Team USA's Dylan Larkin put his NHL side, the Detroit Red Wings on notice with a sincere confession ahead of the 4 Nations Final against Canada.

“That was one of the best experiences of my life,” Larkin told media at the Bell Centre. “Just an unbelievable hockey game.” Larkin snapped a 1-1 tie at 13:33 of the second period, burying a shot past Jordan Binnington on a two-on-one break. Larkin set up Jake Guentzel for an empty-net goal with 1:19 remaining.

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin serving as a role player for Team USA was akin to using a Lamborghini as a mail truck. Using elite players in secondary roles has long been a staple of playing best-on-best tournaments.