The legacy of Miracle on Ice gold medalist Bob Suter was front and center when the class of 2026 for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame was announced on 10 September.
The list of five honorees includes Bob’s son, longtime NHL defenseman Ryan Suter, as well as two other players from Suter’s hometown of Madison, Wisconsin — siblings Phil and Amanda Kessel.
All three have a long list of achievements with Team USA on the international stage, and all three grew up playing with and against each other in Madison, often under coach Bob Suter’s watchful eye.
“My whole childhood, I remember being at the rink,” Amanda said on a Zoom call along with the rest of the Hall of Fame class. “I remember Bob being there, and watching Phil and Ryan and everybody else. I think the first gold medal that I was exposed to was Bob’s. He had it around, but he never showed it off. You would have no idea that he had accomplished that.”
Now 35, Kessel has a trophy case full of hardware of her own from international hockey events. Skating for Team USA at the first-ever Women’s U18 Championships in 2008 and 2009, she set a single-tournament record that still stands today, with 19 points in just five games.
“I don’t remember much outside of winning,” she said of those early days of international competition. “And my teammates. A lot of them, I still talk to today, and I played with for 10-15 years. Those were really important years for us — kind of the best times of our lives.”
Beginning in 2012, Kessel took part in seven IIHF Women’s World Championships, winning four gold medals and three silvers. She was also a member of three U.S. Olympic teams, winning gold in 2018 as well as silver in 2014 and 2022.
Between 2012 and 2016, Kessel also won three national championships at the University of Minnesota. In 2013, she was named the winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top player in women’s NCAA hockey.
In 2022, Kessel joined the executive management program with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, where her brother Phil won a pair of Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. After serving as a special assistant to Penguins GM Kyle Dubas, Amanda is now the team’s director of minor-league operations and assistant GM of the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
As for brother Phil, he capped off his 17-year NHL career by hoisting the Stanley Cup for a third time with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, immediately after setting a new league record with 1,064 consecutive regular-season games played.
A product of the U.S. National Team Development Program, Kessel’s crowning achievements on the international stage were his silver medal with Team USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics and earning best forward honours in Sochi in 2014. Earlier in his career, he followed up a silver medal at the 2004 IIHF U18 World Championship with gold in 2005 and dressed for two World Junior Championships and three Men’s Worlds.
Now 38, Phil often played with younger sister Amanda and Suter, now 41, when the trio were kids back in Madison.
“We were competitive from a young age, obviously, and I think that kind of pushed us along,” Phil said. “We used to play 4-on-4 and 5-on-5, and we played for Gatorades. The competitiveness was crazy. If people got to see what we used to do in summer hockey, they probably wouldn’t believe some of the stuff that happened.”
“To be clear, Phil, I always took Amanda on my team,” Suter chimed in with a smile.
Just as hockey was a constant in the Kessel family, the same was true for the Suters. Ryan will go into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame beside his father, Bob, who was inducted with the 1980 Miracle on Ice team in 2003 and his uncle, Gary Suter, a defenseman who played 1,145 games in the NHL. He won the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989 and was inducted into the Hall in 2011.
“I idolized those guys, so I wanted to be them, but I felt zero pressure,” Suter said of his upbringing. “All I wanted to do was play college hockey. I wanted to be like my dad and my two uncles and play at Wisconsin, then it just kept growing.”
After being drafted seventh overall by the Nashville Predators in 2003, Suter did spend one season as a Wisconsin Badger before embarking on a 20-season NHL career that finished after the 2024-25 season with 1,526 games played.
On the international stage, Suter played in two World U18 Championships and three World Juniors. He wore the ‘C’ for Team USA in his final year at both levels and also claimed a pair of gold medals — in 2002 for U18s and at the 2004 World Juniors.
Suter also played 32 games across five IIHF World Championships and donned the Stars and Stripes at two Olympics, winning silver in 2010.
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame celebrates extraordinary contributions to the sport. Incorporated in 1969, the first class was inducted into the Hall in 1973.
With its museum in Eveleth, Minnesota and USA Hockey now serving as its caretaker, the 54th class that is being enshrined in 2026 also includes right winger T.J. Oshie and longtime U.S. national team athletic trainer Stan Wong.
Oshie, of course, is best remembered for his shootout heroics with Team USA at the Sochi Olympics in 2014. He also played in three IIHF World Championships, winning bronze in 2013, and at the 2006 World Juniors.
Wong has been an athletic trainer for more than 40 years. He joined USA Hockey in 2002 and has been there ever since, supporting a total of 59 teams in international competition at various levels including 18 IIHF World Championships and five Olympic Games.
The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Celebration for the Class of 2026 will take place on 30 November in Washington, D.C.
The list of five honorees includes Bob’s son, longtime NHL defenseman Ryan Suter, as well as two other players from Suter’s hometown of Madison, Wisconsin — siblings Phil and Amanda Kessel.
All three have a long list of achievements with Team USA on the international stage, and all three grew up playing with and against each other in Madison, often under coach Bob Suter’s watchful eye.
“My whole childhood, I remember being at the rink,” Amanda said on a Zoom call along with the rest of the Hall of Fame class. “I remember Bob being there, and watching Phil and Ryan and everybody else. I think the first gold medal that I was exposed to was Bob’s. He had it around, but he never showed it off. You would have no idea that he had accomplished that.”
Now 35, Kessel has a trophy case full of hardware of her own from international hockey events. Skating for Team USA at the first-ever Women’s U18 Championships in 2008 and 2009, she set a single-tournament record that still stands today, with 19 points in just five games.
“I don’t remember much outside of winning,” she said of those early days of international competition. “And my teammates. A lot of them, I still talk to today, and I played with for 10-15 years. Those were really important years for us — kind of the best times of our lives.”
Beginning in 2012, Kessel took part in seven IIHF Women’s World Championships, winning four gold medals and three silvers. She was also a member of three U.S. Olympic teams, winning gold in 2018 as well as silver in 2014 and 2022.
Between 2012 and 2016, Kessel also won three national championships at the University of Minnesota. In 2013, she was named the winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top player in women’s NCAA hockey.
In 2022, Kessel joined the executive management program with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, where her brother Phil won a pair of Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. After serving as a special assistant to Penguins GM Kyle Dubas, Amanda is now the team’s director of minor-league operations and assistant GM of the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
As for brother Phil, he capped off his 17-year NHL career by hoisting the Stanley Cup for a third time with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, immediately after setting a new league record with 1,064 consecutive regular-season games played.
A product of the U.S. National Team Development Program, Kessel’s crowning achievements on the international stage were his silver medal with Team USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics and earning best forward honours in Sochi in 2014. Earlier in his career, he followed up a silver medal at the 2004 IIHF U18 World Championship with gold in 2005 and dressed for two World Junior Championships and three Men’s Worlds.
Now 38, Phil often played with younger sister Amanda and Suter, now 41, when the trio were kids back in Madison.
“We were competitive from a young age, obviously, and I think that kind of pushed us along,” Phil said. “We used to play 4-on-4 and 5-on-5, and we played for Gatorades. The competitiveness was crazy. If people got to see what we used to do in summer hockey, they probably wouldn’t believe some of the stuff that happened.”
“To be clear, Phil, I always took Amanda on my team,” Suter chimed in with a smile.
Just as hockey was a constant in the Kessel family, the same was true for the Suters. Ryan will go into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame beside his father, Bob, who was inducted with the 1980 Miracle on Ice team in 2003 and his uncle, Gary Suter, a defenseman who played 1,145 games in the NHL. He won the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989 and was inducted into the Hall in 2011.
“I idolized those guys, so I wanted to be them, but I felt zero pressure,” Suter said of his upbringing. “All I wanted to do was play college hockey. I wanted to be like my dad and my two uncles and play at Wisconsin, then it just kept growing.”
After being drafted seventh overall by the Nashville Predators in 2003, Suter did spend one season as a Wisconsin Badger before embarking on a 20-season NHL career that finished after the 2024-25 season with 1,526 games played.
On the international stage, Suter played in two World U18 Championships and three World Juniors. He wore the ‘C’ for Team USA in his final year at both levels and also claimed a pair of gold medals — in 2002 for U18s and at the 2004 World Juniors.
Suter also played 32 games across five IIHF World Championships and donned the Stars and Stripes at two Olympics, winning silver in 2010.
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame celebrates extraordinary contributions to the sport. Incorporated in 1969, the first class was inducted into the Hall in 1973.
With its museum in Eveleth, Minnesota and USA Hockey now serving as its caretaker, the 54th class that is being enshrined in 2026 also includes right winger T.J. Oshie and longtime U.S. national team athletic trainer Stan Wong.
Oshie, of course, is best remembered for his shootout heroics with Team USA at the Sochi Olympics in 2014. He also played in three IIHF World Championships, winning bronze in 2013, and at the 2006 World Juniors.
Wong has been an athletic trainer for more than 40 years. He joined USA Hockey in 2002 and has been there ever since, supporting a total of 59 teams in international competition at various levels including 18 IIHF World Championships and five Olympic Games.
The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Celebration for the Class of 2026 will take place on 30 November in Washington, D.C.