jenna Coulter and Shayla McKeown decided to join her in her travels.

"It's not cheap to go to Italy during the Olympics, so they went back and forth," Schizas said. "We're all really excited."