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Rangers captain front & center of Team USA rager at Miami nightclub
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- Rangers captain front & center of Team USA rager at Miami nightclub
Amber Searls-Imagn Images
It appears the New York Rangers will be fortunate if captain J.T. Miller is in one piece by time they play their first game after the Olympic break Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Let's just say Miller, and his other teammates from the United States men's Olympic hockey team, is enjoying that gold medal victory to the max.
After a wild celebration following their 2-1 overtime win over archrival Canada in the gold medal game Sunday in Milan, Team USA flew back to the States on a private charter and continued the party Monday night in Miami.
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The flight was originally scheduled to land in New York, but a massive blizzard that buried the Northeast altered plans. So, the charter flew to Miami instead. And it's clear the players weren't complaining about the change of plans.
The newly minted gold medalists threw an all-time rager at the popular hotspot E11even Miami, with Miller front and center of the party. The 32-year-old crowd-surfed with the hockey team's "Free Bird" anthem blasting over the sound system. And he also grabbed the mic to sing another team favorite, Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue."
For sure, Miller proved he should stick to his day job, you know, playing hockey. But there's no denying he was having the time of his life, with zero regard for how off-key his ragged voice was.
The entire team sang the Star Spangled Banner with the crowd, and players shared magnums of champagne with clubgoers.
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E11even Miami is used to these kind of wild championship celebrations. The Florida Panthers partied hard there after each of their Stanley Cup titles the past two years. So, to say that Matthew Tkachuk appeared to be the ring leader Monday is likely an understatement.
The celebration was a long time coming. The United States hadn't won Olympic gold in men's hockey since the Miracle on Ice in 1980. And this was just the third Olympic gold medal for U.S. men all-time.
Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils scored the Golden Goal against Canada at 1:41 of overtime. Miller and Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck played important fourth-line roles and were key penalty killers throughout the tournament. Trocheck also contributed three assists; Miller didn't record any points.
A video of Trocheck telling his family that he was "going to get f****d up tonight" as he awaited the gold medal presentation postgame Sunday went viral , making him, in a way, a cult hero following the much-hyped victory.
But his childhood friend and Rangers captain very well may have stolen Trocheck's thunder Monday night/Tuesday morning in Miami.
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Miller and the boys in red, white, and blue need to sober up quickly. A trip to the White House to meet President Trump is scheduled this week, and the NHL schedule resumes Wednesday. Miller and Trocheck have until Thursday before the Rangers play again.
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