Which is only slightly longer than the drought of US Hockey at the international senior level since 1996. (Counting Olympics, IIHF World Championship, and NHL “World Cup of Hockey”)
It did. But let’s not forget the 2000 Champions Cup, where no Mexican club reached the final, had not one but two CWC spots on the line (even if the 2001 CWC did get cancelled afterwards).
I think you should be more bitter about your 1998 DC United, Champion of the Americas, not having had a path to play Real Madrid.
To be fair, the "USA vs everyone else" in international hockey isn't a 1v2 binary like "MLS vs LMXF" in the CCL or "USA vs CAN" in the NHL. The US men's hockey team is, what, 4th overall or so? Also, FYP US Hockey as a whole certainly has at least a few more titles since 1996...